Following Jesus is meant to involve looking at JESUS, watching what he does, enjoying his company, absorbing his teaching, following his example, and becoming more like him - as in, more conformed to Love.
But I've been doing this Christian thing for a fair few decades now.
And I've been around the traps when my faith community, the evangelical church, has made Christianity about what cultural icons you do & don't consume, watch or participate in.
And I wonder, if, with our ever-expanding hit list of culture war "no-no"s, we've taken our eyes of the Jesus we claim to follow.
I remember evangelicals condemning, banning or "cancelling":
- dancing (immodest)
- rock n roll (demonic; back-masking)
- yoga (demonic)
- yoga pants (immodest)
- meditation (demonic)
- hypnosis (demonic)
- Christmas trees (pagan)
- Cabbage Patch dolls (portal of entry to demons)
- The Beetles (because John Lennon said they were "more popular than Jesus")
- Jonathan Livingstone Seagull (demonic, dunno why)
- Dungeons & Dragons (demonic)
- The peace sign (it's a "broken" cross; witchcraft
- Dreamcatchers (demonic)
- Gillette razors (didn't like the ad calling on men not to be jerks; opposed Christian patriarchy)
- Coca-Cola (didn't like the company's diversity training)
- Tide laundry detergent (too supportive of gay rights)
- the band KISS (said it meant, "Knights in Satan's Service)
- Crystals (New Age, ergo, idolatry)
- Pokemon (it's Japanese for "pocket demon")
- therapy (secular; not trusting God)
- anti-depressants (Big Pharma idolatry; not trusting God)
- The Karate Kid (martial arts; demonic)
- Teletubbies (Tinky-Winky might be gay)
- Dr Seuss ("woke" - because company decided to pull a few non-sellers)
- Cheerios cereal (ad showed an inter-racial couple)
- Proctor & Gamble (witchcraft)
- JC Penny, a clothing store (because Ellen DeGeneres, who is gay, is a sponsor)
- Pastor Rob Bell (questioned theology of hell)
- Jen Hatmaker (supported same sex marriage)
- Beth Moore (spoke out against mass sexual abuse by pastors in the Southern Baptist Church)
- bar codes (mark of the Beast)
- credit cards (mark of the Beast)
- spaghetti trap tops (immodest)
- vaccines ("deep state"; not trusting God)
- Smurfs (satanic/Communist/Fascist)
- Amy Grant (evaded abuse by getting divorced; sang at wedding of gay relative)
- Harry Potter (witchcraft)
- Tampons (might spoil hymen for husband on wedding night)
- Disney (not homophobic enough)
- Feminism (not patriarchal enough)
- CRT (not white supremacist enough)
- Black Lives Matter (not pro-police brutality enough)
- Target (non binary bathrooms; Gay Pride-themed apparel)
- M&Ms (because Tucker Carlson thought flat shoes instead of heels is too "woke")
- Mr Potato Head (went woke)
- Starbucks (cup design wasn't explicitly Christian-Christmas enough)
- saying "Happy holidays" (not Christian supremacist enough)
- NFL (because some players took a knee during the national anthem as a quiet protest against racism)
- World Health Organisation ("deep state")
- Cuties (didn't like a movie exposing the sexualization of children, because it also took aim at fundamentalist patriarchy)
- Wayfair furniture ("they're trafficking children in cabinets")
- Yeti coolers (they supported gun reform)
- Nike ("Satan shoes")
- Dixie Chicks (they presumed the right of free speech, spoke out against Iraq war)
- My Little Pony (because rainbow)
- The UN alejibre statue donated by Mexican artisans (it was the beast from Revelations, and therefore proof that the UN is the anti-Christ)
- Unholy (a song saying that adultery is unholy and bad, make it make sense)
- Taylor Swift (water imagery is proof she's a witch) and they don't like it that she supports Democrats.
- Lauren Daigle, because she "promoted" Billie Eilish, and that's bad because Billie is a "Lucifer" singer (she sang a song called, "All the Good Girls Go to Hell, about global warming, so that means Lauren has to be cancelled so the godly don't have their godliness infected).
- Lil Nas X ("devil worship")
and, more recently:
- Threads (is really 666, mark of the beast)
- The Chosen, a show about literally, JESUS (because one of the crew had a small rainbow 🌈 flag somewhere on set)
- Budlight beer (too friendly to immigration and LBGTQI+)
- Barbie movie (it mentions gynaecologists, patriarchy and Fascism, but not in a good way)
But I have just as many qualms about the things Christians have chosen to support & put their money behind ...
The collective fears that consumed the US in the 1980s and ’90s are still alive and well — all the way through QAnon and beyond.