Friday, March 30, 2012

The Seeker-Sensitive Military Machine Grinds to a Halt

The 2004 movie Downfall portrayed the last twelve days of Hitler’s life in his Berlin bunker. Since then, the movie has taken on a life of its own. The scene of an enraged Hitler in his bunker has been co-opted by all sorts of people as they insert their own imaginative subtitles, which works well if your audience doesn’t speak German. In this one, Hitler berates his general staff for their failure to fully embrace Hitler’s expansionary seeker-sensitive church growth plans. It’s got some pretty funny lines. Enjoy.



HT: Chris Rosebrough

12 comments:

Joel Lillo said...

Liked the mention of Wretched Radio!

Youssarian said...

Godwin's Law. =)

Scott Diekmann said...

Reductio ad Hitlerum!

Norman Teigen said...

Great. I have seen several of these several years ago. Good satire. I can imagine some other creative people having fun with the same video.

Scott Diekmann said...

Here's another good Downfall parody:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-Ln_rqPpPk

Anonymous said...

Wretched Radio is a WELS program, yet there is no mention on its website of being affiliated with any church body???

Todd Friel is way too uptight for my taste.

Anonymous said...

Is the Seeker Sensitive movement dying in generic Protestant churches?

I see no evidence in the LCMS that the movement is disappearing.........

Scott Diekmann said...

I suspect the Seeker Sensitive movement may be losing a little steam in the generic Protestant churches, as people discover that it really doesn't "work." I agree that it isn't disappearing in the LCMS. With all the great "vision" we've got, who needs the Holy Spirit?

Gene said...

I am optimistic some shift can be achieved via a two pronged effort. Last week I had the opportunity to speak to Rev. Briel, Chair of the National Missions Board for LCMS, following his presentation at the CLCC Convention. He was one of our speakers. It seems they have been too busy trying to set policy and have not paid attention to what the LCMS Website is saying about their area of turf. He was surprised and not aware of some of the "hold over" stuff still there. I am going to send him a list of things that need to be eliminated, etc.

The other point is to talk to your DP, if you can. I have had one talk two weeks ago and will be having another on worship practices, hopefully this month. Last time I was there I gave him a copy of Larry Siefkin's study on church attendance over the last 10 of available data. CGM churches are losing membership at a faster rate, on average, as opposed to those that do not.

Scott Diekmann said...

I'm not surprised that the website doesn't receive much attention. It seems to be the same theme among the districts.

Anonymous said...

Wretched Radio isn't WELS. Todd Friel left the WELS years ago and has Baptist-like beliefs and loves to say 'get saved' - as if a Christian can't fall away as Heb 6:4-6 clearly teaches and in Christ's teaching about sowing seed among thorns, rocks, etc.

Anonymous said...

Christ teaches that Christians can fall away.

Heb 6:4-6 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.

Matt 13:20-23 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. 22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. 23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”