What if the Catholic Church had its own "Met Gala?"
Also, get hype Switchfoot is back on tour
I was interviewed for a podcast I think you’d enjoy! The ABC’s pop culture podcast Schmeitgeist season two episode two is about edgy internet Catholicism, and I was brought in as the internet religion boffin.
I talk about different kinds of people who use Catholic aesthetics online and why, as well as speculate on the reasons this is trending at the moment. The other guest is God-lover Kyle from the Instagram meme account @ineedgodineverymomentofmylife who I feel like I write about all the time on here. Huge fan. Subscribe to the whole pod, it’s great.
What if there was a regular Catholic “Met Gala”
The first Monday in May has come and gone, and so we have had another Met Gala. It also means we had another spectacular Jewish fashion thread from Shoshana.
The theme this year was “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty”, which isn’t as targeted specifically to me as previous themes “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” and “Camp: Notes on Fashion”. Still we never miss a chance to have a little fun.
Friend of the newsletter Jim McDermott over at America Magazine says the Catholic Church needs its own Met Gala. You might think such a grotesque display of wealth would not be fitting for a Christian institution, but I counter with:
Seriously though, I admit the headline initially rankled me, a Protestant. In such difficult economic times, why encourage the Catholic Church to lean into its worst excesses lol? But Jim makes a good argument and I think I agree there would be a way it could be done in good taste and with an eye toward justice. The Catholic Church was once a major patron of the arts, and the arts includes fashion, so why not?
Finally, please enjoy this thread of Pedro Pascal as a series of Paschal candles, kicking off with his Met Gala look. Cheff’s kiss.
On mastering divinity
Two people I follow on Twitter just finished their Masters of Divinity. Their posts about it contrast so beautifully I just had to share.
Congrats you two.
Switchfoot Beautiful Letdown 20th anniversary tour
I didn’t write about this last week because I ran out of space, but Switchfoot (arguably the best Christian rock band to have ever existed) is doing a 20th anniversary tour for their crossover hit album The Beautiful Letdown.
They’re going to play the whole album from start to finish! Imagine how the whole thing is going to start with the opening riff from Meant to Live. I M A G I N E. They’re only going to cities in the United States, but if you get a chance to go you should go! I love this album.
One of the enduring mysteries is how, when the rest of the Contemporary Christian Music industry was so derivative and (mostly rightfully) ignored by the mainstream, Switchfoot managed to produce an album as good as this. And the album is so Christian, but even secular rock fans love it anyway.
In Religion News Service, Tyler Huckabee argues the album’s widespread appeal is because of, not despite, its explicitly Christian lyrics. Switchfoot wasn’t trying to smuggle Jesus in under a cloak of sick guitar riffs, they were clear what they were about and people respected them for that.
Switchfoot understood at least two things Christians often forget. The first is that most people can smell a church trap from a mile away and attempts to sneak a little Sunday morning into Friday nights don’t fool anyone. By wearing their faith on their sleeve, Switchfoot earned a lot of trust even from people who didn’t share their religious convictions. Honesty, it turns out, really is a good policy.
BTW, lead singer Jon Foreman’s solo work is also outstanding. His Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer EPs are sparse, passionate, hopeful and often excoriating missives from the church to itself. I’ll put a few choice songs on the Modern Relics Spotify playlist.
Popeosal
This is like when my fiance said he would do a public proposal at the crocodile farm in Darwin and I said that if he did that I would say no, but instead of a crocodile it’s the Pope.
May the fourth be with you (and also with you)
It was 4 May, the Star Wars-inspired internet holiday, and the VeggieTales Twitter account just keeps hitting home runs.
People in the comments are so mad lol. Truly immaculate work.
Coronation posting
I’m guessing there’s gonna be a bunch of coronation content for next week after King Charles III is actually crowned, but here’s a teaser.
A few details are already known, like that the procession will be led by someone holding a reliquary containing slivers of the True Cross — something I can’t think about without hearing Greedy Peasant: “I can’t with this One True Cross business. Every two-bit monk I’ve met has a splinter”.
More from Greedy Peasant:
@greedypeasantAmanda’s views do not reflect the views of all reliquaries 👑👑 #coronation #charlesandcamilla #reliquarytok #greedypeasant
Tiktok failed to load.
Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
Also I guess Westminster Abbey published the order of service last week and there’s still a bunch of stuff in there about the King upholding Protestant religion. Here’s Woke Space Jesuit:
This feels right
A mutual of mine @pottermckinney said of this post, “As a religious studies-turned-theologian person, yes. ‘Which one is getting made fun of here?’ Also yes”
Before I go
Don’t forget I’m looking for contributors for while I am away on my honeymoon in June! If you have a few choice posts to share (even if it’s fairly short) drop me a comment or send me an email.