Justin Dirt is known as “The Custodial Crippler” and he’s one of the main attractions of Ultimate Christian Wrestling (UCW). School teacher Rob Fields (Rob Adonis when he hikes on the wrestling gear) is another. UCW is based in Georgia and puts on shows across the southern United States that combine wrestling bouts with evangelism. As Fields told ABC News in 2005, “This is what God’s called us to do.”
Christian pro-wrestling comes complete with the folding chair smashed over the back. But, some of the wrestlers have scruples and refuse to employ fake blood to go along with the fake fighting. It’s a morality play with headlocks and body slams. The plan is to get wrestling fans in to the show and while they are there give them a dose of good old Southern Bible thumping. Then, the fans are called on to become born again.
Superhero Preacher
For the kiddies there’s Bibleman. Yup, he’s got the tights and the cape. With his trusty sidekicks Cypher and Melody, he fights the forces of evil on video, in comic books, and live-action shows on stage. According to his website “Bibleman appeals to parents and children alike as the show seeks to encourage kids to have their own personal relationship with Jesus.” In his book Rapture Ready, Daniel Radosh describes how munchkins are invited up after the stage to “…publicly accept Jesus for the first time.” At the show he attended Radosh wrote that “About twenty children, some apparently as young as three, advanced to the stage.”
Contemporary Christian Music
For the teens there’s a huge Christian music scene. This is not “Onward Christian Soldiers” with a back beat. This is heavy metal, punk, fusion, grunge, folk rock, and every other genre that fits into Contemporary Christian Music. What seems to matter most in Christian music is how often a band can get “Jesus” into its lyrics.
The 1970s group Sonseed set a high standard for this. Their song “Jesus is My Friend” gets the saviour’s name in 42 times in a two-and-a-half minute ditty. That’s what the trade calls a high JPM (Jesus per minute) count and guarantees heavy rotation on Christian radio.
Sonseed returned from oblivion in September 2008 when someone posted a video of “Jesus is My Friend” on YouTube. By March 2009 it had attracted more than two million hits.
And, who knew there was Christian stand-up? “Jesus, and a three-legged donkey walk into a bar, the penguin walked under it – I’m here every Sunday folks.” Rich Praytor, David Ferrell, and Kelly Sisney are some of today’s, um, stars. From the evidence of videos they’re wholesome and clean but not very funny. Perhaps, the shtick works better for Christians.
Christian Publishing Industry
Most people would think selling bibles pretty much covers it for Christian publishing; most people would be wrong. Christian publishing is a huge industry and includes everything from romance to whodunits. Tim LaHaye has sold more than 65 million copies of his Left Behind series, thrillers that describe the chaos after the Rapture. Frank Peretti is another Christian thriller writer who has sold more than 12 million copies of his novels.
Then, there’s the Christian romance genre. Not a lot of bodice ripping going on here; in fact, no bodice ripping atall. Heroines are chaste and heroes are hyper-masculine and really good-looking but they’ve got their libidos under control.
Writer Rebecca Barrett-Fox has studied Christian romance books and the women who read them. In the
Autumn/winter issue of Women Alive she reports that “Readers and writers of Christian romances reminded me repeatedly that the story of God's love for humanity is a romance, a tale of perfect love.”
And, yes there are Bible sales too. Daniel Radosh says the average American family owns three Bibles. Yet, year in and year out, the Bible tops the best-seller list.
