Politics, Religion…and Comedy?

I read a report this week that listed Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert as two of the most powerful political pundits in America. How did these two very funny wing nuts make it on the list with so many other seriously powerful and “powerfully serious” talking heads? How did their shows on the little watched Comedy Central become such opinion leaders?

I think the answer is comedy… they make the jokes that so many others in America are “thinking”. They poke fun at a political process that so many are cynical and weary of… They are actually gaining credibility by pointing out the absurdity of “the system”…

How does that relate to religion in America? I think the parallels are becoming clearer every day. So many people are cynical and jaded with “the system” but (just like in politics) they are still looking for a “savior”… So how can we introduce them to “the Savior”? I think we have to be willing to poke fun at ourselves and our “religious system”. Put the most serious subjects in the funniest settings… Make laughing together a bridge to understanding and belief. Who knows…maybe someday they will have comedy courses at seminary…it certainly couldn’t hurt.

2 thoughts on “Politics, Religion…and Comedy?

  1. Figured I’d be brave and leave a comment ;) – I think you hit the nail on the head. Comedy is a great way to disarm your audience and make your message (and Jesus’!) relatable.

    I know from my personal experience that I’ve been very jaded about religion, but I think that actionchurch’s approach has started to turn that around. I was talking to my Mom (who’s quite Catholic) about actionchurch and she was very excited about the idea and very happy that I was trying to find my ‘Savior’ again.

    I have to say I was somewhat surprised at her reaction. It seems that as controversial as a ‘church in a bar’ may seem, a lot of people agree with the idea of making religion more accessible for today’s generations, even if it’s in unconventional ways.

  2. Thanks for being brave… I definitely don’t think we have “all the answers” or “the right way” to do church at actionchurch. Maybe the most important thing we do is “make” people discuss what “real worship” and “real church” actually is..

    So glad you are on this journey with us all!