By the title of the report, I thought the letter would be alot more derogetory towards Christians. However, the writer decided to use humor to get his or her point across.

Most media reports either utilize humour or anger to criticize Christian (not unless you are reporter, reporting for a Christian magazine, you are the exception). What these two types of reports have in common is that both utilize emotion. Emotion is typically used in stories that do not motivate the reader to thing for themselves. It is rare these days to find a captivating story that uses logic and meaning to get the point across. When you are finished reading this story, you might forget about it. I know I did. But a good story that is thought provoking leave the reader with something to ponder on. I pray my letter has.

Best regards,

Kyle

For all of Steve Baldwins bold enthusiasm I love and even some of what might be called intolerance, that is, we should be intolerant of sin but love the sinner. But unfortuantely there is this misguided influence coming from the political rightwing. What is disturbing is that Baldwin says to Bono, JUST preach the Gospel RATHER THAN help those in Africa. The way Baldwin says it it's as if helping those in Africa is a misguided adventure for a Christian. Sounds too much like religious right influence to me. The kind that is deathly afraid of setting examples of materially(money) helping others because it might lead to a movenment which would then mean the deathly anti-thesis for the poltical servants of money being - no more tax cuts to feed the money God of the rightwing. Just more recasting of Christian doctrine for a party line. But God is dersperately concerned about truly bringing the lost into fellowship with Him and if the stained glass christians will not do it then He will use who he can. They do not have to be perfect, just willing to really get it done. I pray that young people will reject the misguided politics but wholeheartedly accept God's bold invitation to change people's lives.

Lauren, you fail to understand what is going on with Baldwin, Dobson and a growing army of radical Christians. If you listen closely to the message, it is basically the same Biblical truths of sin, salvation, hope now and hope for the hereafter. This is the message evangelical Christians have taught since New Testament days.

The methods used to convey the message overwhelms lots of people (including you, I'm afraid). If a person can't think of Christianity apart from white collars and stained glass, they will reject both the messenger as well as the message.

Baldwin, Dobson and others are throwing a life-line to teenagers who have no idea the God of the universe cares for them. They are desperate and often demonstrate it by adopting destructive life-styles. Baldwin and others speak their language. These kids understand it and that is the reason they are responding in great numbers. I say "thanks be to God!!"

A thoughtful Christian leader wrote 40 years ago about the rapid, cultural changes in Western society and how Jesus followers needed to respond. He said, "God help us if we ever change our message, and God help us if we don't change our methods."

Charles (A 70 year young radical Christian.)

Lauren, excellent article. I'm just wondering if you had a follow-up question on that cities on fire quote from Ryan Dobson? When the son of an influential evangelical starts using the same rhetoric as Charles Manson, well, I get a bit concerned.

Stephen Baldwin is an idiot, plain and simple. Claiming to speak for God or to insist you know what God wants makes you a liar and a lunatic. His movie career tanked so now he's spreading a message of intolerance. I love that he's trying to make Bio-Dome an act of God, insinuating that God wanted him to make a piece of crap movie so that he could talk cheesy 80's speak at teens who are dying for attention and acceptance. But he will only give it if you sign your soul away. Scary. I keep picturing him on the rear end of the threesome in Threesome and reaching over to place the other guy's hand on his ass and marvel again and again at a born again christian's ability to wipe their own slate clean no matter what shit they've done and then turn around and be a hypocritical asshole by insisting everyone else listen to them or go to hell. I have nothing against anal sex or homosexual sex but I thought that was a big no-no for born again christians and other close-minded bible thumpers. Oh, and...

dis‧ci‧ple  /dɪˈsaɪpəl/

1. one of the 12 personal followers of Christ.

2. one of the 70 followers sent forth by Christ. Luke 10:1.

3. any other professed follower of Christ in His lifetime.

4. any follower of Christ.

a‧pos‧tle  /əˈpɒsəl/

1. any of the early followers of Jesus who carried the Christian message into the world.

2. (sometimes initial capital letter) any of the original 12 disciples called by Jesus to preach the gospel: Simon Peter, the brothers James and John, Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alpheus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, Judas Iscariot.

3. the first or the best-known Christian missionary in any region or country.

4. Eastern Church. one of the 70 disciples of Jesus.

Drop the whole 12 disciples, 12 apostles thing--they are pretty much interchangeable, no matter what your individual Sunday School teacher taught you. As well as completely beside the point of the article and subsequent discussion. Some people just need to have something to say, I guess.

This whole article reminded me of that episode of "King of the Hill" where Bobby gets drawn in by a "radical", skateboarding, evangelical youth group. My favorite part was at the end when Hank pulls a box out of the garage containing all of the things that Bobby used to think were cool but got rid of when he got older--like his Beanie Babies and his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Hank finally tells him "I just don't want The Lord to wind up in this box."

Having been to enough Christian rock concerts and the like as a teenager, I can easily say that the majority of these kids will be discarding their pledges to God like so many pairs of stonewashed jeans in a year or two. It's hardly the stuff of a movement threatening to take over the world.

I'm just hoping that it's still possible for kids in our society to find some sort of spiritual meaning that can't be discarded for being out of fashion.