In the Ghetto…

You’ve seen ‘em. You know you have. I have too.

Christianized products. They’re eveywhere:

  • Abercrombie & Fitch t-shirt > “A-bread-crumb & Fish” t-shirt
  • YouTube > GodTube (before the founders of the site had enough sense to rename their site to “Tangle”)
  • KIIS-brand radio stations > KLOVE

We Christians love to take services, products, and slogans and twist them into a nice, neat, “Christianized” parody. It’s almost as if the creators of these parodies feel like they can legitimize whatever it is they’re interested in only if they can affix as many Bible verses to it as possible. I know the intentions are good, but sometimes the outcome of these well-intentions are particularly heinous:

I came across a blog post by Maurilio Amorim that I really enjoyed. It talks about the need for us Christians to create a “ghetto” in which we feel comfortable to hang out in. It’s almost like we need to create an alternate universe in which to exist to make life bearable. Is this the life that Christians have been called to?

The Christian Ghetto is a place where you go to hang out with your Christian friends, fill up a website with Christian pictures and Christian videos of lots of happy people, loud preaching and youth camp promos. There’s not much witnessing and shedding of light in the ghetto since everyone is already convinced and the place is way too bright as is.

I understand the need for closed networks within several difference facets of ministry. For example, in managing small groups who need to connect in privacy or resourcing ministries that deal with evangelistic strategies where an open discussion in Facebook, would undermine their effectives.

So should the Church abandon social media altogether? Absolutely not. The church should redeem it . Christians are already there in millions strong among their unchurched friends. Instead of trying to pull your people out of Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Orkut or whatever the social media du jour is, your church should develop tools to engage, inspire and create dialog within these networks. We should resource our people with tools for integration and not segregation. We should take our Christian content into every part of the web we’re allowed to go. Go where the darkness is and shed light.

I say let’s break up the Christian Ghetto mindset we Christians tend to have and lets become more intentional in our social media outreach.

What do you think? Where do you see the “Christian Ghetto” mindset at work?

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Contributor: Justin Wise

I am a religious deviant who enjoys coffee, collared shirts, spending time with my wife and son, learning about quantum physics and creatively exploring the riches of the Spirit of Christ. Find more here: JustinWise.me
  • Clever shirt, some people might think that it is slightly cheesy but I reckon that it's clever, ha ha ha.
    Anyway - Social Media is about connections, about reaching out and being a part of something bigger? And Christianity is not? Hmmm. We as Christians should be leveraging the need to be connected in order to get people connected to Christ. Word :-)
  • Susan
    Now that I'm done being silly and have a bit more time to post, I want to say something about the Christian Ghetto as you've termed it Justin, and answer your query about having seen the mindset at work.

    I once belonged to an online message board designed for Christian mothers. The purpose of the group is to encourage at-home motherhood and in a Christian setting. The problem was that some of the Christians (me included) just weren't Christian enough for some of the others. Those women had formed what I had termed at the time, a Christian Club (much like the Christian Ghetto, I believe though there was probably coffee served and donuts that everyone wanted to eat, but no one dared to eat because one might be seen eating a high calorie item in front of other women - a taboo!! But I digress...). The purpose of the Christian Club, in their minds, was to enlighten the unenlightened. The reality though was to shoot down anything that was not Christian enough (Catholics are not Christian enough, for example. Obama...not Christian enough, pretty much anyone who didn't think exactly like them was not Christian enough) and then all pat themselves on the back and smile and be happy that they had won a victory against the misguided ones.

    It was...weird. And depressing. And ultimately I left the message board and sit here today, working on rebuilding my own relationship with God, which was severely damaged by being told over and over that I was doing it wrong, because I wasn't doing it like them. It's one of the reasons I deeply appreciate many of your posts about WHO God is and WHAT he's called us to do, namely to love His people just as they are and mind my own salvation because that's the one I am ultimately responsible for.

    Anyway, while the shirts and the like are more on the silly side, there is a serious problem with that clique-y/club-y mindset. And it boils down to the message that's ultimately sent...I believe the women on that board truly felt they were correcting my "lack" in a loving and compassionate way. In reality, their words pushed me further out the door and made me think, if that's what it takes to be like them, I don't want to be like them at all.

    And also...I think the song goes "They will know we are Christian by our love" not by our t-shirt.
  • Justin, thanks for this post. Susan: hilarious! Dan Bryan, good comment:

    <quote> To add context, I am a religious person. I just struggle when our causes and messages about God become something to be bought and sold. ...this T-shirt is different. It cheapens the message by failing to create its own contextual artistic expression. <unquote>

    Actually, it does create its own contextual artistic expression: "messages about God are something to be bought and sold."

    If we are honest, however, as bad as aesthetes and design-ophiles find this kind of thing to be (it is very bad), we bring a certain amount of cultural snobbery to this discussion. There is something very simple about these "pick up lines" that don't work for people who read The New Yorker or Slate or listen to NPR, but that would work for people who come from a different socio-economic and cultural background.

    So, as always, we must mind our idols of preference. Or, as I've heard it said, "All an Englishman's preferences are a matter of principle."

    One other observation: Justin writes that Starbucks "fails to convey the reality of Christ." I'd modify this slightly: "...fails to communicate the total reality of Christ." I think it does communicate, in part, in portions, in micro, some aspects of the reality of Christ.

    Justin, thanks again for your insights.
  • Susan
    Forgive me but "faithbook" just sounds like someone's got a lisp. Go on...say it out loud...you'll see what I mean.
  • i have always, and will always continue, to like these shirts! Mainly, because they are quite helpful in a getting a good laugh brewing from deep down. But they are well intentioned, these shirts could be easily worn by a person that is looking to start a conversation with his/her friends or classmates, coworkers, or complete strangers. What better way to start a conversation, then with a cheesy "pick-up" line..
  • Yes. This is a good reminder, my friend. If cheesy Christian t-shirts are the worst things we have to worry about, life is pretty good!
  • Tina Findlay
    and let's not forget the one that says: Jesus died to secure 'MySpace' in heaven. not a good sign when you're in a so-called "Christian" store, and you must turn away from clerks in order to roll your eyes at these heavenly-minded knockoffs. in other words, i agree with your well-expressed thoughts once again...
    peace, tina
  • I almost put the 'MySpace" one up... It was as equally as heinous. Yeesh.
  • P.S. I meant to mention that the reason I even mentioned the other site, was that it was interesting that on a page that is about spirituality in general and encompassing multiple religions, when this topic came up it was a Christian example that was used - I think that definitely supports what Justin is saying about Christians having a corner on the parody/rip-off art market when it comes to religious gear.
  • If anyone likes typos... they can read my blog... I forgot to take English in HS.... thought it was an elective?

    Anyway, great post! It's hilarious that you and I were thinking some of the same stuff. I promise I've had it on my list for a few weeks now! :-) Scouts honor. Pinky promise. I should share my list with you so we can see all the other possible cool matches in our heads.

    I really had dug the Christian Ghetto post from Maurilio. Hit me hard. Faithbook is inexcusable.
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