[Vision2020] Public Criticism of The Credenda/Agenda - post from 7/27
Douglas Stambler
ccm_moscow@yahoo.com
Thu, 7 Aug 2003 09:55:07 -0700 (PDT)
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from: http://www.hyperthinking.us/weblog/ - posted by "MarySue"********************************************************************Credenda's Agenda
Credenda Agenda has gone a bit over board on it's latest issue: the cover is not necessary.
Volume 15, Number 2 Jumpstart The Heart. [not online yet, just came out in print this past week.] The Kinkade/RomanceTrashNovel cover is plainly sensual and has no place in Christian publication, satirical or not.
The beginning words to justify this cover are on page 6 under "From Us"
Quote: "Some things are too big to be limited by such small and trivial wallsa s purpose and responsibility. The cover of this magazine is just one such beast."
The cover itself is bad enough. Reading their rationalization of it is just worse!
Let's set something straight: Kinkade artwork employs a certain color-scheme, light, thing -- just the same, if not similar, as the trashy novel covers. Art is one thing, righteousness is another. Separate them. They can be separated. Credenda Agenda shows this to be true. Or do they?
I don't think so. It's blatantly sensual. We've had issue with it in our home just due to the naked man chest. Our children have been taught to dress properly. A man with a naked chest in a sensual pose ... with jumper cables attached to his nipples? Sure, it's just a picture. Aha, that's it. A picture is worth a thousand words. Too many words in the Crenda Agenda cover ... it breaks all barriers of what Christian's should be publishing. In this same issue they go over movies, in the back covering Matrix Reloaded, and the veggietales movie Jonah.
They should take the sentiments that Nathan Wilson wrote and apply them directly to their own publication. Here's the last paragraph there:
Quote: "Show your young kids something honestly filthy like The Matrix:Reloaded or South Park, before you'd ever let them see this [Jonah] Dealing with the nightmares and confused looks would be much easier than scraping off smiling evangelical goop."
But take that a step further. What in the world would a Christian Cultural Journal be doing with such self dubbed Uber-tripe on their cover? And to defend it as good. Ugh.
It's sensual, and ugly. And I'll go further and say that I don't like Kinkade art either. It's bland. Bland? Yes, every picture is like every other one. Just like those trashy romance novels --inside and out. I used to read some of them, back when I was a stupid teenager. So it's not like I don't know. :)
It's not reality, and not even funny, the C/A cover I'm talking about. It's foolish, and absolutey more than what Doug Wilson should be defending. Anyone else ever hear his Feminine Modesty tape series ... four tapes, fairly good. It's too bad he can't apply the same view to what he prints.
But then, that's not a shocker. He says one thing, then does something else, and then says something else. He's wishy, and that's one step from washy.
C/A used to be a decent piece of publishing, no not serious, never that. But it's changed over the past year or so. Increasingly, it's full of off-the-cuff-eternalness.
Here's a comparison:
I was in a bookstore looking over photography magazines yesterday.
Outdoor Photograpy
Digital Photography
Popular Photography and Imaging
The last one was a piece of garbage. There's off the cuff remarks at every letter sent to the editor, and the articles are written in what I love to call "Walmart Style". Liken that to "The People's Style" which is the average "I'm an American" dufus style. Common and bubblegum chewin' and needs to growup-ism.
Serious journalism can go many ways, but always it's serious. It can be humorous, satirical, and light and funny, and deeply serious. "Off the cuff" behavior at every turn is very tiring, and I for one am tired of it.
So with that lesson from the photography magazines, I liked the first two, and dis-liked the "Popular Photography ..." one. And it reminded me of C/A so much, I can say firmly that I'm very sad to see it come to the day when I can't stand C/A.
Shock isn't it. That doens't do it, doesn't drive me away. It's an infant behavoir-likeness that is expected and applauded [one side of reformdom applauds, not everyone]. Since the past year has been FILLED to the hilt with such stuff from the keyboard of Doug Wilson, it's not exactly shocking to get to this point. It's that a supposed Godly Man insists on acting childishly via pen, paper, computer ... what does that tell us? Where is ONE SERIOUS ATTEMPT at truthfulcommunication? Satire after satire, after humorous silly, after sick re-written scripture, on and on ...
Sharpening iron is not a good name for C/A's "letters to the editor", since only one side of the deal is getting sharpened, the readers. The editors and writers of the magazine sit in Moscow and think they are cute. Well, God didn't call us to be cute. He called us to be righteous.
What is Credenda Agenda's agenda? With all that is on the cover and inbetween it's anything but what they say:
Quote: "Crenda/Agenda is a religiously and philosophically Trinitarian cultural journal. The magazine is designed as a tribute to the good life, the life that can only be known in a world in subjection to the Trinity. ..."
