So on Friday night, I went to the men's conference at our church. I had to sign in and register my name and then they put my name in this fishbowl with other men's names for a drawing to win some fabulous prizes. What could the prizes be? Ipod? Camera? Pocketknife? Baseball tickets? A BBQ set? Watch? A hammer? A tent or something outdoorsy? Nah, when they finally introduced the prizes they were a few small books (I didn't catch any titles, but they looked boring,) a T-shirts, a CD/DVD combo, and the grand prize: 25$ gift certificate at the local Christian bookstore.
I have never been a fan of Christian t-shirts nor I am much of a fan of the show Fear Factor, but someone must have thought combining the two would be an excellent witnessing opportunity. So the person showing off the prizes holds up the t-shirt and it has the Fear Factor logo on it with Joshua 1:9 printed beside it. Even if they didn't try to make the shirt "Christian," I still would be embarrassed to wear the shirt that identifies me a fan of the show. I am well past my preteen years, so I have lost my appeal for gross things. I made a pact with myself that I would not be able to accept that as a prize, but what are my chances. I never win anything.
Generally, I would be pretty excited about a CD and a DVD as a gift, but the same mind who picked out the Fear Factor shirt must have been at work. It is after all a men's conference, with quite a range of ages so it was to no surprise that the CD was one of Michael W. Smith's worship albums. Which to me means a boring singer is cashing in on the worship craze by making a boring worship album. But if you couldn't get enough of the CD the DVD part of the gift was a live recording of Michael W. Smith singing his boring worship songs. Sorry, not my cup of tea. I'll have to pass on that too!
Well actually I didn't care to win anything, I would hate to use my luck on one of these gifts, right! They had the one and only drawing that night and my name was not called. I did not win. I was still safe. Tomorrow, I would not be able to attend the morning session and surely they would not reward me for skipping out.
So, I went home that night and told my wife how lame fear factor and Michael W. Smith were. She agreed!
...more to follow.
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On the whole, some of the most cringe-worthy spawn of attempting to make Jesus "cool" have been t-shirts.
Remember those rip-offs of the Pepsi "Choice of Every Generation" and the Coke Classic logo that said Jesus Christ. The absolute worst however, are the "God's Gym" shirts .. that of course had to be ripped appropriately around the neck to look really cool ... And don't get me started on the "His Pain - Your Gain" ... can our faith really be quipped down to a one liner? - and an exercise slogan at that!!
Oh and by the way, I still have every Michael W. Smith CD up to the 1992 "Change your World" album (which is autographed) when he toured with the still rapping DC Talk. After that album, he became a producer and started Rocketown records (mostly good stuff) Keep in mind that my collections includes the really old stuff before Friends. I use them for a road trip at least once a year. I haven't followed any of the new stuff.
.... but the worship albums (plural - there are now at least 2) are a cheesy way to make a few bucks without having to write any new material. I'm all for Christian artist promoting worship and even including it in there performances - but remember .. they are just that, performances.
The idea that they are creating an environment that encourages "worshippers" to shell out $20+ a pop to stand, sway, cry, and "really have this wonderful experience" seems at odds with what worship is all about.
And gosh darnet - they're selling t-shirts too!
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