Like a demented slasher in a cheesy sequel, they're back:
Pop culture faces a controversial assault in San Francisco this weekend when Ron Luce aims to bring 22,000 evangelical Christian teenagers closer to Jesus through a rock concert, City Hall rally and other events.Background here, here, and here.
This time around the Chronicle has a pretty good story, with some good quotes from evangelicals in the Bay Area criticizing the militant rhetoric, the commercialism, and the superficiality of the event. It still doesn't cover Luce's extremist political agenda, but it does make clear that not everyone is on board with Luce's schtick.
It also has a quote that made me laugh out loud:
Some pastors said Luce is as guilty of promoting consumerism as the culture he criticizes because Teen Mania sells T-shirts and other merchandise. Luce said the difference between consumerism and Teen Mania's merchandising is that his products are being sold with a Christian intent. [emphasis added]Yup...none of that godless secular consumerism here; just good righteous Christian consumerism.
This Luce clown has a sweet gig going, and we're going to be seeing a lot more of him. He's also the future face of evangelical wingnuts (just as Fred Phelps is a throwback), as they learn how to mask their bigotry with savvier marketing techniques. Which means we have to keep getting better at spotting them.
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