New CBS Sitcom ‘Living Biblically’ Brings Faith to Primetime
Recently, we shared a link about the new CBS show (see here). In this article, Brett McCracken offers a review and analysis. Might be helpful to share with people who have questions about the show, as one of my church members did the other night. I haven’t watched, don’t plan to (don’t have time, even if I wanted to!), but from what McCracken says, the show illustrates a problem in public notions of religion and opportunities the show represents for Biblical religion. Note a few quotes appended below. [dcsj]
CBS’s new sitcom ‘Living Biblically’ airs tonight. It illustrates our culture’s need for, and confusion about, Christianity and the Bible. …
Is the show a powerhouse of sound hermeneutics and biblical scholarship? Decidedly not. But it does approach faith and the Bible with a respect and engagement rarely seen on network TV. …
Living Biblically wants to be a comedy that both Christians and atheists can watch and laugh at—one that provokes both sides without belittling or dismissing them. This is not an easy task, and we’ll see if the show maintains this balance, without feeling boring or neutered, for the rest of the season. …
“I think a lot of people feel very lost,” Walsh said. “They don’t know what to do. That’s where we find Chip at the start of the show. This is a time when a lot of people will turn to religion, to the Bible, to things from the past, because the present is looking pretty scary.” …
It remains to be seen whether the show will find Chip encountering Jesus, grace, the cross, and the true gospel (I’ve only previewed three episodes), or whether it will continue exploring faith through the vague, but sadly pervasive lens of moralistic therapeutic deism. …
McCracken’s conclusion:
Shows like Living Biblically remind us that there is real cultural interest in faith, real seeking after God. The world is confused, the present is scary, and the ideologies du jour leave people wanting more. They know they need the Bible, but they’re mistaken if they seek in it “good advice,” morality tales, and arbitrary pearls of wisdom rather than God’s self-revelation and a cohesive narrative of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration.
There is clearly a void that coherent biblical truth can fill in our culture, if taught soundly, preached winsomely, and lived consistently by Christians. Are we up to the task?
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