A scene from outside New York's Apollo Theater, which is hosting memorial tributes to Michael Jackson.
Recently in Christian Category
Via Cake Wrecks, an example of how not to decorate a religious cake.
A right-to-life evangelical assassinates a doctor who performs abortions.
One of the movement's former leading apologists writes an online mea culpa.
What does Christianity Today choose to headline so as to "make sense of the world"?
Jon & Kate of +8 fame "need to confess their sins!"
And, of course, the pressing issue of John Calvin's critique of medieval indulgences:
COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS EXTRA:
If you think the above isn't fair, just be glad I didn't lead with the following alternate frame:
Or at least under it. Via Gothamist:
This group of Mennonites were spotted singing to straphangers at the Broadway stop today, and it's not the first time. They've been singing down there for years, here's a video from 2007. The group is most likely local and from the Manhattan Mennonite Fellowship... but do they have a permit?
A familiar scene unfolds in this avant-garde production:
Zane Philstrom's set is a work of stunning beauty, matched only by the impeccably toned bodies of the core performers, who display impressive physical endurance and plenty of flesh while executing Austin McCormick vigorous, baroque choreography. The 75 minute piece is a stylized representation of the story of Adam and Eve and Lilith, who, in some accounts, preceded Eve as Adam's mate but stormed from the Garden because the first man wouldn't try anything but missionary position. From Genesis, the action melts into a dance interpretation of the seven deadly sins, as put forth by fourth century monk Evagrius Ponticus. Trapeze-swinging, gender-bending, and partial nudity abound.
Unlike other dance/theater troupes like Big Dance Theater, which typically uses dance to enliven a narrative, Company XIV's approach here is really more dance/poetry, with a buxom Ring Mistress serving as a sort of dour, whip-cracking announcer of banal aphorisms like, "Good weather is like a good woman. It doesn't always happen and when it does it doesn't always last."
For Memorial Day, here's a site that's not exactly a stranger to the hard sell.
One commenter declares this "to be the most stupid thing i have seen on hulu." Another asks, "If you have Jesus on your side why doesn't he give you amazing musical prowess?"
How could I not post it here?
Given the international success of Angels & Demons, the smart folks at Antik Jewelry did well to debut this new Illuminati pendant for June. Even if you think the Illuminati is just a bunch of conspiratorial hype, there's lots of other good stuff over at Antik, so be sure to check out their site!
Of course, devotees of spiritual symbology--I hear Harvard has a whole department in that, doncha know--understand that the conspiracy is real . . . and it's controlling the world through Nickelodeon!
Jesus Didn't Tap, via Weird Universe:
Jesus Didn't Tap was one of the first Christian based MMA clothing companies to hit the scene. In the sport of Mixed Martial Arts, to "tap" is to quit or give up. The message of the Jesus Didn't Tap line is that Jesus didn't quit after going through unimaginable suffering and pain when he was crucified on the cross. The company aims to represent both the competitiveness of MMA and honoring God in all of their designs and hopes it will help spread the Christian message of salvation to a whole new audience.
Art is historically contingent--were Dante alive today, chances are he would not have written an epic poem. He'd be more likely to design a video game--y'know, like the Divine Comedy Video Game coming in December from EA Games.