Monday, July 9
International Christian Retail Show
Amy Welborn is at the International Christian Retail Show, whose logo is a cross turned into a shopping bag, and has some very interesting thoughts on the pop-evangelical marketing subculture.
Just as any Catholic leaves the city of Lourdes edified by that Shrine but disgusted at the retailers, Amy notes that the annual conference is always followed by printed misgivings about the whole affair by serious Evangelicals.
And there's a lot to have misgivings about, like this photo of Amy's:
Is that Our Lord, or the Burger King?
I suspect that these proprietors would object to my crucifix, on the grounds that Jesus shouldn't be shown in pictures, or at least shouldn't be shown dying when He is risen. But... at least Jesus actually did Die, and that Death is a central tenet of Christianity. How is Jesus-playing-football supposed to be more edifying, much less edifying at all?
Then there is the amazingly ironic tension between this advice of St. Paul, which Evangelicals might call "God-breathed,"
It is my wish, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger or argument. Similarly, (too,) women should adorn themselves with proper conduct, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hairstyles and gold ornaments, or pearls, or expensive clothes, but rather, as befits women who profess reverence for God, with good deeds. (1 Tim 2:8-10)
And this:
Amy laments that Protestant book sales are maybe 10x the volume as Catholic booksales. But, in this respect, I can only be grateful that Catholics do not depend on mass marketing for the production of our culture, but rather we have a rich tradition that supplies it for us.
Just as any Catholic leaves the city of Lourdes edified by that Shrine but disgusted at the retailers, Amy notes that the annual conference is always followed by printed misgivings about the whole affair by serious Evangelicals.
And there's a lot to have misgivings about, like this photo of Amy's:
Is that Our Lord, or the Burger King?
I suspect that these proprietors would object to my crucifix, on the grounds that Jesus shouldn't be shown in pictures, or at least shouldn't be shown dying when He is risen. But... at least Jesus actually did Die, and that Death is a central tenet of Christianity. How is Jesus-playing-football supposed to be more edifying, much less edifying at all?
Then there is the amazingly ironic tension between this advice of St. Paul, which Evangelicals might call "God-breathed,"
It is my wish, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger or argument. Similarly, (too,) women should adorn themselves with proper conduct, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hairstyles and gold ornaments, or pearls, or expensive clothes, but rather, as befits women who profess reverence for God, with good deeds. (1 Tim 2:8-10)
And this:
Amy laments that Protestant book sales are maybe 10x the volume as Catholic booksales. But, in this respect, I can only be grateful that Catholics do not depend on mass marketing for the production of our culture, but rather we have a rich tradition that supplies it for us.
![[SMMMHDH]](http://www.mgilleland.com/music/smmmhdh.png){kind=small}
