This week I receive a picture from a classmate with the cover of a magazine. At first sight, I noticed the letter Hoop which means Hope in Dutch and of course, the Christmas atmosphere with the green and red colors, the Christmas wreaths, the Christmas bells, etc. However, taking a better look at the picture, I observed the text at the left side of the picture. Questions like what have porn addiction or knuckle dusters got to do with hope came to my mind. This picture made me curious to the organization behind this magazine. This was even more a surprise for me. This magazine HOOP is from Hour to Power. I must admit I was not aware of an organization called Hour of Power so I did some research to find out. Hour of Power seems to be an American church service in which the positive gospel of Jesus Christ is proclaimed in an accessible and modern way. The service is led by various speakers, including founder Robert Harold Schuller, Bill Hybels, Lee Strobel, Walt Kallestad and many others. In short, people I have never heard of before. Since 1999 people in the Netherlands can watch this service on television.
However, looking at the cover at the magazine, I wonder what this church service is about and in how far, Christianity has changed. Will they talk about porn and knuckle dusters? I don’t know but I believe the titles of the articles published on the cover of this magazine do not fit with Christianity and / or Christmas. Note: this magazine is also a special Christmas edition!
Cross-Cultural Hope 