Journeys In Between

Sacrilegious Art

You know, I find it kinda ironic that the type of Christian most likely to question my interest in Christian art, and whether iconography is too close to idolatry, is invariably the same type of Christian most likely to commit true visual sacrilege. If kitsch is the lowest form of art, then Kitschtianity is the lowest form of religion. Jesus suffered for this?

Pagan Quakers?

Being ever keen to get people thinking about the differences between religious syncretism, cultural imperialism and critical contextualization, I thought I'd drw attention to this article by Matthew Streib who asks, Are the Quakers Going Pagan? He writes:

The liberal end of the Society of Friends has long had members who denied God's existence or Jesus' divinity. Now hundreds of pagans call Quakerism home.

In the last decade, this dual faith has sprung up around the country, including Quaker-pagan gatherings, seminars, an extensive presence on the Internet, and even explicitly Quaker-pagan congregations. There may be only several hundred Quaker pagans, but among American Quakers, their presence can be distinctly felt.

And a blog you might want to check out is Quaker Pagan Reflections. There are some questions here over the accuracy of the Quaker Pagan figures reported and the subtitle so I'd suggest we don't take it all at face value.

So, comments?

Being ever keen to get people thinking about the differences between religious syncretism, cultural imperialism and critical contextualization, I thought I'd drw attention to this article by Matthew Streib who asks, Are the Quakers Going Pagan? He writes:

The liberal end of the Society of Friends has long had members who denied God's existence or Jesus' divinity. Now hundreds of pagans call Quakerism home.

In the last decade, this dual faith has sprung up around the country, including Quaker-pagan gatherings, seminars, an extensive presence on the Internet, and even explicitly Quaker-pagan congregations. There may be only several hundred Quaker pagans, but among American Quakers, their presence can be distinctly felt.

And a blog you might want to check out is Quaker Pagan Reflections. There are some questions here over the accuracy of the Quaker Pagan figures reported and the subtitle so I'd suggest we don't take it all at face value.

So, comments?

Penis snatch witchcraft panic hits Congo

I wonder what Freud would say about this latest religious news. Journalists have reported that "Police in Congo have arrested 13 suspected sorcerers accused of using black magic to steal or shrink men's penises after a wave of panic and attempted lynchings triggered by the alleged witchcraft." I can see the US rumours now, "Watch dem Wiccans, they're doing voodou on yer whatsit." I am sure some would argue that many celebrity witches are aiming for the opposite effect. I could go so so far with this but it would get me in trouble. For more read Penis snatch witchcraft panic hits Congo.

The Visual Word

Jeremiah Gumm discusses Christian symbolism from a Lutheran perspective in The Visual Word and asks what does the architecture of your church tell you about its theology?

Christian art on Flikr

Christian art lovers may want to check out the "Christian art of Today" file on Flickr which has 3279 entries on Christian Art.

Needless to say I haven't viewed them all yet but I did like this one featuring the cross of Christ and the Holy Spirit coming down like a dove.

Christian Kitsch

I haven't posted too much Christian kitsch in recent months as I'm trying to back off a bit but I just couldn't go past this one.

Coat hanger (jesus welcomes you)

"This coat hanger can hang two items, a coat or jacket from the fingers and a hat or a light jacket from the nine inch nail."