Monday, October 7, 2013

Why I Don't Enjoy "Christian" Pop Culture - Bill Hodgeman

When I think about some of the cultural artifacts that have been modified by the word “Christian,” I think about how glad I am that Jesus rose from the dead.  Otherwise, He’d be rolling in His grave.

The title is a misnomer.  There is no such thing as Christian pop culture. There’s only Christian niche culture. There’s a difference.

In short, Christian niche culture differs from popular culture not just in its content, but in its quality, creativity and culturally-savviness.  That’s why it’s a niche culture. Because only a niche will buy it. Which niche?  The one who will gladly sacrifice excellence and innovation for content they can feel good about.

So why, you ask, is a Christian niche culture such a bad thing?

Christianity is a relationship and a worldview, not a genre.

A Christian is a noun.  The word Christian means, literally, “a little Christ.” Historically it has described someone who has denied themselves and taken up their cross to follow(trust, imitate, obey) Jesus of Nazareth. It is a powerful identity marker that indicates supreme loyalty and submission to the Son of God.  Christian is a powerful word.  And it’s a noun.

The word Christian looses it's power when it becomes an adjective—particularly one that modifies nouns such as t-shirt, music, novel,conference and film.

When I think about some of the cultural artifacts that have been modified by the word “Christian,” I think about how glad I am that Jesus rose from the dead.  Otherwise, He’d be rolling in His grave.

The full article is available here