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FREETHUNK BOOK!
The Complete Edition
By Jeff Swenson
160 pages, Jam-Packed
Purchase your collectable copy!
"JUGS, BEAVERS and EXPLODING BALLS"
by Jeff Swenson
First Cynic Comic Strip
collection now in print.
2004-2005
Buy it now for
below retail.
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FOX FAITH: Good News For Satirists
by Cartoonist Jeff Swenson
When Christians run amuck in Hollywood, the humorists will be greedily awaiting the feast.
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I was caught by surprise when I saw a commercial on TV that at first seemed to be advertising the DVD for the Christian movie The End Of The Spear, but it turned out to be a whole lot more. The ad was for Fox Faith at FoxFaith.com . Currently the site is simply selling Family Safe DVDs and Christian Inspired Movies, however, according to a New York Times article they are going to be actively making movies based on Christianity, mostly straight to DVD but also some theatrical releases.
This is one more big leap for Christian Pop Culture, it is entering the mainstream at a rapid rate. If you had shown me this kind of progress when I was a Christian I'm not sure I would have believed you. I had been raised to think that Christianity--"
true" Christianity with a literalist interpretation would never be accepted by the mainstream. The fact is, as a lonely and confused teenager, that's why I liked it. I felt rebellious and nonconformist. I felt like I belonged to something that was counterculture, that is the Christian Music Scene and all of the zines and noise that went with it. Any musicians such as Amy Grant and Stryper that entered the mainstream I really didn't care much for.
So what's the good news in all of this because I know many freethinkers, particularly atheists, are shaking their heads that there will be more slickly produced propaganda promoting the Bible, Jesus and most likely far Right Wing sentiments. I'm going to look at the cup as half full with Fox Faith. Why? Because it's Hollywood. And Hollywood is good for satire, it's even better with Christianity tied to it.
Remember the good ol' days, the late eighties and early nineties, when all of the televangelists were at the height of their power--and then what do they do? They fell from grace on their ass. It was a wonderful time for humorists. If Fox Faith succeeds, and I anticipate it will because this is about business and an untapped market, there will be plenty of satire to go around. It will also mean plenty of opportunities for Freethunk, my nonsense word for freethinking entertainment. Religious movies, especially ones that forget any sense of honest filmmaking (exposing wounds instead of hyping all that is good) will create an urgent need for competition amongst freethinking artists. We're already seeing a hint of that from documentaries like The God Who Wasn't There and Jesus Camp. Now it's time to fuel the competitive fire and begin the arduous task of creating fiction and fictional characters that relate not only to freethinkers but those who may be freethinkers and not necessarily know it yet.
You see, up until now it has been hard to counterattack the arguments of Christianity in a mainstream forum. Most people who believe in God but are not necessarily fanatics don't have a reference point to what many freethinkers are talking about when they critique the Bible, historical tradition or theology. If you try to discuss the theology of the Trinity, the union of three persons in one, with the average, disinterested teenager they are probably going to yawn. However, if you are able to reference a movie they've seen you have a better chance of grabbing their attention. Pop culture is good for debate and pop culture is a good reference point for the 85% or more believers in God. If you can't build an argument that talks about the council of Nicea or the writings of Augustine, you can start with a movie on Adam and Eve. It may not be deeply intellectual but as I've said over and over again, "Snakes do not talk!" When they digitally animate in 3D a talking snake telling Eve to eat some forbidden fruit, how do you think people are going to react? That's your starting point: Do you believe Snakes can talk? While most God-believers have no problems attributing everyday events to God (it's a miracle, my son was born or thank God I survived that car crash) they do draw the line at the ridiculous. Talking animals, yeah, I can't wait to see them in a serious context. |
Already there are fake nudes of Amy Grant. Here's one being passed around and was found on this site. |
I can't wait for the first famous Christian actor sex tape, or the fake Christian celeb nudes that will litter the net, or the Mad Magazine parody feature. To Christians, Fox Faith is a godsend, but my interpretation is that it could be their worst PR nightmare |
The other thing that is going to be good for Freethinkers in their counterattack to the rising wave of Christian pop culture are shows like Access Hollywood and Entertainment Tonight. When you tie yourself to Hollywood, you open the floodgates of gossip and celebrity exploitation. In the New York Times piece I read on Fox Faith, Matt Crouch, son of Paul Crouch and heir to Trinity Broadcasting Network, compares the new drift towards Christian movies to the previous drift towards Christian Music. What Matt Crouch doesn't mention is that as the Christian Music Scene grew, so did the scandals. I knew of several such scandals growing up in the music scene such as the band The Crucified, one of it's members had premarital sex--ooh! Or Vengeance Rising, a Christian thrash band where the lead singer Roger Martinez faced off very publicly with his other band mates over a debt that broke them apart and now that lead singer is an atheist. And those examples are small potatoes compared to someone like Sandi Patti who has been divorced more than once and has admitted to two affairs or Amy Grant who divorced her CCM hubby Gary Chapman for superstar Vince Gill.
Those are not isolated incidents. You can find more CCM scandals by perusing this great internet of ours. To an atheist, getting a divorce or having premarital sex does not mean you've fallen from the heights of morality. Having an adulterous affair might get you shunned and criticized by your friends but it isn't the end of the world as far as entertainment goes. The difference with Christian Pop Culture is that it has to strive to a higher "perceived" moral standard. And those emerging Christian actors, writers, and directors are going to have to answer for their personal lives; biting jealousies, puritanical critiques, and bible thumping. It's going to be loads of fun.
I can't wait for the first famous Christian actor sex tape, or the fake Christian celeb nudes that will litter the net, or the Mad Magazine parody feature. To Christians, Fox Faith is a godsend, but my interpretation is that it could be their worst PR nightmare. Mel Gibson has already proved that. There is going to be a never-ending supply of content for this site and many others. Fox Faith may be the driving force behind an emerging freethinking pop culture response. |
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