You're Doing It Right: "Christian" Media that Breaks the Mold

A couple weeks ago, I wrote about movies that seem to have Christian themes even though they're not openly religious. Today, I will write about media that is so thoroughly middle-ground, that I'm really not sure what side it lands on. Whatever it is, I think we need more stuff like the following.

Blimey Cow

Run by brothers Jordan and Josh Taylor, along with Josh's wife, Kelli, Blimey Cow is a YouTube channel best known for Messy Mondays, a weekly series in which Jordan stands in a black void and sarcastically rants about stuff. So far, he's complained about dating relationships, doctors, Christian subculture, the lack of internet decorum, and drivers. When he's not complaining, he's giving advice, (which he may or may not intend for people to take seriously) mocking/praising homeschooling, or writing music.

 

But I can't say whether or not the show is Christian. The people on the show are Christians (or at least most of them are), and they're not afraid to talk about their Christianity. Some of their videos have religious topics, some don't, but religion will sometimes come up even in videos that are about something else. Even when they do talk about Christianity, it's often to criticize the way Christians sometimes act. They're certainly not out to evangelize. In fact, they've made it very clear that they think it's a waste of time to try to evangelize people over the internet. At the most, they just want to make people, religious or not, think.


The Phil Vischer Podcast



The creator of Veggie Tales no longer writes for that show, so he spends some of his free time filming a podcast just for fun. Every Tuesday, Phil Vischer uploads a a video of him and his co-hosts, Skye Jethani and Christian Taylor, talking about whatever Phil feels like for about an hour. Topics range from movies to pop culture to scandals to gender politics. There's really no telling where the conversation will go. Hilarity ensues as Phil and co go off on frequent tangents, not unlike one of my classes. Just last month, they got stuck on the topic of toplessness for weeks, to the chagrin of some viewers and one co-host. Phil ends each episode with a song about whatever they talked about that day, which he makes up on the spot. And they'll talk about anything, so the wrap-up song is never the dull moment.

Moms' Night Out

And now I will shamelessly plug the only "chick flick" I have ever watched. It's also one of the few Christian comedies I've watched that wasn't an episode of Veggie Tales. For those who don't know, Moms' Night Out is follows Allyson as she tries to have what the title indicates, but Murphy's Law stops her at every turn. A missing baby, a biker gang, a car chase, and a dislocated shoulder are all encountered on this crazy night. While it is considered a Christian movie, it is unusual in that it isn't agenda driven. The theology doesn't get any deeper than "God loves you no matter how messed up you are." Non-Christian characters are never converted on screen, but they're not portrayed as jerks either. The movie comes across as a regular comedy whose main characters just happen to be Christians. I actually found the humor surprisingly bold. It's still very kid-friendly, but for a Christian movie, it didn't seem overly concerned with avoiding very possible offense.


Little House on the Prairie
That television series based on a series of books I'll assume you've at least heard of. I don't know if Michael Landon was a Christian (but a quick Google search says "probably not"), but Laura Ingalls was, so he portrayed Christianity on the show a lot. There's also the fact that the show takes places in the 1800s, so it was culturally normal to be openly religious. Now there's a fine line between portraying something and affirming it, and I'm not sure which side Little House falls on, but it certainly portrays Christianity positively. Some episodes seem to take their themes from Christianity. And then there are episodes in which God is never mentioned, and nothing is necessarily learned and it exists just for laughs.

You see what all these things have in common? They all have a very visible Christian influence, but none of them ever come across as preaching Christianity, even though they're affirming it. They all spend lots of time focusing on stuff that, on its face, has nothing to do with Christianity. And to me, that kind of approach seems more natural. It's like my real life. I go to church, pray, and try to live for God; and these are important parts of my life and identity, but in most respects, I'm just a regular guy. I go to work and school like the non-Christians. I watch movies. I draw pictures. I like things that are cute. I don't like sports. I should probably acknowledge God more often than I do, but if I want to engage a nonbeliever, I generally wouldn't start there. I'd do like these entertainers, and just talk about regular things, taking the opportunities to glorify God when they come.

I'm not saying there's no places for more overtly Christian stuff. I quite enjoy Veggie Tales and Adventures in Odyssey as well. But whatever you call these middle-ground-shows, I think they have something special to offer. They show people who love Jesus, but in many ways, aren't that different from everyone else. They're focused on entertaining, but their religious beliefs come out just because they're embedded in the way they live and think. In conclusion, here is some wisdom to ponder from the Blimey Cows: