Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12:2)

Last week witnessed the premier of a new television show on NBC titled "The Book of Daniel" which portrays the fictional adventures of a modern Episcopal priest and his dysfunctional family and parish as seen through the lens of Hollywood's leftist, secularist, elitists.

While I find the show offensive, it is not merely because Aidan Quinn, as Fr. Daniel Webster, is a priest addicted to painkillers, who has homosexuals in his congregation making passes at him. Nor is it that he is shown being married to an alcoholic wife, having a daughter who is a drug dealer, a "Republican" son, who is gay, another son who is having an affair with his father's sixteen year old daughter, a brother-in-law who is embezzling parish funds, and whose wife is having a lesbian affair with the Rector's secretary. It is not even Fr. Webster's sermon on temptation. In it he tells his congregation that "temptation is a good thing", since without temptation and the sin it causes, we could never know God's forgiveness.

This false idea is directly addressed by St. Paul in the sixth chapter of Romans, when he writes:

"What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning, so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."

In other words, we who are saved in Christ have no excuses. We are called into a new life, one which seeks to rise above the old unredeemed self.

After his sermon Fr. Webster is criticized by his female bishop, who is presented as the supposedly orthodox character, in the only real Christian teaching provided in the entire two hours. Eventually, however, she is, of course, also revealed as a complete hypocrite when she asks Fr. Webster to share his painkiller prescription and to be her future drug supplier. Finally, she is later seen having an illicit affair with Fr. Webster's father, who is a retired Episcopal bishop.

The producers show their distain for other Christians as well. Webster's response to his brother-in-laws embezzlement of 3.2 million dollars is not to go to the police, but to go visit his friend, the local Roman Catholic priest, where he is asked to use his Mafia connections to find the brother-in-law and the money.

Certainly these things are all offensive to me as a Christian minister, but NBC has every right to present its soap opera. I suppose we can consider NBC to have been sensitive to middle class sensibilities in that it at least spared us the plot twist of having two male bishops having a homosexual affair. Surely, howver that event and many more, will be coming in future weeks. One priest friend has suggested that the program actually does reflect the commonplace acceptance of sin in not only the Episcopal Church, but in many of our churches in America. So when a priest at the ECUSA parish where this show is filmed (who is president of Integrity, the largest "gay" rights organization in the Episcopal Church) profusely endorses the series and says that she hopes the public will be impressed at such a church, she may be right.

From pedophile Roman Catholic priests to homosexual ECUSA bishops, to huckster television evangelists, there is enough sin and corruption to go around. My objection to this series has nothing to do with any of the moral and ethical woes of the Rector's family and circle of friends.

My objection stems from the introduction of Jesus as regular character who appears to Fr. Webster to give him advice. To use Jesus in this way is offensive and no other religion would be treated this way. Imagine a show about a liberal Rabbi who talks to a liberal God who gives him investment advice. Cries of anti-Semitism would be heard all over America. Or imagine a show about an Islamic Imam who gets pep talks from Allah about how to pull off the next terrorist bombing.

The advice of the Jesus character has little to do with anything resembling Biblical Christianity. Instead, the Jesus of the Book of Daniel is at best an enabler who tells Fr. Webster not to be a harsh disciplinarian with his daughter who has been arrested for selling drugs. "She's a good person" he tells Daniel. At worst, he is mouthpiece for the secularist left, who mocks orthodox Christianity. He is, in short, a manufactured counterfeit Jesus, who even the homosexual who writes the scripts admits is a figment of Fr. Webster's imagination. In other word's Fr. Webster's experience of Jesus in his own mind supercedes the bible, and 2000 years of Christian thought. All things must conform to the dysfunctional world around us. This Jesus is a loving affirming Jesus who is captive to the culture and who never judges or condemns.

If anything, the Book of Daniel holds up a mirror to the fruits of a false gospel based on conformity to the standards of a fallen humanity. Confronted with sin, it is the church that must yield. What does Holy Scripture say about this? I am going to let Paul answer this challenge, since he is far more eloquent that I can ever hope to be.

Our Epistle this morning warns that we are not to be conformed to this world, but rather that we are to have our minds renewed by the indwelling Christ. Modernists think that for religion to be "relevant" it must be reinvented. St. Paul gives the Biblical response when he writes: "It is not I who live, but Christ who lives in me." The mistake we make is to project our thoughts on God, when it is supposed to be the other way around.

To to finish this morning I am going to read you Chapter 12 of Romans in its entirety, from the New International version.

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honour one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord. On the contrary: If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

I want you to contrast Paul's vision of the Church which we just heard, with the Book of Daniel's flawed vision of the Church. You tell me, which one truly conveys the love of God and offers hope to a dysfunctional world, and which one makes you reach for the bottle of pills?

The Book of Daniel delivers a message to those who have eyes to see and ears to hear... it is just not the message the producers intended to send.

Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.