One of my favorite things to do is find truth on the other side.

The fact that there are two sides is unfortunate, but it grows out of the recent history of a Christian subculture forming a political base around itself. We had our 15 minutes of fame and chose to talk about morality instead of a savior who forgave the immorality of all of us, our own included. This has created a barrier between us and culture which has to be surmounted somehow if we want to talk to those on the other side and build relationships. That’s why truth found in culture is one of the best ways to begin a conversation on the other side of the wall. What better way to bring up the gospel than a popular song, movie or television show? It’s the gospel according to ________ (fill in the blank). The conversation has already begun; we simply figure out a way to continue it.

This is one of our favorite things to do here at the Catch is help find these bridges to truth in culture for you (and in doing so, help teach you how to do this yourself). Paul showed us how to do this when he was in Athens and found an altar to an unknown god (Acts 17:23) and a popular poet he could talk about (Acts 17:28). And once you start thinking this way, examples start popping up everywhere.

Yesterday, I found this same activity at work from a surprising source as I met a man doing it on a grand scale. He’s doing it not from popular culture, but from classical culture, yet still on the other side, because it is a part of classical culture known to just about everybody anywhere in the western world, and that would be through the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. As a professional conductor he has amassed a talented group of musicians to present some of Bach’s sacred works in such a way as to teach the audience about the messages in the music

What you find is that Bach’s lyrics are not only biblical, they are contemporary and fresh to his culture, and because of that, they speak to ours as well. These are not just biblical concepts, they are examples of Christian thought nuanced in such a way as to only be explainable through the deep personal experience of the writer. More than sacred themes for church music; they are personal statements of a contemporary and vital faith. It’s like a treasure that’s been there all along and now someone has carefully dug it up and put it on display for everyone to see. Truth from the other side.

Once you start doing this, you can’t stop. You start finding the gospel everywhere, to where you can find out everything you want to say has already been said on the other side. You can do it all from there.

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. (Matthew 13:44-46)

For any of our Catch members who live in or near Orange County, California, we wanted to make you aware of a very special concert taking place on October 19, 2013, at Saint Paul Greek Orthodox Church in Irvine. The Pacific Bach Project represents a new and fresh approach to engaging postmodern culture with the message of historic Christianity. The concert will explore the music of Johann Sebastian Bach as illustrated by a live choir and orchestra playing period instruments and narrated by the conductor Rick Westerfield. It will be a rare opportunity for people who might not be Christians to hear the gospel expressed in the passion of one of the greatest composers of all time. I had the privilege of meeting the composer yesterday and this looks like the real deal. For more information go to http://www.pacificbach.com. Tickets are $25 and $50. Use promo code SEARCH20 for 20% discount.