Sunday, November 7, 2010

Christian Schlock

Christians have a strange tendency to try to baptize everything mundane and make it "Christian."

What if I told you I was my dream to open up a Christian coffee shop? "Jesus Java" I'd call it.
At Jesus Java, you'd be able to get Christian coffee: Salvation Sumatra, Anointed Arabica, and Faithful French Roast. You could get your favorite espresso drinks as well: Mind-of-Christ Mochas, Love-Your-Neighbor Lattes, and, if you weren't in the mood for coffee, you could always try our Charity Chai.
We'd also have our own line of Prayerful Pastries: Bible Bearclaws, Sin-free Cinnamon Rolls, Crucifixion Croissants and Doubting Thomas Donuts- just stick your finger through the hole and believe.
And for those prone to spilling, all of our coffee cups would be printed with "WARNING: NOT AS HOT AS THE LAKE OF FIRE, BUT PRETTY CLOSE."

Christians have a strange tendency to try to baptize everything mundane and make it "Christian." The impulse makes sense to a degree, bit it's ridiculous to a greater degree. Does stamping John 3:16 on a toothbrush make it a Christian toothbrush?
Granted, some of it is cute, innocent and possibly sweet, but there is also a real danger here.
Through this, we ghettoize Christianity. If the world's got something, we've got our own little version tailored perfectly for our cultural subgroup. So the answer is no. Printing John 3:16 on a product does not automatically make it good. By doing this, we produce little of merit and contribute zilch to the greater culture, and our influence- already whittled down to insignificance- dwindles further.

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