No one in life should take themselves too seriously, and certainly not Christians. The Church has a beautiful, radical, profound message to share with the world, one that should be celebrated and taken seriously. But the Church also participates in a lot of silliness that from time to time just needs to be called out, and somehow evangelical Christians seem to be the most ripe for lampooning.
Here are seven fun videos that lovingly but provocatively mock evangelical Christian subculture. It's 500 years since the Reformation, when Martin Luther first called out the Church of the day for how it was going wrong. With his '95 theses' you might say Luther really coined what became the millennial obsession with 'lists' that put the world to rights. We're just carrying on the tradition.
1. The modern church service
Evangelicals may like to reject the 'liturgy' and 'religious traditions' that other denominations might rely on, but they've made plenty of their own in contemporary worship services. All the usual suspects are here, from the hip pastor to the pretentious preacher, and the resounding chorus of 'This is the closing song, with strings that will make you cry.'
2. Shoot Christians say
This glorious assembly of ridiculous sayings and tropes from the contemporary Christian world is a joy to behold. If you've never seen these before, then bless you.
'I think he's backsliding...Hows your heart?'
3. The Evangelism Linebacker
Some people have the gift of evangelism, and are able to share their faith in a loving, thoughtful and compelling way. Others take a more direct approach, and the admirably zealous 'Evangalism linebacker' shows why furious Bible-bashing (or tackling someone into a wall) can be a little unhelpful. But hey, he gets results.
4. St Patrick's bad analogies
This brilliantly sharp piece from 'Lutheran Satire' makes fun of just how hard it is to understand and explain the doctrine of the Trinity without getting it horribly wrong. Poor St Patrick gets schooled by some Irish peasants for his constant heretical attempts to describe how God can be one, in three persons. It's really quite educational.
5. Why men shouldn't be pastors
This slightly more provocative video shows takes reasoning often used to show why women shouldn't be pastors to explain why in fact men should not be pastors. Some will disagree with the conclusion of course, but it's at least a fun reminder not to use certain nonsensical clichés when talking about such a sensitive topic.
6. How to write a worship song
This witty tutorial teaches you how to write a classic Christian worship song. As it says: 'One thing in your song should always be on fire. Be it our hearts, our souls, this generation...something needs to be in flames.'
7. Christian Tingle
Ever struggled with the concept of Christian dating and relationships? 'Christian Tingle' delightfully lampoons just how awkward, cheesy and cringe-worthy the enterprise can be.
'If you're looking for someone to date, other than Jesus, look no further than ChristianTingle.com...because God can use the internet too.'
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