the joshschuler experiment

For the past several weeks our college-age community has been wading through a discussion we are calling ‘thru the window’.

The premise is to get each of us to view the way we (followers of Jesus) interact with others (friends & strangers) as a window thru which those who do not share our faith look through and come to certain conclusions about Jesus.

The hypothesis we are testing is that many look (thru the window) at the relationships that Christians have with others and see a Jesus that is not a true reflection of the savior we love. Rather than a clear image of our risen savior, they instead see a distorted, cloudy, broken and dysfunctional one.

As someone who has worked with college-age young adults for several years, I have noticed 4 common areas of dysfunction: selfishness(or narccicism), a lack of vulnerability, a lack of authenticity, and a tendency toward exclusivity. I realize that these dysfunctions are present in other stages of life as well, but since I am not a trained sociologist, and my primary field of research is college-age young adults in Southern Indiana, we’ll keep the focus here.

Now, let’s be clear, I am convinced that none of these dysfunctions are the result of intention. Instead, they result from the lack of it. They are the natural tendencies of broken people. The problem, however, is that the teachings of Jesus confront these tendencies. The expectation for the follower of Jesus is to be intentionally selfless, humble, speaking truth in love, and seeking to engage and love those on the margins of society. So, when the followers of Jesus exhibit the natural tendencies; to those who do not share our faith, our faith has no teeth, it has no life, no attraction, it’s vapid.

As part of our discussion last week, our college-age community spent some time watching the first episode of MTV’s latest reality creation, Jersey Shore. As a recent Relevant Magazine post admits,

“If you’ve ever seen Jersey Shore, you know it’s simultaneously the best and worst thing on TV. The characters are obnoxious, vapid and maybe ethnic stereotypes. But you can’t. Look. Away.

Indeed. It provides an interesting case study for the application of the premise of ‘thru the window’. So, for our application we made the assumption that each member of the cast of Jersey Shore was, in fact, a follower of Jesus (we don’t know the faith claims of any of the cast members, we are simply constructing a thought experiment). We broke our discussion into smaller groups and watched clips of the introduction of each cast member. Based on the 15 to 20 second clips, each group was expected to construct a statement of the gospel (good news) about Jesus from what they saw. So, assume you know nothing about Jesus or christianity, but you know that Snooki, Pauly D, and Mike “the Situation” are followers of Jesus. Just by watching a clip of them speaking and interacting with others, construct a statement describing what is important to the follower of Jesus.

Essentially, we came to the conclusion that the gospel according to Jersey Shore is to be juiced, tan, and only in the pursuit of good looking people of the same ethnicity to hook up with. Oh, and don’t get in our way, or we’ll knock you out and hate you forever.

Now, I understand that to some this may be an attractive gospel. However, for those who have studied the life and teachings of Jesus, this gospel is not the same as the gospel of Jesus. It is a distortion. It is in fact not gospel at all.

What we have to realize, however, is that this kind of examination happens everyday, and it is not only reserved for the cast of a reality show. Everyday we interact and relate with people who construct statements and conclusions about Jesus by observing us. Do we love our neighbor as ourselves? Do we not only know the good we should do, but we do it? Do we look after the widow and the orphan? Through our relationships do people find someone who does justly, loves mercy, and walks humbly with their God?

So, here’s the deal. Let’s examine ourselves shall we? Ask a friend, a co-worker, a neighbor, or someone you just met what they understand about the life and teachings of Jesus by being around you. You may find that you are a clear window, or you may find that you are something a bit cloudy. I’m not immune. If you read this and would like to comment from what you see in me, I relish the insight.

Grace & Peace.