Friday, August 18, 2006

God: Christian Kitsch

Is the reason Christian bookstores seem to contain fewer and fewer books every year because we have a broken view of the creation? That is part of what John the Methodist and Keith Plummer are asking. Are Christians buying Christian crap at the bookstore to create a sanctified hedge against an evil world? Unnecessary says Keith, as the world is good. God even said so. John rebuts:
Although I won't defend the Christian Stuff Industry, I'm not sure that this is a valid argument against it. Does not the world, post-Fall, belong to Satan? What do you think?
I agree with John. When man fell, creation fell. Animals became predator and prey, etc. That there is still beauty and goodness in the world is not a rebuttal of this concept. Just because something is tainted doesn't mean it fails to contain any goodness. A flawed gem can still sparkle and shine. But an unflawed stone flashes ever more brightly.

There is some Christian stuff which is a reaction to the flawed world. Christian media is very much about not filling your head or your kid's head with poor teaching. Many Christian books (but certainly not all) are the same way. I'm sure Christian bookstores still do good business in providing ministry items to clergy, etc. And there isn't anything wrong with that provided you don't forsake the command to be "in the world" while your are so badly trying not to be "of the world."

But a lot of Christian kitsch is not a response to the flawed world. It is little more than Christian materialism. Most Christian items you see at the bookstores have nothing to do with ministry. They have everything to do with spending your dollars on crap you don't need, while convincing yourself you aren't wasting your money on something frivolous because it has a cross or a bible verse on it. It is like P. Diddy and Kanye West, who spend millions (literally) on richly ornamented Christian-themed jewelry to display their spirituality. Instead of giving that money quietly to the poor. But hey, it costs a lot of money to look that holy.

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