There are three more of these videos here.
I have these reactions:
- What? I "get it," but is it really necessary to copy a corporate advertising scheme to get the point across? Are Christians that needful to look hip and cool?
- They are to long. The originals are 30 seconds, and the shortest of these is over one minute. The scripts really needed some editing before "airing."
- On the positive side, I have been striving to be a Christ-follower for a few years now. Being a Christian did not work out very well for me—it was a lot of work, and it left me feeling empty and... used.
Abridged Version: Christianity is about realizing how much you suck and trusting in God to forgive you for being such a failure. It is not about elitism. It is not about works and showing off how "great" a Christian you are, because frankly, every Christian sucks at being one. It is not about the degradation of our fellow man. It is about faith and faith alone.That sums up the point of both the videos, and Christ-following in general. I would love to hear what you think.
Related links:
Found via: TUAW
Original post: Think Christian
Original ads: Apple Computer
More "Christian" Spoofs: Sermon Spice
Technorati Tags: christ follower, results search, youtube, Interesting, Mac
I don't get the video. To me it seems like it is quite more making fun of the Christ Follower, and the Christian is a believable, less robotic, organic, "real" person. That's how I see it anyway. I don't like "corporate Christianity" or whatever you want to call the church emulating the corporate world and trying to be spiffy and trendy. It's fine... but it's just not me. I don't like the idea of changing terminology just to make a point or trying to connect, or whatever other reason. It's so temporal and flighty sounding to me... like trying to follow the latest music trends... never have, never will. I like what I like, not what I'm told to like. Changing names or terms will not change a life, a heart or a person. At least not this one. Fantastic for those who succeed in drawing nearer to God by calling themself something different. Sorry, all that gimmicky stuff totally turns me off. Christianity is not about a bad list of things, actions or traits. And changing how we refer to ourselves is not likely to change any bad patterns if they so exist.
ReplyDeleteOkay... I see... I had the roles reversed. I thought the "Christian" was the "cool" guy on the right. I guess it doesn't really make a difference because my beef wasn't with which character was which. My beef is with the concept of being trendy and hip and changing names constantly. I agree... Christianity should not be about a list of rights and wrongs and comparisons. But changing the name will not change anything. I'd prefer to attempt to change my life (or allow myself to be changed or whatever) than to give myself a new name. That's been done. "Jesus Freaks" "Born Again"... whatever. Eventually people will look back at "Christ Followers" with ridicule and come up with yet another term. BORING! A Christian is a Christ-follower... or should be. A person who calls themself a "Christ Follower" is just as likely to follow a lemming into the sea as follow Christ. The name in of itself is not magical.
ReplyDeleteFor the purpose of the video... the names are interchangeable... and they are in real life too. The dudes could just as easily be reversed, like I mistook them in my first comment... because a Christ Follower could follow a rule book or be fake or whatever... and likewise a Christian could be hip and cool, and "authentic" or whatever else.
Hi Phil,
ReplyDeleteFor the most part, I agree with you. I can't say that I would be as critical on the point of the names being reversible. Though, I do agree that the name itself is not magical, I think that the name represents a stereotype. That is more or less the point of the commercials: Exaggerate a stereotype, to make a point about why one is a Christian/Christ-follower.
There is irony in the fact that the two names mean the same thing, too.
I dislike "corporate-Christianity" as well. One of the things that really turned me off about these videos is that the church that made them is seeking to profit from them by selling them on the internet. That just does not sit well with me.
What interested me most about these videos was the reaction from non-Christians (and even people who are typically anti-Christian), who seemed to be more open to listening to the message of these clips. If one looks through the comments at Digg.com (which is typically very liberal and anti-Christian) there are many who say that this is a Christianity they would be open to. That excites and interests me.