In a further attempt to alienate myself from mainstream American Christianity-- *looks around cautiously and lowers voice to a whisper* -- I don't like Thomas Kinkade. I never have. I don't get how he became The Christian Artist. I don't know how he got the name The Painter of Light or how he managed to get Painter of Light stores in every single mall. It's the visual equivalent of a Krispy Kreme donut.
But my opinion is neither here nor there. If you like Kinkade, I am happy for you, and I think we can still be friends.
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If you grew up in evangelical culture, or you have seen the old 1970s Jesus movies, or if you feel somehow we Christians tend to focus on the trees instead of the forest, you will find this hilarious. (Click "media"-the movie icon on the top left-then click "videos." Go to page 2, click on the "Downloadable versions available here.") It points out, on so many levels, the misconceptions and preconceived notions we have about the church and who Jesus is. Thank you to Melissa for passing it on to me. I love it!
I really am almost done ranting about Christian culture, but just one more thing: Lark News. If the above videos are the Christian MST3K, this is The Onion for evangelicals. Like the videos mentioned above, it has articles too weird to be real, but just real enough to be funny. Some poke fun about the silly things churches worry about (when they should be focusing on Bigger Things), some are blistering critiques, and some are just funny. Some are not funny, some cross the line, in my opinion, but on the whole, a good read.
I am done for the time being. I hope all this ranting didn't sound irreverent--I don't mean it to. I think the things I ranted about (or, the things that Lark News and the Jesus films rant about) are legitimate concerns and problems that have popped up in the often-insulated Christian culture. Jesus is about much, much more than church growth, tithes, feeling good about yourself, and judging others for the specks in their eyes. It's easy to forget.
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