Christian Art
'Crikey' was the word that came to mind when I saw this:
(Found on Hal Lindsey Oracle Cartoons where there are many more)Blasphemous? That’s probably going too far (I try not to take the opening ‘Only’ too seriously but merely put it down to a typical American language 'exageration' tick). But it is at least theologically short sighted. Not that I know too much about American foreign policy, but I'm taken aback that people can so casually mix and match the American empire and Christianity like this.
posted by Chris Tilling @ 1:31 AM
11 comments
11 Comments:
Vile.
more likely some anti-christian sick joke.
Chris,
Have you seen thebricktestament.com?
That makes me want to cry, seriously.
Only two fundamental theological tenets were destroyed in making this image: the uniqueness of Christ and the nature of God's kingdom.
I don't think however, that it is any more or less vile than the images a little while ago of Muhammed. Both are repulsive.
Chris, my only disagreement with you is that Americans do not 'casually mix' politics and christianity. we do it intentionally and often.
Hi JB, no, I haven't seen it before. But I've just changed that fact and Anja and I enjoyed going through it - especially the Epistles section and the one on marriage!
And apologies, Frank, I don’t intentionally torture you. Well maybe a bit.
And that’s a good point, Byron! Would you call it heresy?
Isaac, you write: ‘my only disagreement with you is that Americans do not 'casually mix' politics and Christianity. We do it intentionally and often’
The mixing of politics (generally understood) and Christianity is something I never challenged – I wrote ‘the American empire’. In fact, I think that precisely because Christianity must be political it should challenge the Empire. And I also added the important words ‘like this’. I think, then, that you read me to be saying something I’m not, so I remain taken aback. Aren’t you? And I don't mean this to be a side swipe at Americans generally, so I'm sorry if that is how you understood me.
That's pretty "messed up." But it does not surprise me.
Tragic but predictable. Michael Northcott writes well about the sanctification of blood sacrifice to the US flag in his 'An Angel Rides the Storm'. A widespread idolatry of the empire is required for people to take it seriously - and they do.
What appalls me the most is gnostic division between the body and the soul, so that "freedom" is a physical thing which nation-states must accomplish, whereas salvation from sin is a spiritual thing which Jesus must accomplish.
One major question then arises: How could these nutjobs forget that Paul explicitly connects the work of Christ to our freedom? How could they bastardize the notion of freedom by allowing the nation-state to co-opt freedom as its own possession? Furthermore, we cannot overlook the fact that Jesus suffered and died to reconcile us to God, whereas American soldiers kill and maim in order to procure what these people call "freedom." One suffers violence, while the other perpetrates it.
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