Pages

Sunday, May 08, 2005

Footprinting Jesus

ShoesoftheFisherman.com sells shoes that have "Jesus" printed backwards are the bottom of the right shoe, and "Loves You" printed backwards on the left shoe. When you walk wearing these shoes, you will leave the message that "Jesus Loves You" where ever you've been. These shoes are available in flip flops, sandals, and snow boots.


Kathleen L. Farrell, founder of Shoes of the Fisherman, was abducted. She was released after she quoted the 23rd Psalm. After this experience, she tried to think of ways to tell people that Jesus loved them. She glued plastic letters to the bottom of her sandals so she would leave the message "Jesus loves you" any where a footprint can be seen.


Shoes of the Fisherman has a three-fold mission statement. The first part is to care for those who are making the shoes. The webiste says "The sandals are made in Thailand in a clean, Christian-owned factory that employs adult Christian workers who are paid a living wage." Second, they seek to provide an outlet for Christians to "wear their faith." Third, they want to see the words "Jesus Loves You" on every beach.

The website features what appears to be a testimony like story. It is not stated to be an actual testimony, but it at least gives and idea of what Shoes of the Fisherman hopes will result from their shoes.

You can order the shoes online. ShoesoftheFisherman.com also offers t-shirts and sunglasses


Image hosted by Photobucket.com
"How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" ~Romans 10:15

Friday, May 06, 2005

Jesus on a Toilet Paper Roll

Do you ever wonder what you should do with all of those empty toilet paper rolls? Someone put good time into making that roll, and it seems such a shame to just throw it away.

Wonder no more. You can redeem your empty toilet paper rolls by turning them into the very image of Jesus himself. The craft is rather simple. First, print out either the color template, or the black and white template. Then glue the pieces onto the toilet paper roll as the instructions describe.

One mother suggests a game that can be played with the paper saviors. It’s called “Jesus is Alive.” This mother would hide the TP Jesus then her sons would search for it. When they found Jesus, they would yell, “Jesus is Alive.” This project provides hours of resurrecting fun, and it’s a great way to recycle.


Image hosted by Photobucket.com

Wednesday, May 04, 2005

Jesus O' Lantern

ChristianCrafters.com showcases a craft created by Emmalea Butler to create Jesus O' Lantern. This Christian twist on the traditional Jack O' Lantern, is created by drawing a copy of a negative picture of Jesus' "face" onto a pumpkin. You then "deeply scrape" off all the black areas of the drawing creating a deep impression on the flesh of the pumpkin. You then put a light inside and the "face" of Jesus glows through. The intructions included a step by step manual and a downloadable copy of the negative.

Image hosted by Photobucket.com

Huggy Jesus

He's "soft and cuddly." He's "hypoallergenic." He's even "machine washable." And somehow, even though he's the only doll this company makes, he's "collectable." He is "Huggy Jesus". "Huggy Jesus" is a plush doll wearing an orange tunic and a blue coat. His arms are open and ready to give you a hug.


"Huggy Jesus" is more than an attempt to make money. He has a story. The doll's creator, Sean Pinkerton, had reached the bottom. He had no hope left in his life. While out in the rain one night with no where to go, Pinkerton stumbled upon a church. He hadn't prayed before, but he prayed for all the things he needed: food, shelter, help. While praying Pinkerton saw Jesus standing there with open arms. Pinkerton was moved to tears and ran into those arms to give Jesus a hug, With "Huggy Jesus", Pinkerton hopes everyone can experience the hug of Jesus.


The doll is available from HuggyJesus.com. Although, there is no online store at this time, you can purchase the doll by phone for $19.95. Not a high price to pay for the hug of a Savior.

Image hosted by Photobucket.com

Monday, May 02, 2005

Ultrachrist: Get Ready for a Whole New Christ

In the movie "Ultrachrist" by Leisure Suit Media, Jesus Christ returns to the modern-day streets of New York City. Upon realizing he's completely out of touch with a reality, Christ seeks to learn the new culture and minister in a new way--a superhero kind of way. Ultrachrist, complete with Spandex outfit, cape and theme song, fights sin where he sees it. His father does not approve and wishes Christ would minister like he did back in the old days.


Christ picks up a couple of new friends in NYC. His soon-to-become-more-than-a-friend Molly helps him adjust to modern life and make the transformation into Ultrachrist. She also helps him find an apartment with two lesbians whose life style he approves. The trailer shows just how out of touch Jesus really is. He is also appalled to find many things out and even says, "The crucifix is the symbol of Christianity? I hated the crucifix. Ouch!"


During the course of the film, Christ battles the Antichrist who is disguised as the Park's Commissioner. He confronts a crotch-grabbing dominatrix. He even sings and dances; one song being the Pro-sex Savior song. "Ultrachrist" is availiable on DVD.


Image hosted by Photobucket.com

Jesus of the Week

JesusoftheWeek.com is a website that collects and showcases different representations of Jesus. "Disciples" (anyone who visits or submits to the site) submit different Jesus depictions for the site to feature. Every week a new "Jesus" appears on the home page, and a new "Jesus of the Moment" appears in the sidebar every time you refresh the page.

Among the sites features are Doormat Jesus which is a picture of Jesus on a doormat so you can whip your feet on him when you enter or exit the house. Christy the Snowman is a snowman version of the nativity scene.

