Comments on: “Christian vs. Christ-Follower” – More Videos

By: CRN.Info and Analysis » Step Away from Your Photoshop…

CRN.Info and Analysis » Step Away from Your Photoshop… — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 15:33:04 +0000

[...] (Personally, I think thatÂ despair.com, one of myÂ favorite sites for gifts, has a much better sense of art, flair and humor containing a bit more truth, as well.Â It appears that the ODM Photoshopper’s “creativity” was also pulled from depair.com.Â Compare this to the original.Â Also, lest any ‘emerging’ folks’ heads get too big on the part of mockery, let’s not forget the Christian vs. Christ-follower videos…) [...]

By: ian

ian — Wed, 09 May 2007 21:55:08 +0000

If you're gonna parody the Mac V PC things, at least do it creatively!

By: chris o

chris o — Wed, 09 May 2007 14:53:02 +0000

I guess I never viewed them as saying “Christ followers” are superior to Christians. I understood them as poking fun at the whole cultural phenomena with in christendom. I also think there is kind of a warning not to view “Christ followers” as the final product so to speak, but to recognize it’s just another version of the same message. Am I making any sense? I thought the videos were more of an observation rather than making a statement about superiority.
However, after reading Amy’s comments and reviewing the videos, I can understand where she’s coming from, and I hope that isn’t what they’re saying.

By: ian

ian — Wed, 09 May 2007 14:10:24 +0000

I completely agree with Amy’s point. These videos widen and encourage the divide between traditional Christians and “emerging types”. In their own way, they’re as divisive as some of the things CRN put out.

By: amy

amy — Wed, 09 May 2007 13:04:15 +0000

The videos (including the previous one discussed on this site) have one underlying theme:

A “Christ-follower” is superior to a “Christian” in every way.

The videos mock “Christian,” over-generalize who he is, and portray him as arrogant. The “Christ-follower” is presented as “cool” and “humble.”

The problem is that the supposedly “humble” Christ-followers created these videos, which are designed to show their superiority over other Christians.

The only reason I can think of someone actually liking these videos is that they themselves have been deceived into thinking that their way is oh-so-very superior to the way of other Christians.

By: Brendt

Brendt — Wed, 09 May 2007 12:24:59 +0000

To riff off Dave Barry, “Offscouring” would make a great name for a rock band!

By: Henry (Rick) Frueh

Henry (Rick) Frueh — Wed, 09 May 2007 00:11:48 +0000

Arguing about what we should be called? Let’s see, Paul was partial to the “offscouring of the earth” or even the “chief of sinners”.

No, what did they call our Lord…oh yea, Beelzebub. How about that? How can I demand to be called “Christian” or “Christ follower” when I fall so short of exhibiting those descriptions in their fullest? And if someone does call me a Christian (like Christ) or a Christ Follower, I say with Paul “I am what I am by the grace of God”.

By: nathan

nathan — Tue, 08 May 2007 23:18:43 +0000

I liked the videos.

By: Chris L

Chris L — Tue, 08 May 2007 17:55:04 +0000

Brendt,

I had not thought of it that way, as the first videos seemed to have “Mac” being snarky, which was where I focused. I had not considered it from the standpoint of the way “PC” was written/acted. The stupid thing is that I should have known to look for this, because in the real “Mac vs. PC” ads they shifted the focus last year because of the ’snarkiness’ of Mac backfiring somewhat, in terms of sympathy.

The ‘emergent/emerging’ tendency to completely ignore some externals that should not be ignored (with foul language being a prime example), because “the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’”

The ‘fundamentalist’ tendency is to so overemphasize (and split hairs) on orthodoxy that the lines between actual orthopraxy and slavishness to externals are blurred to where they “clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside [they] are full of greed and wickedness.”

Neither is correct, and constantly sticking your thumb in your brother’s eye (or, extending the middle finger, as you put it) isn’t really the way to go about ‘loving one another’, especially if we’re going to be spending eternity together under the same roof (’in my Father’s house…’)

By: Brendt

Brendt — Tue, 08 May 2007 17:38:12 +0000

You’re right, btw, about needing to “learn to live and serve together”. Pretty clear that CCC wants none of that.