This is the tale of two telephones. I call them both phones but that is about all they have in common.
One is functional. You plug it in. You dial a number. You talk. You hang up when you’re done. No more, no less.
The other can be used to place calls, as well, but that hardly the reason people choose it.
Quick. Name a Christian character on TV.
Let’s see, there’s Angela Martin on The Office who is depicted (as one website suggests) “as a holier-than-thou crazy cat-lady of the office, Angela, only finds pleasure in books like The Purpose Driven Life and people like Harry Connick, Jr. ”
In an episode of Seinfeld, Elaine worries that her boyfriend may be religious after finding Christian stations set on his rental car radio. The episode ends with her boyfriend confirming that he is religious and is not concerned that Elaine is not, because he is “not the one going to Hell.”
Then there is the great theologian Homer Simpson, who has described his religion as “you know, the one with all the well-meaning rules that don’t work in real life. Uh, Christianity.”
Sometimes the examples of not-normal people are even more extreme watching the Christian television with preachers with funny hair, women with heavy eye shadow weeping, or people falling down in the aisles during a healing service while others scream in amazement. Andy Andrews jokes that many people don’t want to go to heaven because they think it will be too much like church.
I’ve heard some daffy things this week.
I’ve heard we should play less of a certain sound because it is too popular. Real answer—popular is good, not bad. Don’t run from things that aren’t chasing you.
I’ve heard we should take note of the styles of music our competitors play (like country and AC) when we choose which new songs to play. Real answer-listeners come to different formats for different reasons.