I have been a stand up comedy fan for years. One of my first albums was a Bill Cosby and eventually I discovered Mike Warnke, a Christian comedian. Not the best choices, in retrospect. If you have been following the news at all you know about Cosby, but Warnke too was discredited, decades ago.
Christian comedy may seem like an oxymoron, yet there are some very humorous folks out there and often with poignant observations. This week the interwebs is being taken over by Jon Crist‘s “If Bible Characters had iPhones.” It is legitimately funny (and was, in fact, forwarded to me by a non-religious friend who thought it was hysterical). I am late to this party, but having now perused his YouTube channel and have to say, this guy is very good. In particular because he is using satire to make American Christians question their culture, beliefs, and actions. See “Church Hunters” and “Christian Mingle Inspector.”
At the risk (hope?) of trolling Jim West, I suggest that this approach has more than a bit in common with prophets like Nathan and Amos. Granted, Crist is not as strident as Amos, but in the sketches I have seen (such as “The Millennial Missionaries” below and look again at Church Hunters, really, both episodes) he is calling out the ridiculous behavior and believes, not to mention hypocrisy, of current American “Christian culture.”
To which I say, Amen, amen.
PS: Lutheran Satire is also a great site. Their “St. Patrick’s Bad Analogies” is a classic and their latest, “Talking Nativity Set,” is worth book marking for next year.