The Dude Abides
Psalms 103: 15 & 16
(15)"As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. (16) For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more."
This morning I watched the film "The Big Lebowski" on Netflix "Instant Queue." Last night I read a reference to the movie in a New York Times article: The "Dissertations on His Dudeness." The title piqued my interest as I am a dude working on my dissertation.
When I was in college, I used the word dude like Tourette's. My roommate from Carlisle, where "dude" was apparently not part of the local teen lexicon, picked it up from me. Then, his buddy, also from Carlisle, commented about the plethora of times my roommate now used the word dude.
Kind of interesting how we pick up words from people we hang out with. When I worked with inner city juvenile delinquents, I had a whole vocab (now almost 25 years old) of hip urban slang that used to befuddle the church crowd I hung around. Using the words had become second nature. It was the only time in my life that the "F-Bomb" became the operative word for anything and everything. I made sure to at least check this at the sanctuary door.
Not sure it is ever theologically justified to use the "F-Bomb" word, although one could argue, in some settings, the word has passed from the profane to the common. I believe cursing at someone (especially God) is infinitely worse than cussing when you bust your toe on the chair leg. However, both are offensive...one is more than the other.
I recall one time watching a 700 Club video piece about a guy who was passed over for a promotion. Although a fictional production, it was trying to convey the reality of how it feels to be overlooked and connect with the viewers. It had the guy saying something like, "Golly, I can't believe I didn't get the promotion?" I thought to myself, "Who talks like this, especially when ticked off?" The G-Rating made it unreal and goofy. However well-intentioned, it came off fake. Not truthful. Kind of Howdy Doodyish.
The Big Lebowski, like the "F-Bomb," had some really offensive stuff in it. It was also really clever and had some profound moments. This verse from the Psalms was on the back wall above the head of the rep from the Funeral Home when one of the dude's in the bowling buddy trio died. I know that the Coen brothers hardly felt the need to witness, yet God's truth was there...in the depravity, in the darkness, and in the "dudeness."
I can't commend the film. I certainly won't encourage this use of the "F" word. Yet, I struggle with how we as Christians can minister to our lost world without experientially putting ourselves into the lostness and don't try to frantically Lysol it clean before we enter in with the Good News.
(15)"As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. (16) For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more."
This morning I watched the film "The Big Lebowski" on Netflix "Instant Queue." Last night I read a reference to the movie in a New York Times article: The "Dissertations on His Dudeness." The title piqued my interest as I am a dude working on my dissertation.
When I was in college, I used the word dude like Tourette's. My roommate from Carlisle, where "dude" was apparently not part of the local teen lexicon, picked it up from me. Then, his buddy, also from Carlisle, commented about the plethora of times my roommate now used the word dude.
Kind of interesting how we pick up words from people we hang out with. When I worked with inner city juvenile delinquents, I had a whole vocab (now almost 25 years old) of hip urban slang that used to befuddle the church crowd I hung around. Using the words had become second nature. It was the only time in my life that the "F-Bomb" became the operative word for anything and everything. I made sure to at least check this at the sanctuary door.
Not sure it is ever theologically justified to use the "F-Bomb" word, although one could argue, in some settings, the word has passed from the profane to the common. I believe cursing at someone (especially God) is infinitely worse than cussing when you bust your toe on the chair leg. However, both are offensive...one is more than the other.
I recall one time watching a 700 Club video piece about a guy who was passed over for a promotion. Although a fictional production, it was trying to convey the reality of how it feels to be overlooked and connect with the viewers. It had the guy saying something like, "Golly, I can't believe I didn't get the promotion?" I thought to myself, "Who talks like this, especially when ticked off?" The G-Rating made it unreal and goofy. However well-intentioned, it came off fake. Not truthful. Kind of Howdy Doodyish.
The Big Lebowski, like the "F-Bomb," had some really offensive stuff in it. It was also really clever and had some profound moments. This verse from the Psalms was on the back wall above the head of the rep from the Funeral Home when one of the dude's in the bowling buddy trio died. I know that the Coen brothers hardly felt the need to witness, yet God's truth was there...in the depravity, in the darkness, and in the "dudeness."
I can't commend the film. I certainly won't encourage this use of the "F" word. Yet, I struggle with how we as Christians can minister to our lost world without experientially putting ourselves into the lostness and don't try to frantically Lysol it clean before we enter in with the Good News.
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