(no subject)

From Salon about The Book of Daniel by way of Real Live Preacher by way of God-Damned Christian comes this kick-butt quote :

But I think all the uproar from Christians is symptomatic of a more disturbing trend. More and more Christians seem to think that affirmation from our culture is where they will find their power. Since when do religions need affirmation from television stations? That's a little shallow, don't you think? What we should be doing is practicing our devotion and letting our changed lives speak for themselves.

In large measure I think this stands on its own. What does "changed lives" mean? To me, it's about building a better relationship with God and becoming a better person over time. One who gives more to those in need, or who gets better at holding their temper, or spends more time on devotions. What changes depends where the person starts.

(And no, I do NOT mean, "pray over a microphone every chance you get". Group prayer is for groups of Christians working together. I don't expect a ballgame or board meeting to begin by casting a circle, no reason to open with prayer, either.)

I also like this:

This particular Christian church [in the series] is simply a setting in which the TV people are playing out yet another dramatic comedy series. They use the same exaggeration and distortion when the shows are about police stations, hospitals, legal offices and entire ZIP codes like 90210. They don't care about [Christians]. They really don't care about anything except ratings.

I don't know if mistress_gaelan watches ER, but something tells me that "exaggeration and distortion" is probably accurate ;) Anyway. Check out the article. Enjoy.