Archive for September 15th, 2007

The Reformation becomes an idol.

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Joe carter asks:

Many of us enjoy celebrity-based internet memes like Chuck Norris Facts (Sample: “There is no theory of evolution. Just a list of creatures Chuck Norris has allowed to live.”) or the Fred Thompson Facts (Sample: “Not only does Fred Thompson cut taxes, he cuts tax collectors.”). Such public figures expect this sort of notoriety and tend to take in good humor. But are “celebrities of the Church”, particularly respected leaders, off-limits? Should we refrain from making them the targets for such frivolity? Does it diminish their role or offend their reputation?

The question was sparked by Fake Carson> The Secret Diary of D. A. Carson wherein a team of four highly trained satirists pose as DA Carson and riff on Carson, other evangelical leaders, students and the state of Christendom in general.

I’ve only come up with a few very general guidelines.
1. It should be fairly obvious that it is satire, or at least that it is imitating an individual and not the actual individual.
2. If the only point of a satirical point is biting ridicule of a person, then that’s a problem.

Like I said, very general. So how about it crew? Where is the line?

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