None of us is, sadly, unfamiliar with the many attempts to use comic books to attract the unwitting into organised religion. While the scare-tactics of the Jack T. Chick organisation and the “Chick Tracts” sought to force unbelievers into sacred submission under threat of damnation for all eternity, apparently you really can catch more flies with honey than with threats of never-ending torture. Witness a new kind of religious tract, the really gay one.
A product of the WeHo Church in Los Angeles, Adam & Steve: The Comic Book features the longest conversation I’ve ever seen at closing time at a gay bar. Espescially the longest conversation about Jesus. Apparently the WeHo (“West Hollywood”) Church was “created to be a place for you to celebrate God’s love and make new friends in a safe and non-religious setting.” Huh. That philosophy does extend to the comic, in which one dude trades Jesus for sex. Which is kind of amazing.
Anyway, rather than a comment on religion or… you know… whatever, I just wanted to catalogue this new step on comics’ path into ‘the mainstream’. How nice of the nerd diapsora to worm their way into the irreverant churches of Hollywood. :)
- Christopher
(Thanks to Anthony Easton for the heads-up, and I’m sorry I left this thanks off of the initial post.)
Hey! Crazy tract man. It reminds me of the final 8 pages of Jack Chick’s infamous (and discontinued) tract “Wounded Children.” Of course, it has a different ending. Check out a filmed version of “Wounded Children” here at http://www.316now.com. My friend Todd made it.
March 4th, 2007 at 9:35 pm
Journalista - the news weblog of The Comics Journal » Blog Archive » Mar. 5, 2007: Shorter Journalista 7 says:
[...] Christopher Butcher links to a really gay Christian tract. [...]
March 4th, 2007 at 11:33 pm
Not such a surprise from a church in West Hollywood but all the same… American Christians these days often seem to be insanely wound-up about gay sex so anything trying to show a more enlightened attitude is deserving of praise.
March 6th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
Anthony wanted me to post a link to his blog, so here you go: http://www.pinkmoose.blogspot.com/.
March 6th, 2007 at 3:30 pm
You believe in Jesus too? I laughed so hard at that–he’s either completely sh*t-faced, or a cute shmendrik who has no concept of what the word ‘christ-ian’ really means. ^^;
March 7th, 2007 at 11:51 am
check out an upcoming issue of The Advocate for a piece – written by moi – on this crazy gay tract! kudos for bringing it on here, Chris! so much to say about it! Love those Chick tracts!!!
March 15th, 2007 at 2:44 am