Cheap Monday jeans are selling like hotcakes in various countries, like Sweden.

In a recent article, Cheap Monday's logo designer Bjorn Atldax says he's not just trying for an antiestablishment vibe.

"It is an active statement against Christianity," Atldax told The Associated Press. "I'm not a Satanist myself, but I have a great dislike for organized religion."

The label's makers say it's more of a joke, but Atldax insists his graphic designs have a purpose beyond selling denim: to make young people question Christianity, a "force of evil" that he blames for sparking wars throughout history.

It seems that by making such broad, sweeping statements, Atlax has a lot of angst - not just against the institutional forms of Christianity, but against the Christian faith in general.  Anti-Christian sentiments are certainly nothing new, but do you think that we'll continue to see such philosophical activism increase throughout the consumer marketplace?  If not, why not?  But if so, what do you envision for the future in this regard?

And finally, how should the Christian community respond to all of this?  And what SHOULDN'T we do?

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photo credit: (from Google images)

Once again, Justin at Radical Congruency is cracking us up!  After helping to break the news regarding Emergent's new logo, he's having a little creative fun with the whole thing, via Photoshop. You gotta check it out!

For several years now, my brother-in-law Steve has competed in Huntington Harbor's "Cruise of Lights" Christmas decoration contest (where he and his wife have a home on the water).  It's always fun when the family gathers at their home -- especially at Christmas time when his decorations are up and running.

Well... big time kudos to Steve this year, for winning the "Best Animation" award!

You can check out part of his display by clicking on the clip below:

Download MOV00103.MPG

I can't believe it.  That makes 5 funerals in the past 6 or so weeks!

So... please be patient with me.  Between all these funerals and us being in the season of Advent, it's really been difficult to get new posts up here.

That will (hopefully) change soon.  I'd appreciate your prayers.

- Chris

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Some of you may remember that I served for 8 years in one of the Foursquare denomination's flagship churches, before becoming a Free Methodist.  I still have many dear friends in Foursquare churches.  And it was through that network of friendships that I received the following response by Jack Hayford to the recent announcement that several of the nation's megachurches would be closed on Christmas Sunday.

I am NOT wanting to beat a dead horse here.  But since I have always considered Jack's to be an apostolic voice to the body of Christ at large, I felt compelled to post his recent thoughts on this topic.  Of course, I would enjoy hearing your thoughts and reactions to what Jack has shared.

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-----Original Message-----

From: Foursquare Communications

Sent: Wednesday, December 14, 2005 6:12 PM

To: Foursquare Communications

Subject: FNS #225 Foursquare President Jack Hayford Addresses Megachurch Christmas Closures

FOURSQUARE PRESIDENT JACK HAYFORD ADDRESSES MEGACHURCH CHRISTMAS CLOSURES

On December 9th Fox News reported that several of America's largest churches would be closed on Sunday, December 25, explaining those sites would offer Christmas worship services only, on Friday and Saturday the 23-24. Jack Hayford, president of the Foursquare Church and former megachurch pastor (The Church On The Way, Van Nuys, California) was asked his feelings about this.

Q: What are your thoughts in view of the announcement many find surprising, that some Christian churches are closing their doors on Christmas Day?

A: Foremost, my thoughts are of being equally surprised, although I am not unsympathetic with the dynamics that have tempted some church leaders to make this choice. Having pastored for over 40 years, I¹ve faced the decision the peculiar timing of this year's calendar brings to the Christmas weekend.

When Christmas comes on Sunday, at least in our tradition, the majority of worshippers by far prefer a Christmas Eve occasion. Though the weekend is well attended, the Sunday morning attendance at a church which also offers Christmas Eve gatherings will pale by comparison.

Q: Then you have utilized this schedule before and closed the church on Sunday?

A: No. In fact, there are several reasons I wouldn't consider that. As a megachurch we would reduce the number of Christmas Sunday worship times, balancing with the increase of Saturday's Christmas Eve services.

Q: Megachurch leaders have explained that staffing Sunday morning events was impractical seeing a reduced number of volunteers would be available.