Try again, guys. Your agenda needs updating.
from: http://www.hyperthinking.us/weblog/
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<H3 class=title>from: <A href="http://www.hyperthinking.us/weblog/">http://www.hyperthinking.us/weblog/</A> - posted by "MarySue"</H3>
<H3 class=title>********************************************************************</H3>
<H3 class=title>Credenda's Agenda</H3>
<META content=" DC.Creator: Marysue DC.Identifier: http://www.hyperthinking.us/weblog/archives/000085.html#000085 DC.Identifier.Anchor: 000085 Date: June 27, 2003 04:19 PM DC.Title: Credenda's Agenda " name=QSM.item.start>
<P><A href="http://www.credenda.org/"><FONT color=#336666>Credenda Agenda</FONT></A> has gone a bit over board on it's latest issue: the cover is not necessary.</P>
<P>Volume 15, Number 2 <I>Jumpstart The Heart</I>. [not online yet, just came out in print this past week.] The Kinkade/RomanceTrashNovel cover is plainly sensual and has no place in Christian publication, satirical or not.</P>
<P>The beginning words to justify this cover are on page 6 under "From Us"</P>
<BLOCKQUOTE>Quote: "Some things are too big to be limited by such small and trivial wallsa s purpose and responsibility. The cover of this magazine is just one such beast."</BLOCKQUOTE>
<P>The cover itself is bad enough. Reading their rationalization of it is just worse!</P>
<P>Let's set something straight: Kinkade artwork employs a certain color-scheme, light, thing -- just the same, if not similar, as the trashy novel covers. Art is one thing, righteousness is another. Separate them. They can be separated. Credenda Agenda shows this to be true. Or do they?</P>
<P>I don't think so. It's blatantly sensual. We've had issue with it in our home just due to the naked man chest. Our children have been taught to dress properly. A man with a naked chest in a sensual pose ... with jumper cables attached to his nipples? Sure, it's just a picture. Aha, that's it. A picture is worth a thousand words. Too many words in the Crenda Agenda cover ... it breaks all barriers of what Christian's should be publishing. In this same issue they go over movies, in the back covering Matrix Reloaded, and the veggietales movie Jonah.</P>
<P>They should take the sentiments that Nathan Wilson wrote and apply them directly to their own publication. Here's the last paragraph there:</P>
<BLOCKQUOTE>Quote: "Show your young kids something honestly filthy like <I>The Matrix:Reloaded</I> or <I>South Park</I>, before you'd ever let them see this [Jonah] Dealing with the nightmares and confused looks would be much easier than scraping off smiling evangelical goop."</BLOCKQUOTE>
<P>But take that a step further. What in the world would a Christian Cultural Journal be doing with such self dubbed Uber-tripe on their cover? And to defend it as good. Ugh.</P>
<P>It's sensual, and ugly. And I'll go further and say that I don't like Kinkade art either. It's bland. Bland? Yes, every picture is like every other one. Just like those trashy romance novels --inside and out. I used to read some of them, back when I was a stupid teenager. So it's not like I don't know. :)</P>
<P>It's not reality, and not even funny, the C/A cover I'm talking about. It's foolish, and absolutey more than what Doug Wilson should be defending. Anyone else ever hear his Feminine Modesty tape series ... four tapes, fairly good. It's too bad he can't apply the same view to what he prints.</P>
<P>But then, that's not a shocker. He says one thing, then does something else, and then says something else. He's wishy, and that's one step from washy.</P>
<P>C/A used to be a decent piece of publishing, no not serious, never that. But it's changed over the past year or so. Increasingly, it's full of off-the-cuff-eternalness.</P>
<P>Here's a comparison:</P>
<P>I was in a bookstore looking over photography magazines yesterday.</P>
<P>Outdoor Photograpy<BR>Digital Photography<BR>Popular Photography and Imaging</P>
<P>The last one was a piece of garbage. There's off the cuff remarks at every letter sent to the editor, and the articles are written in what I love to call "Walmart Style". Liken that to "The People's Style" which is the average "I'm an American" dufus style. Common and bubblegum chewin' and needs to growup-ism.</P>
<P>Serious journalism can go many ways, but always it's serious. It can be humorous, satirical, and light and funny, and deeply serious. "Off the cuff" behavior at every turn is very tiring, and I for one am tired of it.</P>
<P>So with that lesson from the photography magazines, I liked the first two, and dis-liked the "Popular Photography ..." one. And it reminded me of C/A so much, I can say firmly that I'm very sad to see it come to the day when I can't stand C/A.</P>
<P>Shock isn't it. That doens't do it, doesn't drive me away. It's an infant behavoir-likeness that is expected and applauded [one side of reformdom applauds, not everyone]. Since the past year has been FILLED to the hilt with such stuff from the keyboard of Doug Wilson, it's not exactly shocking to get to this point. It's that a supposed Godly Man insists on acting childishly via pen, paper, computer ... what does that tell us? Where is ONE SERIOUS ATTEMPT at truthfulcommunication? Satire after satire, after humorous silly, after sick re-written scripture, on and on ... </P>
<P>Sharpening iron is not a good name for C/A's "letters to the editor", since only one side of the deal is getting sharpened, the readers. The editors and writers of the magazine sit in Moscow and think they are cute. Well, God didn't call us to be cute. He called us to be righteous.</P>
<P>What is Credenda Agenda's agenda? With all that is on the cover and inbetween it's anything but what they say:</P>
<BLOCKQUOTE>Quote: "Crenda/Agenda is a religiously and philosophically Trinitarian cultural journal. The magazine is designed as a tribute to the good life, the life that can only be known in a world in subjection to the Trinity. ..."</BLOCKQUOTE>
<P>Try again, guys. Your agenda needs updating.</P>
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<DIV>from: <A href="http://www.hyperthinking.us/weblog/">http://www.hyperthinking.us/weblog/</A></DIV><p><hr SIZE=1>
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