tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7601449.post110063864717227351..comments2023-12-22T02:40:44.664-05:00Comments on They Will Know Us By Our T-Shirts: California Here We ComeBenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15870079464901094633noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7601449.post-38930536550631455652007-06-10T15:22:00.000-04:002007-06-10T15:22:00.000-04:00thanks for taking the time to create this blog.Onl...thanks for taking the time to create this blog.<BR/><BR/>Online financial help! <A HREF="http://www.debt-consolidation-yes.com" REL="nofollow">bill consolidation loans</A> - consolidate bills and credit card debt. <A HREF="http://www.debt-consolidation-yes.com/title-loans.html" REL="nofollow">car loan</A> info.billhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07963806677856159888noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7601449.post-1100949299003646962004-11-20T06:14:00.000-05:002004-11-20T06:14:00.000-05:00I don't think these "Gospel According to..." books...I don't think these "Gospel According to..." books are anything more than marketing and a way to make money. Pretending they're anything else is just silly. If you're gonna watch the Simpsons, you'll do it whether they have a gospel book out or not. <br /><br />Such Christian merchandising is merely using the "Christian" brand recognition to sell books. It's the unfortunate side-effect of the marriage of Christianity and capitalism that provides such an easy target to people who, maybe in some cases rightfully so, view Christianity in the US as a shallow belief in fairy tales. Maybe for some people that's all it really is.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7601449.post-1100800830338904452004-11-18T13:00:00.000-05:002004-11-18T13:00:00.000-05:00Sally,
You probably have a point about the Jewis...Sally, <br /><br />You probably have a point about the Jewish worldview, although Sandy Cohen is Jewish and Kirsten is not. If anything, there is an undercurrent of religious tension. Where does Seth place himself religiously? The issue of mixed faith families is becoming more prominent in our culture, and this could be an interesting topic for dramatic exploration within the series.<br /><br />You can see the issue in Episode 1.13 “The Best Chrismukkah Ever.” Because of this religious duality in the household, they created a “bi-religious” holiday that is basically a Frankenstein-esque combination of Christmas and Hanukkah. <br /><br />Do you think the cultural Judaism impacts the teen love triangles?<br /><br />I suppose the sequel to the first book could be a discussion of Judaism. Especially interesting could be Jewish ideas of social justice and their impact on Sandy Cohen. He obviously feels torn between his old life helping kids like Ryan and his desire to have a good life for his family. I bet there’s some religious motivation there. Somehow I doubt the show’s creators will explore this, unless they can work in a car accident and/or promiscuous sex.<br /><br />As a Protestant, I probably shouldn’t write the sequel, even though Christians have spent generations claiming to have a better understanding of the Jewish religion and culture than Jews themselves. In the end, if a Reformed Jew (Mark I. Pinsky) can write The Gospel According to the Simpsons, why can’t a confused Evangelical write Chrismukkah: Growing Up Jewish in a Post-Christian World. (Does anyone else think that sounds like some pretentious Ph.D. dissertation in American Studies?)Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15870079464901094633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7601449.post-1100724643871055932004-11-17T15:50:00.000-05:002004-11-17T15:50:00.000-05:00My darling husband used to work at a Christian rad...My darling husband used to work at a Christian radio station. Once I was bold enough to argue - well, I wasn't particularly argumentitive, perhaps I mean "engage" - with a person who was repeating the party line about the Simpsons (that is, another especially egregious nail in the coffin of traditional Judeo-Christian family values.) <br /><br />As the discussion went on - my point being that good social satire could lead people to question their cultural "defaults", to test everything and hold on to what is actually good - it became clear that the person had never watched one red-hot second of an episode. Goodness no! <br /><br />Sigh.<br /><br />"The Philosophy of the Simpson" is actually not bad, if a little padded to make it book-legnth. <br /><br />I also think that "The Gospel According to..." books, properly done and widely read, MIGHT lead to more critical/discerning consumers of media - people who don't just stop at watching a Disney film or a TV episode, but look past the plot/characters/jokes to the themes and underlying assumptions. (Christianity (at least my end of the pool) could certainly use more deep, clear thinking. <br />betsyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7601449.post-1100716587427680782004-11-17T13:36:00.000-05:002004-11-17T13:36:00.000-05:00I agree with you that sometimes people try and put...I agree with you that sometimes people try and put the gospel into very odd places. The way I see it - God is truth - most shows try and portray what they call "truth" - therefore they try and sell it to the Christian consumer as having strains of the Gospel. I admit my guilty pleasure is Buffy the Vampire Slayer (was...I guess...it's not on anymore...) and I can't really find a Gospel in there. Although I'd like to see how they get the Gospel into Sex in the City. It might make quite a humorous read!<br />-Rogue-Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7601449.post-1100703236218233152004-11-17T09:53:00.000-05:002004-11-17T09:53:00.000-05:00I've never seen the OC, but I've been able to surm...I've never seen the OC, but I've been able to surmise from various sources what it's about. That's why I found it incredibly funny that as I was watching television the other night an advertisement came on for the OC, and the background music was Switchfoot. Imagine the irony when I contrasted the images of "a bunch of narcissistic, spoiled rich kids from the suburbs" to the sounds of "we were meant to live for so much more" from a Christian perspective.Kevin Rectorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05670496938837959260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7601449.post-1100699907537709092004-11-17T08:58:00.000-05:002004-11-17T08:58:00.000-05:00Brilliant. My mind is now filled with all kinds of...Brilliant. My mind is now filled with all kinds of "Gospel According to..." adaptations. I won't elaborate on the thoughts I had about "The Gospel According to American Idol".Willhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07474668842668408006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7601449.post-1100651894607381942004-11-16T19:38:00.000-05:002004-11-16T19:38:00.000-05:00I have "The Gospel According to THE SIMPSONS" even...I have "The Gospel According to THE SIMPSONS" even though I haven't read it yet. I just feel as though having it gives me enough exuses to keep watching the show though, doesn't it? I hope it's not a book saying that they are a Christian family though. Oh, and I would by your "The Gospel According to THE OC" in a heartbeat. Then I would drive down to ORANGE COUNTY and burn it in front of Saddleback. I think they would be utterly and blissfully confused, don't you think? Half would be cheering and the other half would be reading 'The Purpose-Driven Life' and probably would've never even heard of the show 'The O.C.' Just a thought.Nevillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09097953348219148953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7601449.post-1100641592682139372004-11-16T16:46:00.000-05:002004-11-16T16:46:00.000-05:00this book sounds like it would appeal to the same ...this book sounds like it would appeal to the same audience as that of revolve magazine (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0718003586/103-2819113-5481414?v=glance). i mean, who better to tell girls how to snag guys than Jesus?erikahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12605689706523595437noreply@blogger.com