Lessons from Teens with Devices

There is a scenic overlook of the southern range of the Smoky Mountains, on highway 28 were I will pull into on periodic gorgeous days, taking in the panoramic view.  A couple of weeks ago I did just that, although there were a half dozen other vehicles in the parking area. I love people and hate crowds.  As I extracted myself from my auto, a middle aged lady said to me, “It’s a ‘drop dead’ view, you’re in for a real treat.”  I hesitated and thought for a spilt second, “I think I’ll just get back into my car and drive on, this is not the day I would prefer to drop dead.”  As  I walked to the overlook point, I passed a couple of teenagers, busily texting with their phones paying little attention to parents who were urging them to put the “damned things” down and participate in the experience.  I stood almost reverent with curiosity at the view, reflecting inquisitively on the exquisite composite of the hew and makeup of the fog formations and wondering as to how one might travel to those homes, far in the distance, high on the mountains, in Tennessee.  Walking back to my car the two teens were still standing in the same place and position, with their thumbs moving at lightning speed.  Not far from them there was a younger boy with ear fobs, connected to a pad, intently watching something. 

I’ve been asking myself – was I so engrossed in my youth with things and seemingly little curiosity – or has curiosity only been evident in my mature years? That question has enticed my curiosity to wonder if intellectual curiosity has been replaced by a fascination with the most current technological devices, or scandals, all sorts of gossip, celebrity and otherwise, or mystery plastered about the media.  Television ratings remind that there is always something fantastic about a new revelation, a long-lost document, or controversial new evidence.  I notice that I can be quickly pulled in by the promise of a scandal.  Both, Bettyann and I (moreso her) are easily taken with a good mystery.  I am compelled to be more up on the latest public frenzy.  But in thinking about it, I realize, watching the Bill O’Reilly show last week, that such fascination shows not an attitude of curiosity towards knowledge, but an attitude of passivity that is always waiting to be shown the next update.

It is not surprising then to watch whatever latest media revelation becomes a public fascination.  Such was the case with James Cameron's documentary, back in “07” called "The Lost Tomb of Jesus," as he claimed there was new evidence that a tomb in Jerusalem held the remains of Jesus, his wife, and their son.  "It doesn't get bigger than this," Cameron said at the press release.  "We've done our homework; we've made the case; and now it's time for the debate to begin."  The foundations of Christianity were hardly devastated. But I remember the heads of many religious spokesman were turned, if only for a moment.  Before the premiere of the documentary, the film's companion book jumped to the top five best selling books online.

I’ve noticed that when it comes to faith, the novelty of "evidence" that promises to hold my curiosity seems to capture my mind. But it is almost always a fleeting fascination based on fantastic speculation, intellectual biases, and poor scholarship.  In this sense, Cameron has not produced anything new at all. New Testament professor Ben Witherington articulates in his article entitled: Tomb of the (Still) Unknown Ancients; in the state of our culture as it pertains to the latest "findings" that promise to undermine Christianity: "We are a Jesus-haunted culture that is so historically illiterate that anything can now pass for knowledge of Jesus." My position comes from years serving as a pastor and chaplain: that the claims of Christ will continue to be buried in new doubt and evidence, but that Christ will continue to rise above the tombs that claim to hold him.  Whether or not anyone else believes this, I want to be an honest investigator, a curious pursuer of history, knowledge, and truth!

The shadows of mystery and suspense are indeed captivating, and the latest findings offer a ready maze to explore.  But here I am not meant to reside.  The mysteries of Christ and the decisive events of history are best explored not with a panting after the newest speculation but with a mind and heart for truth.  Christ has come into the world; I need not look to the latest scandal to find myself standing in awe.