A: I understand completely. But a reduction in the scope or structure of a service is not difficult where creative leaders are involved. I can't see anything that would make a "chapel-style" service either less worthy or less meaningful - and it would certainly be far simpler to offer...in fact, affording a simplicity not inconsistent with the remarkable simplicity with which Christ entered the world in the first place. Just yesterday I heard of a pastor who at first was going to cancel Christmas Day services, but changed his mind, saying, "As I reconsidered, I decided to simply have a single guitar, invite the singing of both traditional and contemporary songs of the season, encourage worshippers who would to share expressions of gratitude to God for the gift of Christ - and then read the Scriptures along with a brief meditation.

Q: Would you see this as preferable?

A: Quite frankly, I see our responsibility to provide Christmas Sunday services as infinitely more than "preferable." I see it as a mandate - especially this year - 2005!

Q: Please explain.

... that's why I've been rather silent over the past week.  Another person in our congregation tragically died last Thursday.  He was a 46 year old father of two (5&11).  I will be eulogizing him at his funeral today.  This is the fourth funeral I've done in the past four weeks. I'm weary.

I'd appreciate your prayers, not just for me, but especially for the Butcher family.  Thanks.

Whew!  The controvsersy has really heated up throughout the blogosphere over this issue surrounding some megachurches choosing to be closed on Sunday, December 25th.

In particular, check out the 60+ comment posts at each of these sites:

Ben Witherington's Blog

Scot McNight's Jesus Creed

And... all the hoopla has even appeared now in a New York Times article by Laurie Goodstein.

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I'd love to hear your "read" on all the controversy, or any other thoughts you may have.

It's COLD in the desert tonight!

So I'm sharing my fireplace with all of you.

Blessings.

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Click for Warmth!

I've never been all that satisfied with the explanations of "repentance" I grew up with.  Yes, metanoia means a change of mind; and yes, it carries the idea of turning around and going the opposite direction.  But is that all there is to repentance? It all seems a little too pedantic to me. Of course, growing up and seeing so many of my friends "repent" over and over at youth camp every year probably didn't help!  And in the holiness tradtion that I am part of, it was common for folks to repent and receive Christ whenever and as often as they felt the need.  I always appreciated their "heart" in this, but is that really what repentance is meant to look like?

Thanks to folks at the textweek blog, I came across a fascinating article written by Rabbi David R. Blumenthal.  In it, Dr. Blumenthal dismisses contemporary notions of repentance among Catholics and other Christians and then elucidates a rabbinical understanding that includes the following five elements:

1. recognizing one's sins (an act of one's moral conscience)
2. remorse (feelings of regret and of one's moral failure)
3. desisting from sin (actually stopping, resisting future urges)
4. restitution where possible (the act of making good)
5. confession (specific, and often in context of community)

After offering a brief definition of each component, Dr. Blumenthal is very clear about the following:

The tradition is quite clear, however, that recognition of sin, remorse, restitution, and confession, if they are done without desisting from sin, do not constitute teshuvá [i.e. repentance]. Without ceasing one's sinful activity, one has only arrived at the "preliminaries to teshuva" (hirhuréi teshuvá). Actual desisting from sin is what counts.

This reminds me of Acts 26:20

First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds. (NIV)

That doesn't sound very politically correct, does it? It would take a lot of gall to insist that someone "prove" that their repentance is genuine rather than just taking their word for it?   Besides, repentance is a personal matter anyway.  If I tell you I've repented, who are you to tell me otherwise?

Closed.

That's exactly what tens and perhaps what hundreds of thousands of people will discover when they show up at some of America's largest megachurches on Christmas this year.  Although Christmas falls this year on a Sunday -- the primary day of worship for Christians since the first century -- megachurches like Willow Creek and Fellowship are choosing to close their doors. And I'm certain that many, many other churches (both large and small) will do the same.

Is this a smart move?

And why are churches making this decision?

In an interesting article, AP religion writer Rachel Zoll is quick to draw attention to those within evangelical circles who disapprove:

"This is a consumer mentality at work: `Let's not impose the church on people. Let's not make church in any way inconvenient,'" said David Wells, professor of history and systematic theology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, a leading evangelical school in Hamilton, Mass. "I think what this does is feed into the individualism that is found throughout American culture, where everyone does their own thing."

So what's your take on this whole thing? Are people making a mountain out of a mole-hill, or is this "closed-on-Christmas" thing (or perhaps what it's a symptom of) a significant issue?

* thanks to Matt for sending me the article link.