Coming to a Church Near You

September 9th, 2008 by iMonk

30 Comments »

30 Responses to “Coming to a Church Near You”

on 09 Sep 2008 at 10:54 pm Michael A

I had no idea that was what Paul was talking about!!! I want me some mind renewal mojo. Where do I send my check?
on 09 Sep 2008 at 11:12 pm Kent Sanders

At least the guy in the first clip has the good taste to play a Taylor guitar.

The second clip is clearly a parody, but the third is…sometimes there just are no words. Haven’t seen anyone moonwalk in church since…well, never.
on 09 Sep 2008 at 11:16 pm Michael

Dude…that last one is just…man!
on 09 Sep 2008 at 11:37 pm WebMonk

The first two were obvious spoofs, but for some reason the third one was really quiet and I couldn’t make out enough of the words to tell. I REALLY, REALLY hope it was a spoof too.
on 09 Sep 2008 at 11:54 pm Doug

The sad reality is how utterly connected this post is to your last one. AAArrghhhhh

Funny, yet tragic. And scary/creepy, in the video with dance moves.
on 09 Sep 2008 at 11:55 pm Scott Miller

At least the Prosperity Gospel CD is a parody (I think). The others are all too real.
Makes me embarassed…
on 10 Sep 2008 at 1:59 am Jeff M

First clip – I laughed until I was crying
Second clip – I cried ’till I started laughing
Third clip – I prayed that it was satire, only to realize these people had really worked at this too much for it to be a joke.

But I did laugh. Thanks iMonk for digging those up.
on 10 Sep 2008 at 7:33 am Mich

Okay, that 3rd one… Lawrence Welk meets the Backstreet Boys? Oy!
on 10 Sep 2008 at 9:06 am Justin

I noticed the third one was copyright 2007 (!) for The Way International — it’s been a few years since I heard about those guys.

Oh, and a quick note to youth group leaders: This is how your attempts to look cool often appear to the kids. This isn’t a slam on being relevant, just remember that guy doing the robot and flailing around at about 1:50 in every time you think that wearing a hat backwards or dying your hair green when they meet their fundraising goals is a good idea.
on 10 Sep 2008 at 9:09 am c

The last is from “The Way” a notorious “christian” cult from the 80’s that is still kicking around.
on 10 Sep 2008 at 9:29 am Pastor M

These must be from Julie Neidlinger’s new church–right?
on 10 Sep 2008 at 9:38 am Howie

That was just what I needed to start the day! Ditto what Jeff M said about #3 – they obviously worked at that, yet it is soooo wrong. Next time I attend a boring liturgy, I’ll remember that it could be worse…a lot worse!
on 10 Sep 2008 at 10:17 am Josh Gelatt

That third clip…….2 minutes and 50 seconds of my life that I’ll never get back again.
on 10 Sep 2008 at 11:59 am rampancy

That third clip…I…I just…wow.

I was half expecting the guy in the middle to grab his crotch and go “AhoOOOoo!” like Michael Jackson after he twirls around.
on 10 Sep 2008 at 12:01 pm Jon

iMonk, I remember seeing a quote either here or at the BHT regarding the difficulty of distinguising authentic fundamentalist Christianity from satire of the same. Tried to find it with no luck. Do you remember what I’m talking about?
on 10 Sep 2008 at 12:52 pm Vince

that was fantastic.

painful, but fantastic
on 10 Sep 2008 at 1:17 pm Bob Brague

First one – Tim Hawkins, Christian comedian.

Second one – Who knows?

Third one – I thought it was people from “Truth” (the traveling singing group) based on the sign in the background, but at the end it said copyright The Way International, a cult — even Wikipedia says so.
on 10 Sep 2008 at 1:39 pm Gina M

Ok… That third clip, I’m going to have nightmares about that one I am sure!
The first too were funny. The third was too disturbing for words.
on 10 Sep 2008 at 1:41 pm dumb ox

The first one is funny, but ironic. The Pop culture used to sell religion in the form of praise songs is then used to sell pop culture. It’s not that far-fetched. It’s all about marketing from the get-go. Maybe it would be more expedient to drop the religious facade and complete the transformation of churches into shopping malls or night clubs.
on 10 Sep 2008 at 1:43 pm Clark

Michael, you’ve discovered Tim Hawkins. I had honestly been thinking about asking you if you had seen this guy yet. I have a kid in BCM begging us to watch his DVD.

Justin: I just bought a motorcycle. I really do look cool.
on 10 Sep 2008 at 2:54 pm iMonk

Jon: Sorry. I don’t recall it.
on 10 Sep 2008 at 5:38 pm mîcâh

It took a good minute for me to realize the last one was sincere. plus– “the renewed mind is the christ in me.” ??!??!? I’m sure there could be some context that makes this nothing more than odd phrasology, but it sounds straight creepy.
on 11 Sep 2008 at 2:04 pm Steve

I love that the last video is copyrighted 2007, not 1980-something.
on 11 Sep 2008 at 3:18 pm Headless Unicorn Guy

Oh, and a quick note to youth group leaders: This is how your attempts to look cool often appear to the kids. This isn’t a slam on being relevant, just remember that guy doing the robot and flailing around at about 1:50 in every time you think that wearing a hat backwards or dying your hair green when they meet their fundraising goals is a good idea. — Justin

Nothing gets stale faster than over-relevance.
Except pretentious over-relevance.

Ever watch reruns of that Sixties hit, Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In? Very topical, very relevant — and aged very badly. But to their credit, Dan & Dick were just doing a topical comedy revue, not Something Of Cosmic Importance For The Ages.

Imagine if your church time-stopped amid the two-foot Afros, bellbottoms, love beads, peace-sign medallions, and Nehru jackets of that period. It’d be the First Church of Austin Powers preaching Shagadelic Cosmic Christian Mojo.

Then go from that brain-melting gedankenexperiment to the real-life churches time-stopped in the Godly Golden Age of the 1950s According to Ozzie & Harriet. Youth groups filled with narrow ties, crewcuts, poodle skirts of appropriate length, and a retention rate of zero.

Or those polygs on the news a couple months ago, their women dressed in 1950s TV Western versions of 19th Century Prairie dresses & hairdos like they just stepped out of Little House on the Prairie or a Christian Bonnet Romance cover.

Both Chesterton and Lewis had much to say on how tying the Gospel to current fashion means tying it to a point in time; when time keeps going into the future, that point will become the past. And if the Gospel is tied to that point in time, it will be Left Behind. (I believe Screwtape has much to say about current fashion as a tactic — Nya Ha Ha, My Dear Wormwood…)
on 12 Sep 2008 at 7:46 am steven

The last video made me throw-up in my mouth a little….

found the “comedian” in the first clip to be rather lame…not very original.
on 12 Sep 2008 at 5:43 pm Bob Sacamento

The first two were hilarious. The last one is just plain scary. Don’t do that to me.
on 13 Sep 2008 at 9:14 am Rassleas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-NOZU2iPA8&NR=1

“Zap”
on 13 Sep 2008 at 11:10 pm lee

Rassleas

I can’t tell- is that parody or not? Was that actually on some Christian TV show or something?
on 14 Sep 2008 at 6:15 pm Rassleas

before my time Lee – but i’d bet the farm that its real! besides nobody in their right mind could possibly parody the nonsense evangelicals are capable of
on 26 May 2009 at 2:03 pm БaKиHeЦ

Видел что-то похожее в англоязычном интернете, в Русском инете про такое как-то не особо часто сообщения увидишь.

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Coming to a Church Near You

30 Responses to “Coming to a Church Near You”

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