*sigh* Why us, why the Christians? Why couldn’t it be like Islam or Buddhism that does this kind of stuff? Why does our religion always have to pull out all the We-can’t-come-up-with-anything-better-to-write-about-so-we’re-gonna-justify-that-watching-this- movie-makes-you-a-christian-if-you-watch-it-this-way. Okay enough hyphen use from me. Why can’t we make some good Christian movies and have the world write books about it instead? Dang Skippy.

Nice, Brant.

Me, Who Else?, I don’t think you’re right and no one was bashing PDL (as you call it).  Instead they were ranting on it’s imitators by other publishers.  I was actually given these imitators by a publisher friend who created them.  He was so proud of his marketing genius that I just didn’t have the heart to tell him it wreaked of desperation and theft.  Oh well.  Brave on the computer, coward in real life.  Guilty.

How about this, what books have you read that had a positive impact on you spiritually, intellectually or both, which were also original in their approach to language and presentation?  In other words, read any good books lately that didn’t seem to rip off other people’s stuff?

I’m reading RICH CHRISTIANS IN AN AGE OF HUNGER.  Dark enough with all it’s stats that I have to take it in small doses but a good book overall.  Just good info and bible study.  No theft.

I’m hereby abandoning my manuscript for my book, “Smokey or The Bandit:  Pursuing God with a Long Way to Go and a Short Time to Get There

Brant

Hmmm. I haven’t read the book, nor even heard of it until now.  But where would you (all) say the line is between engaging popular culture and “cashing in”?  To me this smacks of the criticisms leveled at various Christian artists who release songs in the secular market and are instantly labeled “sellouts”.

To get even a little more controversial, isn’t most contemporary music a “fad”?

Confession, I never got into the Purpose Driven Life stuff. While everyone else was doing Purpose Driven life I was sitting and doing Experiencing God. Ya know the anti-social one that’s me.

Ouch

No, I think it’s boomers who are trying to take their cues from prominent “extract spiritual truths from media” books like “The Gospel According to Tony Soprano” two years too late and cashing in on what they hope will be the latest Christian fad without really understanding why they’re doing what they’re doing. 

Maybe kind of like that wanna-be Purpose Driven Life series. The Passionate life and the Passionate church. Wasn’t worth remembering.

it’s not really the boomers writing these books (even though I don’t know the age of these authors) it’s more of the postmodern, in touch with culture types.

I am not sure that ND even had a point, let alone a spiritual message.

Not a new concept though. I remember an old book during the late 70’s which relayed the spritual lessons from Star Wars.