An Outsider's Perspective on the Christian Subculture

My friend, Dan, recently linked to this article that is written from the perspective of a secular Jewish writer and his encounter with the evangelical Christian subculture in America.

I agree with the writer, Daniel Radosh, on some of the aspects of evangelical culture that are just simply weird. I understand that many in the mainstream culture consider we evangelicals odd because of our devotion to Jesus, belief in the Bible, etc. I'm okay with that but it's the extra, unnecessary stuff that comes across the strangest to others.

Radosh identifies several things he finds the most peculiar:

1. Testamints

2. Bibleman

3. Christian t-shirts (or "Witness Wear")

4. B and C-list Christian celebrities

Remarkably, the fifth thing that Radosh finds the weirdest is much different than the others:

"I certainly don’t think that all Christians are saints (or that all my fellow non-Christians are creeps), but after a year in the Christian bubble, I came to see the best aspects of Christian pop culture—the focus on fellowship, the unabashed celebration of the transcendent, the commitment to personal responsibility—as a bright light shining on the ugly side of the mainstream. I realized that Jesus’ radical message of brotherhood, selflessness and dignity may be just the antidote to our contemporary ethos of shamelessness and overindulgence. Which is why I find myself still, even with my journey officially over, stepping back into the Christian world now and again for a breath of fresh air. How weird is that?"

It's good to know that even in the midst of our "weirdness", genuine love for God and others can still be seen above our cheesy t-shirts and Bible verse imprinted breath mints.

I'm interested to hear your thoughts. What are the aspects of the Christian evangelical subculture that you find the most weird?

Are President Obama's Opponents Racist?

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter raised a bit of a ruckus this past week when he claimed that "an overwhelming portion" of President Barack Obama's opponents are racists. Coming on the heels of U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson's outburst during the President's address to Congress on health care reform, Carter's assertions have certainly drawn a lot of attention.

Although I definitely believe that racism is alive and well, I do think that it is unfair to make the kind of statements that Pres. Carter has made on this matter. For sure, some people didn't vote for Barack Obama because of his skin color. And some may disagree with any policy he proposes for the same reason. But should we reasonably expect people to not be able to vocalize disagreement with Pres. Obama simply because he's black?

Fortunately, even the President understands that he is going to be criticized and that it comes with the territory. In an interview that will be airing tomorrow with CNN's John King, President Obama says this:

"Are there people out there who don't like me because of race? I'm sure there are. That's not the overriding issue here," he said. "I think there are people who are anti-government. I think there's been a long-standing debate in this country that is usually that much more fierce during times of transition, or when presidents are trying to bring about big changes."

There are individuals that simply have different ideologies when it comes to the role of government and policies that should be enacted. It doesn't mean they are racist if they disagree with the nation's first African American president. Darryl Owens, a columnist for The Orlando Sentinel who happens to be African American, weighs in on the issue:

"Undoubtedly, Obama could reverse the recession, win the war in Afghanistan and cure cancer tomorrow, and a phalanx of haters would find him repugnant because of his skin tone. But I'm not willing to paint a red "R" on a broad swath of protesters when there are legitimate policy objections out there.

In fact, I oppose Obama's embrace of abortion, don't like the pork packed into bailouts and question the breathless urgency of reforming health care. And I betcha won't find an Aryan Nation decoder ring in my wallet.

On the other hand, despite Obama's words to the contrary, there also is no doubt that vestiges of racial attitudes have added logs to the fiery protests."

Yes, racism exists and, yes, there are some whose prejudice drives their opposition to the President. But lets me careful to not be slinging barbs at people that may just think that the president's perspective on a certain issue is incorrect. Let's stick to the issues at hand and focus on that which will be beneficial.

Ads From Early 90's Predict the Future

There were a series of commercials from AT&T that aired in the early 1990's featuring Tom Selleck that made some startling claims about technological advances that were to come. Amazingly, most of these things are now part of our lives (even if they may look a little different than what was anticipated).

As I think back to an age before video chats, the Internet, GPS, e-mail and smart phones, it's eerie to think how many of these technological advances are now commonplace. Check out the ads yourself below. (Click here if the video player doesn't show up.)

Thanks to TV Squad for the link.