I’ve long been a fan of clever satire and parody. So it’s no surprise that I’ve also long been a fan of that fledgling iconoclastic Christian institution, The Wittenburg Door (aka The Door). The Door was every bit as smart and funny as Mad and Cracked, but it devoted itself to lampooning cultural Christianity. Sadly, […]
satire
Oprah interviews Rob Bell … and Randal too!
Rob Bell recently appeared on Oprah’s “Super Soul Sunday”. Before I continue, let me note that I like Oprah. In a world of increasingly nasty, polarized people, she appears to be a genuinely kind person who has done a lot of good in the world. My biggest problem with Oprah is that her view of […]
Hi. You’re awesome.
The other day I visited a church and was greeted at the entrance with this sign. “Hi. You’re Awesome.” I looked around surprised, but there was nobody else present at that moment, so I concluded the sign must mean me. My first thought was, “Gee, if I’m already awesome, why not sleep in Sunday morning […]
Cosmos meets Logos: If Carl Sagan had been a conservative Christian
I don’t know if you ever stopped to ask yourself, “What would the original ‘Cosmos’ have been like if Carl Sagan had been a conservative Christian?” Well now you know. Check out this very clever satire by Reasonable Doubts Podcast with Sagan’s doppelganger being voiced by Jeremy Beahan who, based on this performance, could have […]
0. Randal launches The 59-Second Apologist
I’ve noticed the trend for some time now: the attention spans of people are steadily shrinking. To take one example, for many the daily devotional has been reduced to the time it takes to brush your teeth. As a result, the marketplace is crowded with one minute devotionals: One Minute Bible for Starters, One Minute Devotions for Girls, […]
A defense of Ken Ham’s fake Noah’s Ark
Ken Ham, that Australian-accented l’enfant terrible of North American fundamentalist Protestant 6-day young earth creationist Christianity, has achieved his goal of raising the first $14 million to begin construction on an ambitious life-size replica of Noah’s Ark for the people of Kentucky and indeed the citizens of the world. (Whew! That’s quite the opening sentence!) […]
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford charged with hating Christmas and heading drug cartel
AP (Toronto) – Further court documents were released by Toronto police Thursday outlining a series of new charges against Toronto’s embattled mayor Rob Ford. According to the report several staffers recounted hearing Ford say he “hates Christmas” on several occasions. In one incident he told a child named Virginia that there isn’t a Santa Claus, […]
The time has come to equip the teachers with guns
It used to be that equipping the teachers meant securing an adequate supply of chalk and textbooks. Then equipping the teachers expanded to include computers and regular software updates. The calamity at Sandy Hook has made it clear that it is time to take the next step in teacher preparation: the provision of semi-automatic weapons. […]
How long, O Lord? An Advent meditation on suburban injustice
“Americano. Grande. Extra room.” The emphasis was crucial. Failure to include it and “extra room” could easily become mere “room” resulting in three shots of espresso hopelessly diluted in excess hot water with no room for cream. It was a delicate balance, one that I thought I’d secured by the carefully placed emphasis. “Americano. Grande. […]
Was Tim Tebow cheating?
Denver Broncos starting quarterback Tim Tebow’s star was tarnished a bit after Sunday’s loss to the Patriots but few can deny that the football player had an incredible season. Given Tebow’s rather flamboyant penchant for wearing his faith on his shoulder pads, the question has inevitably been raised: has God been helping Tim Tebow out? […]
Why You Should Use Humor When Trying to Dialogue with Triablogue
As you know, in the last few days I’ve mixed it up with Patrick Chan of Triablogue. Some of my readers appreciated the efforts. Apparently not all did however. Kor wrote: “I was saddened to see this string of posts on your own blog, as they seem to run counter to the message of the […]
Patrick Chan and “The Comeback”
Wow, the boys at Triablogue are having a field day. Check out Patrick’s latest shot across my bow. (And they’ve had at least two other posts about me since then.) Patrick has definitely been putting a lot of time and effort into formulating comebacks to my witty posts. But is it too much time and effort? […]
Patrick Chan of Triablogue defends Randal Rauser with biting satire
As you probably know, the folks at Triablogue are not my biggest fans. But now Patrick Chan has come out and published an absolutely scathing satire which completely takes apart the cynical misinformation of Steve Hays and his epigones. The article is called “Church of Uncertain” and I suggest you take a look so you can […]
Reflections on Ricky Gervais, satire and sarcasm
I am a Ricky Gervais fan. His work on the BBC series’ “The Office” and “Extras” in particular was sharp, witty, and edgy. (Not that I recommend you show either series to your church youth group. They are also at times rather vulgar.) “Extras” in particular was an incisive critique of celebrity culture and the wider culture of […]
