Some of you may not make it over to our message board – Convergence. A thread has generated some interesting discussion. In a semi-tease to go over and check it out, I post my “bit” for the conversation. I have learned much from those who carry on over there. You might find some good things too!
Good thread. I’d like to press the point of targeting a bit. Idealism would suggest designers produce products for which consumers ask. Realism modifies the notion by offering that designers produce products to benefit their bottom line and express the “mores” of the designer. Should he/she want to see more midrif then he/she will produce such. These then become fashionable in the places where fashion “trickles down.”
We do make good targets. We do not help our young people or ourselves for that matter think too critically. Try to explain to a young girl what bare skin means to a young boy and she will look as if horrified. She may be looking to turn a head, but she does not necessarily intend to arouse other parts of his anatomy.
Once a young girl learns this “power” (we call “sex appeal”) she will “use” these teases to get what she wants. Boys untrained to think above the waistline gladly encourage the incdrease epidermal exposure. Now a vicious cycle emerges and we wonder which came first the chicken or the egg.
The interesting thing to me is, if I can make the segway, in our churches over the past twenty years, we have “targeted” people. We give them what they want in hopes they will consider Christ and then by coming to faith validate our efforts. Jesus came to the “cast off, cast out, ignored, despised, abused and used.” Yet, we target the trendy, the rebellious, the hip.
The whole idea of targeting smacks of de-personalization. If I can classify you I only need to know you fit my survey. I do not need to know you. Could be the fashion czars simply reflect or at least employ comparable methods we seem to find “cutting edge.”
Todd-
Do you remember that Christmas time special, Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer? In it, Rudolf and his friends find themselves on the Island of Misfit Toys. This is an island where disenfranchized toys go in hopes of finding a more suitable home than the standard homes Santa normally delivers his toys to.
Our church has often been characterized as the Church of Misfit Christians. Our members left (or were forced to leave) their home churches because they didn’t fit the expected mold or were considered too “off kilter” for the other members.
These folks seem to fit right in nicely in our congregation. While I am excited about the atmosphere that allows such misfits (or as others have called Ragamuffins) to worship, it is always a challenge to ensure the atmosphere remains open for all- open to the conservatives and the liberals, to co-exist peacefully and thrive in their faith.
Last week I preached a sermon that mightily ticked off the more conservative set in the church. The liberals loved it though- and a dialogue is being created to help both sides talk with each other. It is this sort of welcoming and affirming atmosphere that allows for times when such holy consternation uprises that seems to appeal to our members and friends. We get consternated but we respect each other too. We have found a way to separate people from their religious beliefs. While we might disagree theologically, we love each other wonderfully.
I don’t know if we specifically target these misfits as your article asks but they are somehow drawn to us. I’ve often wondered what our exact formula is for attracting these misfits. Maybe its a good thing that I don’t know the formula we’re using to attract our members- if so, I’d prolly screw it all up and end up driving the very people who worship here away.
Great observations!