Many of the featured representations of Jesus are actually meant to be serious images of Christ. This site however, finds the absurdities in each or mocks the image to no end.

The Testimonial section of the page shows email from various point of one. A few are condemning remarks like "you are sick and promoting filth on the Internet." but one is from a pastor who says, "Your Web site rocks! I'm a pastor and I occasionally slip in Jesus images to my sermon. The congregation definitely loves it. Keep up the good work! Any plans for a book?"

Image hosted by Photobucket.com

Thursday, March 03, 2005

Dress Up Jesus

What if Jesus wore a hula skirt, bunny slippers, devil's horns, and a skull t-shirt? Well, if you purchase "Magnetic Jesus Dress Up!" you can see what that might look like. DressUpJesus.com sells the magnetic dress up set for Jesus. The set works kind of like a paper doll. The main piece is Jesus hanging on the cross wearing only briefs. You can dress him up with any variation of the given pieces such as a tutu, a coconut bra, a devil costume or snorkeling gear. There are also signs that say things like "TGIF" or "Happy Easter" that can be hung on the top of the cross.

These small magnet kits created quite a buzz in March 2004. Urban Outfitters, who had been carrying the magnets, pulled them after many protests. The protests came from Christian organizations such as The American Family Association and The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property.

Bob Smith, 34, created the online version of Dress Up Jesus. Bob, who likes to be called "normal bob", sells the kits from his website. According to a Washington Post Report Smith was raised a Christian but became and Atheist at the age of 30. The same article says Smith reported attending a showing of The Passion of the Christ dressed as Satan.

The kit measures 11 by 8 inches and sells for $14 plus shipping on the website, or at various retailors listed on the site. The website currently features a Jesus in The Wizard of Oz motif where visitors can dress Jesus up as any Oz character or any combination of characters.


Bob Smith with his creation.

Saturday, February 19, 2005

What would Jesus do with His dogs?

Dogs Deserve Better is an organization that aims to free dogs from life of being chained or penned. DDB runs various campaigns to educate dog owners and promote a better life for dogs. One of DDB's campaigns is an educational poster campaign. The poster campaign address five different aspects of dog chaining: physical needs, generational habits, legislation, humane treatment, and moral obligations. The poster for the moral obligation begs the questions "Would Jesus chain his dogs?" Further information about DDB and this poster are available at the DDB Website.

Behold the Power of Cheesus

Cheesus Industries, "International distributor of premium quality, religious-themed cheese sculptures," brings you Cheesus. Cheesus is a cheddar cheese replication of Jesus. Cheesus's website bares the slogan "I don't care if the whole word freezes, as long as I've got my Cheddar Cheesus." (TM) Cheesus is not available yet, but, according to the site, he will be "available soon at a select specialty store near you." Cheesus even has a celebrity spokesperson, Richard Cheese. Cheese is a parody lounge singer with such CD's as "I'd like a virgin" and "Tuxicity." Other forthcoming products include Swiss-Cheesus ("It's the hole-iest"), Port Wine Cheese, and Gouda Buddha. While there seems to be little reality to Cheesus, I couldn't ignore a cheese image of Jesus.

Friday, February 04, 2005

Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter

Jesus isn't just fighting Satan anymore. He's fighting Vampires. These aren't just any vampires either. These are lesbian-flesh-stealing-vampires who wreak havoc in the Canadian city of Ottawa. Only Jesus can save the day.


Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter is a low-budget Canadian film put out by Odessa Filmworks. According to the various reviews I've read, this new breed of Vampires has become innovative. They figured out a way to appear in the day time. They have kidnapped the lesbians of Ottawa and begun grafting the Lesbian-human skin into their own other-worldly skin so the sun no longer poses a problem. Not only has this created a massive lesbian shortage but now the Vampires can hunt in daylight. They are no longer forced to only lurk at night.


The only answer is Jesus Christ. The movie's trailer touts "In the new millennium, vampires no longer fear the sun. Now they're going to learn it's time to fear the Son of God." Jesus even has sidekicks, El Santo, a Mexican wrestler, and Mary Magnum, a gun-toting femme fatal in red leather. During the course of the movie Jesus gets an "Extreme Makeover". He goes from the traditional robe and long, flowing hair to "holey" jeans from the thrift store and some earrings. (I guess it's too difficult to beat up lesbian vampires in a robe.)


This b-movie seems to be a horror/musical/comedy/cult-film from the sounds of the several reviews available online.


Just like the website says “This sure ain’t Sunday school.”


"Jesus Is My Homeboy"

I bring you the shirt that inspired this blog and this entire research project. The shirt that boldly states "Jesus is my Homeboy". This shirt isn't just prestigious because it bears the name and image of Jesus, but it has clung to such celebrity bodies as Jessica Simpson, Justin Timberlake, Pam Anderson, and Ashton Kutcher. Just to mention a few. The shirt is made by Teenage Millionaire.

An article in the Detroit News titled "What A Trend We Have In Jesus" said, "Los Angeles-based clothing company Teenage Millionaire introduced the design three years ago. 'We were looking at pop icons of the 21st century, and Jesus topped the list,' says Chris Hoy, a partner in Teenage Millionaire. '[The shirts] appeal to the religious people and the hipsters alike.'" ( 03/08/04)

Christians haven’t reached a consensus as to whether or not they like the shirt. Some love it. Some hate it. But the clothing, poster, bumper sticker, and accessory industries seem to love the craze.