I am full of sarcasm, and love so much of what gets stamped with Jesus. Yes, I have Jesus band-aids. You betcha. How could I not love the idea of bandages, stamped with the image of the Great Physician. It is a great, big, delicious bowl of irony.
Here's the thing. I am fairly certain that the Jesus bandages were made by people who had their tongues firmly placed in their cheek. Whether by non-Christians poking a little fun at the dominant culture, or by Christians with a sense of humor similar to mine.
So, to be clear, I am a fan of Jesus Junk. But then it crosses a line. There comes a point where you realize that much of this stuff is not just tongue in cheek; it is not about poking a little bit of fun at our own tradition. Nope. Much of this Junk for Jesus is really an expression of people's piety. Some of it may have started as a funny idea, but then someone took it seriously. Other items are so ridiculous you think they must have been a joke, but they are an absolutely earnest expression of someone's faith.
So here on this blog, I am going to be collecting some of these exceptionally tacky expressions of faith, in an ongoing series called "Junk for Jesus." I am going to lean toward the earnest rather than ironic -- although the line gets blurry.
We will start with this: spreading things around the holy family, an Our Lady of Guadalupe lighter. Because the Blessed Virgin Mary totally encourages your nicotine addition, and would like to bless you as you flick you zippo. Holy Smoke!
