Church ties best sellers to sermons

The two top-selling novels of the New York Times best-seller list are being measured up against another best-selling book at a local church.

At a Saturday evening service, Pastor Ron Watts of La Croix United Methodist Church started a three-part sermon series, "Fiction or Nonfiction," which focuses on "The Five People You Meet in Heaven," "The Da Vinci Code" and the Bible.

"There's so much spiritual hunger out there, sometimes books like these get snatched up," he said during La Croix's 11 a.m. Sunday service. "We need to take what's said here and we need to measure it up against the truth."

Although people acknowledge that the books are fiction, he said, the two books have grabbed people's attention and raised questions that need to be addressed.

The first in the series was "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" by Mitch Albom, author of "Tuesdays with Morrie," which is the text for this month's United We Read program. "The Five People You Meet in Heaven," which is currently the No. 2 best seller, is about an average man who dies and in heaven meets people whose lives he affected.

The book raised questions of the meaning of life and the afterlife. Watts agreed with the book in that people have an effect on other people whether they realize it or not.

Annette Emmons has read the book and has reflected on the same issue.

The book "did make me aware that I have a lot of responsibility on this earth while I'm here," she said, "to keep my relationship with God very strong so that when he brings somebody across my path, I'm ready to make a difference."

Watts said that one thing about the book left him with a deep sense of sadness.

"God never shows up," he said. "Heaven is about the one, glorious one, that you will meet."

Dustin Keele said that one point has made him decide to not read the book.

"If Jesus and God are not even in there, then I would feel disappointed by it," he said.

At next Saturday and Sunday's services, the second installment is the current No. 1 best seller, "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown. Brown's book is a mystery-thriller about how the discovery of a secret society challenges the accuracy of church history. Watts will address the book's historical application and how it affects people's perspectives on history.

The subject of the last installment will be "Is the Bible reliable?"

Watts regularly ties together pop culture and religion, recently preaching a series that focused on the movies "Bruce Almighty," "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Matrix." This is his first series that focuses on literature.

Shelly Nall said that she enjoys the relevancy of his topics.

"I think that the churches are so separate from what's going on," she said. "It's exciting that he is engaging the culture with the Bible."

Church attendance averages 1,200, but attendance last weekend was 1,400. Watts said that the sermon series is not necessarily the reason for the difference because attendance fluctuates. Whatever the reason, he still has a hope for the sermons.

"My greatest hope," he said, "is this will cause a seeker to dig a little deeper, to ask a few questions and to come to the knowledge of the truth."

jmetelski@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127