![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
This smacks of misrepresentation.
Aug. 9th, 2008 12:01 amOn my way back from the airport tonight, I saw a billboard off of Holgate featuring a close-up of a skateboarder that said "Portland CityFest 08 with Luis Palau", followed by the names of a bunch of bands that I didn't know. Like, even remotely.
Pretty much for that latter reason alone, I said to myself "Bet it's a Christian music festival." Not that my music knowledge is comprehensive or encyclopedic, but I know the big names for pretty much every sub-genre well enough that I'd be able recognize what flavor of festival it'd be from the headlining names. My complete lack of familiarity meant it was one of the very few sub-genres I don't know at all, which pretty much left Christian music and polka.
So after I came home, I looked up Portland CityFest website, and tried to determine if it was, in fact, a big ole Christian music fest.
And I couldn't find out shit about shit. Look through the different pages for CityFest. Look up the bio on Luis Palau as written up on that site. The only thing that might clue you in to the fact that this guy is an evangelical Christian who's all tight with Billy Graham would be the phrase "good news," which, if you've grown up in heavily Christian communities, is a coded phrase for "thar be much Jesus preachin' ahead, aye."
For some reason, this deliberate downplaying--no, HIDING--of what CityFest is and what Palau does pisses me off. Dude, feel free to throw yourselves a Christian music festival. Have a freakin' ball. But don't be drawing in people with promises of free music and X-Games style exhibitions without letting 'em know what the fuck they're in for. I hate being preached to. HATE. IT. And I know that if I'd wandered into this festival and found myself being bombarded about how Jesus died for my sins from a freakin' stage when I'm least expecting it, I would seriously want to punch a bitch.
I have a lot more respect for people who are up front about their Christianity and their urge to convert me from my heathen ways. I can at least refuse their offers, engage them in a debate or hold up silly signs that make fun of their silly signs, depending on the context. And I can't imagine WHY this festival is veiled so heavily behind all this blandly coded talk other than to pass as something it's not so that it'll attract non-Christians, making it easier to ambush poor non-believer bastards who just want to see some dude do a 540 on his skateboard and clog their arteries with fair food. This feels like a sneak attack--the SURPRISE BUTTSECKS of evangelism, if you will. "Sorry, honey, I had absolutely no idea that was the back door. No, really. So very sorry. Won't happen again. But hey, now that I'm in here, can I just tell you about how the son of God was made flesh 2000 years ago...."
Pretty much for that latter reason alone, I said to myself "Bet it's a Christian music festival." Not that my music knowledge is comprehensive or encyclopedic, but I know the big names for pretty much every sub-genre well enough that I'd be able recognize what flavor of festival it'd be from the headlining names. My complete lack of familiarity meant it was one of the very few sub-genres I don't know at all, which pretty much left Christian music and polka.
So after I came home, I looked up Portland CityFest website, and tried to determine if it was, in fact, a big ole Christian music fest.
And I couldn't find out shit about shit. Look through the different pages for CityFest. Look up the bio on Luis Palau as written up on that site. The only thing that might clue you in to the fact that this guy is an evangelical Christian who's all tight with Billy Graham would be the phrase "good news," which, if you've grown up in heavily Christian communities, is a coded phrase for "thar be much Jesus preachin' ahead, aye."
For some reason, this deliberate downplaying--no, HIDING--of what CityFest is and what Palau does pisses me off. Dude, feel free to throw yourselves a Christian music festival. Have a freakin' ball. But don't be drawing in people with promises of free music and X-Games style exhibitions without letting 'em know what the fuck they're in for. I hate being preached to. HATE. IT. And I know that if I'd wandered into this festival and found myself being bombarded about how Jesus died for my sins from a freakin' stage when I'm least expecting it, I would seriously want to punch a bitch.
I have a lot more respect for people who are up front about their Christianity and their urge to convert me from my heathen ways. I can at least refuse their offers, engage them in a debate or hold up silly signs that make fun of their silly signs, depending on the context. And I can't imagine WHY this festival is veiled so heavily behind all this blandly coded talk other than to pass as something it's not so that it'll attract non-Christians, making it easier to ambush poor non-believer bastards who just want to see some dude do a 540 on his skateboard and clog their arteries with fair food. This feels like a sneak attack--the SURPRISE BUTTSECKS of evangelism, if you will. "Sorry, honey, I had absolutely no idea that was the back door. No, really. So very sorry. Won't happen again. But hey, now that I'm in here, can I just tell you about how the son of God was made flesh 2000 years ago...."
