picked up a few cds at the half price books on westheimer near montrose on saturday:
- maddox brothers & rose – that’ll learn ya durn ya (proper)
- hank snow – i’m movin’ on (proper)
- lester flatt & earl scruggs – the mercury years (proper)
- various – hillbilly boogie! (legacy/columbia)
- various – jackson – great country duos (country stars)
picked up a few more cds on sunday at soundwaves:
- adult. – anxiety always (ersatz audio)
- broadcast – tender buttons (warp)
- squarepusher – hard normal daddy (warp)
- meat beat manifesto – ruok? (run recordings)
can you spot a difference between the two days?
today i had my easter meal at the house of pies. man, i love the house of pies. i had an iced tea and the patty melt deluxe with cottage fries. their cottage fries rock. as usual, i was too full after eating to get dessert. but their pies are really good. not exactly how i pictured my easters being at this point in my life, but one must play the hand one is dealt.
i went to church again. i think i need to find a new church. maybe i need to try to find someone to bring me to an orthodox service. i need christianity that’s a religion, not just a relationship. i need to feel like i’m worshipping the mysterious G-d of abraham and isaac, not just hangin’ wit’ m’ bud’ jesus and his big daddy in the sky, watching a mediocre pop act sing love and feel-good songs. i understand the sentiment behind “christianity isn’t a religion, it’s a relationship” — but that’s bull. christianity is a religion. it’s about relationship too, but it is a religion. it’s something popular american xianity would do well to remember.
“can you spot a difference between the two days?”
Yes. You were much more warped and way less proper on Sunday. That’s it, I’m telling G-d.
“Popular american christianity” is much more about socialization than religion – I also think that if you try to make them remember that it is not supposed to be that way, then there probably wouldn’t be any popular american christianity to speak of. Which would only make things so much easier on you, no? I am not saying that I think it is a bad idea to try to appeal to the common denominator to get people to go to church, I mean that is really good way to get people to go and a primary concern for a church is to keep as many people interested as possible, yes? But I can see what you are frustrated about as well, so I am just offering what sprang to mind when I read this.
Why don’t you just start your own church? I think you would be able to get lots of older folks to attend. I say that because pretty much everyone I know that is anywhere near my age, seems to attend church for the social purposes – the hipper and more laid back the church, the more they seem to like it (“they play chistian rock music”, “you can wear whatever you want”, etc…). But I seem to remember having conversations with older people (think elderly) that don’t like all that crap and just want to go to church for more fundamental purposes.
Time for the Church of Terry – okay, maybe that isn’t the best name for it, but I really think you should come up with something a little better than Reverend Phool. I know you’ll agree.
House of Pies… that’s not bad. I had Schlotzsky’s.
I would rather worship at the Church Of phliKtid!
All Hail phliKtid!!All Hail phliKtid!!All Hail phliKtid!!All Hail phliKtid!!All Hail phliKtid!!
who knew record label names could so accurately depict such things? but it’s true. fascinating!
being “much more about socialization than religion” and having as a “*primary* concern” (emphasis mine) “[keeping] as many people interested as possible” does not speak well for something that is suppposed to be about Truth. which isn’t to say there isn’t a cultural aspect. and there should be. but it shouldn’t overshadow the Truths.
i’m not about having to dress up for church or creating arbitrary language rules or some of the social conventions that were given as G-dly standards in old american church culture, things some “older” people complain is missing now. there are some things i like about the modernization of the church. but i think a lot of mainstream churches are cutting off prime meat instead of just fat, giving up history and tradition and mystery and Truths in order to placate the american feel-good, fast food, don’t make me think too hard, short attention span, toss-away, consumer culture.
i’ve considered trying to help start a church, but i’m too much of a slacker, pessimist, and critic. plus i’m not sure there are really that many people like me out there. you don’t think “Reverend Phool’s Come on Down Good Times Tabernacle of Luv” invokes my desired image?
the church of phliKtid, maybe…
“i’ve considered trying to help start a church, but i’m too much of a slacker, pessimist, and critic. plus i’m not sure there are really that many people like me out there.”
No wait. I’ve got it. Reverend phliKtid’s Church of Truths for Slackers, Pessimists, and Critics. You might think it is too long, but I say what better way to fill up a church marquis than with the name of your church. Or more to the point I say, anything is better on a church marquis than the utterly profound and clever biblical witicisms that we innocent church passersby are subjected to much, much too often. Ah, if only to be blissfully illiterate.
Please. For the love of … Schlotzky’s, just the name and perhaps times of service … please.
::undigressing:: Besides, the long name will really help attract all of the others out there that are exactly like you. I’m liking this idea more and more …
“you don’t think “Reverend Phool’s Come on Down Good Times Tabernacle of Luv” invokes my desired image?”
Hmmm … not exactly. I’m concerned that maybe people might mistake it for the Tabernacle of People with Spelling Disorders. I don’t think you want that, but I’m not dispelling it entirely.
My church got taken over by another one on Palm Sunday. The conqueror is an extremely large Ecclesia type church, and is run by one of Chris’s friends. I blogged about how much we hated that church when we tried it out last year. My church is now called Mars Hill West. I guess we are in the same boat now.
all this talk of creating churches and clever church wit got me thinking of all the posting i did back in the day on rec.music.christian. i’ve got thousands of posts in the google usenet archives. but instead of talking about it in a comment, i decided to make it a blog entry. i’ll put that up sometime soon.
ooh…sorry to hear about that kevin. did your church leadership want to be taken over? or was it some kind of weird hostile corporate merger? any friend of chris seay is someone for me to place in the bad pile until proven otherwise.