Hard to say — there are, after all, so few of the latter anyway. Especially in light of how Jesus defines “neighbor.”

By the way, why do you assume the pierced-from-head-to-toe Bono acceptor isn’t Biblically literate?

Keep going man. “Cool” changes with the seasons. God never changes.

Speaking as an evolutionary biologist, I have plenty of opportunities to emphatically disagree with the position held by many prominent Christians. (I wish I didn’t!) I think that, just we hate the sin but love the sinner, we need to make a distinction between how we view a person’s teachings and how we view the individual.

If I’m appalled at some of the stuff that Christian bookstores sell and the implication that buying that stuff makes me look more Christian, and yet I’m also appalled at a video that tries to depict that implication in a humorous way, what has changed?

Again, there is plenty to critique. The video does have an “us vs. them” quality, which again is a byproduct of the chosen medium. But a visual caricature of Christian bookstore junk and a written polemic against Christian bookstore junk ultimately are meant to convey the same thing. In the case of the latter, think of the “authentic” Christian writing the polemic instead of standing next to the caricature.

Blessing,
Bryan L

I’ll grant that some “fundy Christians” wear their religion on the sleeve and have trouble connecting with real humans, but let’s take a second and see how it would look if the tables were turned.

How would an anything-goes, the-world-is-one, Bono (not Sonny… well, him too) accepting, pierced-from-head-to-toe “Acceptance” Christian fare against a Biblically literate, gives to the poor, loves his kids and his neighbors “True” Christian?

The chief issue presented by them is not “cool” vs. “uncool,” although of course it’s a natural byproduct of both the Mac/PC versions and these because of how each representation is…uh…represented. As best I can tell, they present different attitudes toward the Christian life. There’s room for criticising the presentation, as satire always draws that sort of criticism.

Where I’m confused is, for instance, how the video where the “religious” guy is covered in Christian bumperstickers may be criticised, but a few posts above this one (and elsewhere) we’re picking apart the Christian junk that bookstores sell. Another video has the “religious” guy blaming his being laid off on spiritual warfare, and a few weeks ago here we were discussing the question of whether we can be too “God-centered.” The former is satirical, the latter is more straightforward polemic. Apart from that, however, I don’t see a tremendous difference. Is the main criticism the presentation, or is there something else that I haven’t been able to see? Because it seems that those who are coming down so heavily against them may agree with their basic message if they’d been presented differently.

(FWIW, I do see the irony in the “religious” guy wearing a t-shirt takeoff of MySpace in a video based on the Mac/PC ads. Like I said, there’s plenty to critique, but the basic message is much the same as I’ve seen in many corners of the blogosphere…including here.)

I have made Christian friends in various third world locations in this hemisphere and have brought Americans to missions trips to these locations. This is another perspective.

Currently I work in the criminal justice system and have the responsibility to meet with the “worst” of society (murderers, child rapists, etc.)This is the third perspective.

I can say with a good degree of confidence that the average American church member is completely incapable of ministering to “those people” and does not even dare take the biblically mandated step in that direction. Further, the average American church leader is incapable of ministering to “those people” effectively.

The majority of church youth do the very same things and have almost the same belief system as pagan youth, except when they are in church. Then they change their external actions, the same as a good student and cheerleader would change her actions at the school pep assembly.

The typical modern churchgoer has little to no understanding of Christian sacrifice nor holy desire. As the corruption in society becomes pervasive, the church is becoming insular and less invasive.

I have a book’s worth of “war stories” about the church unwilling to enlist in basic training, much less go to war.