I talk about having the first word. This idea that Church waits to see what the culture is doing then produces a D grade version with some sort of clever Jesus twist to me is utter blasphemy. —Rob Bell, 11/14/2007, being interviewed by The Wittenburg Door
Normally, I love Colbert. But from Toby Keith's Have I Got a Present for Youto Willie Nelson's offering weed to the Baby Jesus, this one missed the mark. While it was classic Colbert, getting right to the heart of the problem, it felt a bit empty. Maybe it was too over the top. Or maybe giving Jesus weed is just too much. Or maybe the whole thing was just too painful to watch. I nearly turned off Meet the Parents for this reason. If he redeemed it later, I missed it.
Here's Toby Keith. Is he in on the joke? Given songs like Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue, I wonder.
I saw this "Hard Core Jesus Freak" bumper sticker, only the one I saw was in color. Direct and blatant rip of Harley Davidson. What I love is the watermark on this sticker available on eBay. "Do not copy"? Are you serious? What exactly was it you did again?
1. This ritual is something Jesus did for his disciples, not just every one. It was an intimate moment that included just his disciples, even if one was a traitor. But it wasn't with Romans or Pharisees or anyone else. It was for disciples.
2. It implies that Jesus serves the nations. He does not. The rulers are to bow to him, not the other way around. Usually I'm for portraying Jesus as a servant. But this comes off differently.
3. It could have been so much better. With primaries in full swing, I've gotten to the end of my rope with "God Bless America". This could have been a painting of how Jesus is Lord of Lords and King of Kings. Yes, the footwashing was a call for the disciples to be servants. But again, it's to the disciples. Again, it is debatable how many are in this picture.
One reason I love this picture. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has the same look on her face as she did here.