In the strangest of places...

A few minutes ago I did something I almost never do...

I clicked on a Facebook ad.

This particular blurb was advertising a book called "The Day Metallica Came To Church" by John Van Sloten.  I clicked on it and got to download the first chapter for free.  Three pages in, I went to Amazon and bought the book  - and immediately started re-planning my fall curriculum for the high school youth group I direct.

I've found that the books I enjoy most and get the most out of tend to delve into truths that I recognize intrinsically, but have never really thought deeply about.  This book does exactly that, with the concept that God is found anywhere, everywhere and in everything.  I've never had a problem exploring outside the boundaries of traditional Christian thought for nuggets of truth, and it was only recently that I ran head-on into the realization that mainstream Christianity is mortally afraid of any truth we haven't corporately poked, prodded and pulverized into bland submission.  Somehow we've converted our faith from the blueprint for truth-seeking into the whole house of truth, apart from which nothing can stand.  One of my favorite quotes on truth comes from John Calvin, who said "all truth is inspired by the Holy Spirit".  How have we become so afraid of taking spiritual paths less-traveled?  How do I negotiate my call to bring the youth of my church closer to Christ with my own desire to seek out the light and life of Christ in all things - even things the church has traditionally rejected?