Discussion guide questions:Rob is waiting for a bus and starts talking about having gone to a concert recently. He noticed a man passing out pamphlets and shouting at concert goers through a bullhorn, telling them to repent. Rob calls him "Bullhorn Guy."
- How do you feel about people like bullhorn guy?
- Are people like bullhorn guy hurting the general perception of Christianity?
- What things other than bullhorn guy negatively taint the perception of the Christian faith?
Rob proposes the idea that the reason so many people are interested in Christianity is Jesus' message that "God really, really loves us exactly as we are."
- What draws you to the message of Jesus?
"Teacher, what is the most important commandment in the Law?" Jesus answered:"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.' This is the first and most important commandment. The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, 'Love others as much as you love yourself.' All the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets are based on these two commandments." - Matthew 22:36-40 (CEV)
- What's the most important thing in your life? How does that line up with what Jesus said?
Rob tells bullhorn guy that the reason his tactics aren't working is because he seems to just be converting people to his religion, "like they're notches on some spiritual belt." He asks, "If I'm loving somebody with an agenda, then it isn't really love, is it?"
- What does it mean to love someone with an agenda?
- Is trying to convert someone to your religious beliefs an agenda?
In describing a Christian, Rob says s/he is "somebody who understands that people with different perspectives and different religious beliefs an convictions, they're to be loved an respected, because they're made by God, and they're sacred and they're valuable and they matter."
- Does God love people with different beliefs that you? As much as he loves you?
- How do you feel about people with different beliefs than you?
Rob loses with a challenge to the viewer: "What are you doing to change the perception [of Christianity]"?
- What are some general negative perceptions of Christians out there?
- Are the negative perceptions of Christianity caused by what we believe or how we're living?
- Are you doing anything to change the negative perceptions?
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. - John 13:35 (TNIV)
Class discussion: mega-churches, growth for growth's sake, pastors' influence on a church, personality versus message, commitment to weekly attendance, how to show Christian love or acceptance
Action items for the week:
- Pick the most annoying person you know, and meditate on God loving that person as much as you. See how your mind and heart react to this thought.
- Come up with one tactic you can do to draw people to Christianity or to Trinity.
Video note: Many "Velvet Elvis" concert t-shirts can be spotted during the crowd scenes in the film, although that wasn't the name of the band playing that night. "Velvet Elvis" is the title of Rob's first book.
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