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NEWS & LETTERS, April - May 2009
Review of Christian pop culture in 'Rapture Ready'
Christian pop culture is a recent phenomenon, most of the producers and consumers of which are white, conservative evangelicals. Daniel Radosh, author of Rapture Ready! Adventures in the Parallel Universe of Christian Pop Culture, is a Jewish Humanist. He partly wrote this book for its entertainment value because there is something inherently funny about Bibleman the fundamentalist superhero, Hell House the alternative to Halloween haunted houses, a breath mint called "Testamints," and the Christian versions of wrestling and hard rock.
The book and the companion website, www.getraptureready.com, do have their disturbing moments since, even on Bibleman's TV show for children, right-wing politics and bigotry are sometimes mixed into the message; and Radosh thought the book was important because of the profound effect of every kind of pop culture on U.S. society. He includes topics such as creationism taught by museums that depict dinosaurs romping with humans, and the merchandise and books promoting abstinence, as well as the sex manuals letting married people know what kind of sex is acceptable which often contradict each other. He describes books of fiction such as the Left Behind series, which instruct Christians to accept the religious right's interpretation of the Book of Revelation as being a prophecy of an upcoming battle between "good" (the religious right) and "evil" (everyone else).
During Radosh's investigations, he discovers a growing progressive element, as there have always been some evangelicals who are sincere about the positive message within Christianity of loving and serving others. He also becomes friends with liberal evangelicals like Jay Bakker, the son of Jim and Tammy Faye, who is the minister of a progressive, gay-friendly church.
Radosh feels that the progressive side of evangelism will eventually triumph over the conservative side. He states that, as evangelical pop culture evolves, people will begin to demand higher quality products in the performing arts, and that creative people tend to be open-minded. He feels this open mindedness will be enhanced if evangelical pop culture escapes from its "alternate universe bubble" and becomes more influenced by mainstream culture and that then its fundamentalist component will "wither and die naturally." He believes that progressive evangelicals "are probably the only people who can bring about the demise of the religious right."
I think Radosh is correct. The progressive element within evangelical religion can redefine their religion and tell fundamentalists that they are morally wrong within a religious context. However, fundamentalism is such a strong tendency within every religion, philosophy, and political movement, that it can never be completely destroyed. Also, when Radosh says progressive evangelicals are the only ones who can defeat the religious right, he does not seem aware of the magnitude and influence of its ever-growing political machine. I think that it will take firmly committed players from all walks of life to destroy the religious right because it has become so firmly entrenched in all of our society.
People who are concerned about what's going on in the world of the religious right might enjoy this book due to Radosh's humorous, respectful approach, and his outsider's look into the fundamentalist mindset, as he celebrates the emergence of progressive evangelicals.
--Adele
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