Ok, so the life of The Sarcastic Lutheran is a bit insane right now. Mr. SL got a new call to a church in a Denver suburb and we bought a house in the Park Hill neighborhood in Denver, which is an old multi-cultural-right-next-to-City-Park urban area. The house is a bit of a fixer-upper, so we've been insanely busy trying to do improvements while moving in. The kids start their new school tomorrow and I've just come back 2 days ago from Luther Seminary. Add to that my new book deal and what do you get? A very happy , very busy gal who is attempting to manage the embarrassment of blessings in her life while trying to remember not to speak of herself in the third person.
The book:
I was approached by Church Publishing/Seabury Books to write a book, kind of a social and religious commentary about the Christian Industrial Complex based on me watching 24 straight hours of Trinity Broadcast Network which is a televangelism cable channel. I suggested that perhaps the Geneva Convention might address making a person do this sort of thing....right after the paragraph on waterboarding, but then I agreed to it because, well, it was about the weirdest thing someone had asked me to do in a while,so how could I say no?. I am having a pleasingly bizzare assortment of folks come for an hour each and watch with me so that those chapters become a conversation between us about what we are seeing. Here's where you come in. I'm inviting my readers to do the unthinkable. Please watch TBN ... any amount you'd like, between 5:30am Friday August 24th and 5:30am Saturday August 25th (Mountain time) and e-mail me your comments to [email protected]. I will have my computer on the whole time as I will be taking notes and may be able to have a little chat right there and then. Then I may just
these comments in the book. I'm looking for any kind of ideas about what you see: what does it say theologically? about gender? about consumerism? about beauty? were you surprised? was the gospel preached despite the makeup and hairspray?
The book will hopefully be out a year from now so that I can take it to Greenbelt.
Well, there's your mission if you choose to accept it, as fucking weird as it is.
Be well.
Really awesome assignment. I wish I could participate, but I get about three fuzzy channels on my tv with rabbit ears, none of which is your nifty evangelical network. I'll look forward to reading your reflections!
Posted by: Chris | August 19, 2007 at 07:06 AM
yeah, I had to order a cable package in order to do this...which made me feel a little dirty, let's hope I don't get addicted and will actually cancel it in a month like I swore I would.
Posted by: Nadia | August 19, 2007 at 11:19 AM
I think the Park Hill neighborhood is pretty close to Capitol Hill where the church I interned at was. Not bad. Have fun.
Posted by: Diane | August 19, 2007 at 01:36 PM
Glad to hear the book deal worked out. Kewl. We slam TBN at the Wittenburg Door every chance we get - you might want to check out the website for additional ammo.
Posted by: becky | August 19, 2007 at 06:03 PM
Good luck. I hope you have a therapist and confessor both on standby!
Posted by: LutheranChik | August 21, 2007 at 09:53 AM
Oh man, I really want to do that but I just get EWTN......I wonder if any friends get it...
Posted by: RuthRE | August 21, 2007 at 04:34 PM
Congrats to all the SLs! Where I live is considered Park Hill. Though one of the less, mmm, exclusive bits. Wonderful news for Rev. Mr. SLs call, wonderful news re: book, let me know if there is anything I and my old van can do re: the move, and sorry but I don't gots cable.
Posted by: terri c | August 21, 2007 at 09:22 PM
Hi!
Just wanted to let you know that I listed your challenge on my silly little blog. I will try to help if I can stay awake.
Posted by: MattAgee | August 22, 2007 at 03:47 PM
Ok, this is hilarious/cool/wild. I'll try to remember and watch.
A few months ago I was flipping channels and saw a guy I know from Birmingham, AL singing with the Gaithers on some Christian channel, so I stopped to watch it a minute or two. Next day a friend came over, flipped on the TV, and there was TBN, or whatever it was, on. I quickly explained that I was watching someone I know. We still laugh about how I quickly I was to explain - as if it was porn or something!
My friend Kathy just invited me to Theology Pub, so I'll look forward to meeting you there next week.
Posted by: amy | August 23, 2007 at 05:02 PM
Did you know the original funding for TBN came from a Lutheran? I heard Paul Crouch mention once as I was channel surfing. In his words, "Can you imagine? A Lutheran funding a Christian television network!" I think he had hopes of leading the poor Lutheran guy to Christ.
Posted by: barrett57 | August 27, 2007 at 10:48 AM
I would never ever want to watch that much of that channel. But every so often, I have seen snippets of Joyce Meyer. I don't always agree with her theology, but there are some moments when I like what she says. I can hardly believe I've made this confession.
The thing that scared me when I was in the parish, is when the sweet little old ladies would send off money and be so proud of the trinket they had received in return. Some times they would give said trinkets to my senior colleague. (I was glad he got the pseudo bronze eagle bookends instead of ME.)
Good luck with your project. It sounds fascinating!
Posted by: revhrod | August 30, 2007 at 05:46 PM
I think that your project sounds really cool. Can't wait till it's finished!
Posted by: Cara Lee Sue | October 12, 2007 at 10:40 AM
Check out this awsome book that my friend and I are writing! It is really awsome and we are only 11!
Posted by: Imasingingal | October 12, 2007 at 10:42 AM