Tom's first law of Christian culture:
Once something new has become familiar enough that it is no longer too threatening for Christians to invoke, then it has become so familiar to the general culture that it’s stale to the average non-Christian.
EXAMPLE: If someone says something new about God or religion in a less-reverent-than-we’re-used-to way, the reaction from Christians will be outrage and cries of “blasphemy” for the first ten years, and then finally “Well, it’s not so bad… You can find some good in it…” the next ten, and finally after the third decade, “Hey! Remember XYZ from 30 years ago? Well, we’re ‘cool’ enough to be able to ‘rap’ about it with you – even joke with you about it – without having any ‘hassles’ about it being irreverent!”
Discuss, class, with reference to Jesus Christ Superstar in the Sixties, Godspell and Monty Python’s Life of Brian in the Seventies, Kirk Cameron (of Growing Pains fame) in the Eighties, rap music (remember MC Hammer, anyone?) in the Nineties, and now The Matrix in the Double Zeroes.
1 comment:
Tom,
I just found your blog and it looks like you don't get many commenters, so I don't know whether you or anyone else will ever read this, but I had to post it because this entry struck a chord with me.
THE prime example of this, I think, is The Simpsons. I shake my head at the number of conservative Christians who identify as fans of this show, when if you've ever watched it, you know that lampooning conservative Christianity from a secular humanist perspective is one of its most frequently recurring themes. Not to mention that the intense sarcasm is a manifestation of a nihilism which Christians obviously should shun.
Post a Comment