Parting Christians from Thier Cash

There’s a line in the book Body Piercing Saved My Life that I love:

"Advertising executives would slide naked down a splintery board to reach these people."

This line was used to describe the marketing opportunity to the of hip, twenty-something demographic/culture at Mars Hill Church in Seattle.

More and more, the Church is seen as a group to be marketed to. For some reason, this really rubs me the wrong way. Passion of Christ movie theater deals, Chronicles of Narnia sermon kits and contests, Napoleon Dynamite Youth Bible Study Kits, the DaVinci Code cottage industry of books and church group studies are the examples that are fresh and come to mind easily. Christian and secular book stores and companies alike are cashing in.

CNN wrote an article about the Christian overtones in the latest Superman movie Superman Returns. They site all of the similarities in the Superman myth with the Biblical Messiah, Jesus Christ.

How do you feel about being seen as part of a demographic that Hollywood cashes in on?
How do you feel when Hollywood spurns the input of Bible believers when it produces disgusting rubbish and calls it art, collects an award, and calls Christians cavemen?

Any thoughts?

Am I just a stick in the mud?