This is insane. Boltgirl finds this interesting tidbit in a recent NPR segment about the evangelical vote.
Buried in the middle of this, almost as a non-sequitur, was a snippet from a woman named Tammy Bennett, described as decked from head to toe in silver. I'm not going to bother dissecting Ms. Bennett's call for protecting the sanctity of marriage; that was predictable given the context of the story. My attention was piqued much more by the tiny biographical blurb provided:Bennett is the founder of Makeover Ministries, which she describes as "inspiring women to look good from the inside out and to be supermodels for Christ. And it's based on Proverbs: 'just as water mirrors your face, so your face mirrors your heart.'"
Supermodels for Christ. Supermodels. For Christ.
Gotsta look hot for the lord.
Apparently Bennett has written a book, Looking Good from the Inside Out, where she tells girls that "beauty is a choice and it all begins with a relationship with Jesus Christ." And eyeshadow. Sigh.
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What would Jesus do in order to look hot?
Incisive commentary at original post, of course, and another fun picture at the followup.
Oh, my mind is just teeming with possibly very offensive wisecracks.
"Next on Good Morning American, Fashion Tips from Jesus!"
"Thanks, Katie. The first thing I want to tell all you ladies out there--avoid the crown of thorns. Sure, it's got that edgy look to it, but believe me, it is impossible to untangle from your hair at the end of a day's work."
I apologize in advance.
Didn't The Daily Show just run "Fashion Week in God" a few days ago?
Do I get extra points if I slut it up for Jesus?
This is too hilarious for me to get mad. I mean, how ridiculous.
Well, the Jeebus fashion kit is hilarious, since it's intentional satire. The unintentional satire of Makeover Ministries, though, is kinda sad--it purports to be a girl-empowering ministry that ultimately just ends up reinforcing the old message that a woman's inner worth is precisely mirrored by her outer conformity to conventional (male-determined) beauty standards. And if you "choose" to not be beautiful, it's because you don't have the right relationship with Jesus. And we can all tell by just looking at you. WWJD? Why, he'd exfoliate and use foundation, that's what.
That said, I just have to get one of those Jesus statues with the mirror in the tummy.
my bad, boltgirl--i had the wrong link in there! fixed it...
Cool! Feel free to zap my first comment, in that case.
omg! I got that Lookin' Good for Jesus set for Christmas from my brother!
...and I had no idea that the idea behind a fun parody gift would become unironic reality.
Luk 14:26 If any [woman] come to me, and hate not [her] father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. But blue eye-shadow: that shit is hot! Front of the line to the kingdom of heaven!
Hilarious. My mom's going to love this.
It's confusing, though. I thought you were supposed to look modest for the Lord? I mean, if you're getting all dressed up and wearing makeup, you'll be attracting male attention, and you know, unpurifying the congregation. Such a mixed message.
norbizness,
Too fuckin' funny.
And I know on Judgment Day my tits will be pushed up to my chin. And I will wear foundation, no need for the cold cream right?
And they want to claim that homosexuals are an abomination unto the lord?
Who exactly do you want to get your hair glammed up for Jesus, honey?
According to the packaging in order to be hot for Jesus you have to be a white girl.
It's pretty common after a revival or some other big community event in evalgelical communities that makes the spirit flow through you for girls to dump their boyfriends and start "dating Jesus" (their words, not mine) to prove their dedication. So, if you're gonna date Jesus the least you can do is look pretty for him too. ;)
It's deeply offensive because it is so contrary to the Gospel message that says we are loved for whom we are, not what we look like. Matthew 6:28-32:
"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
Yup, Makeover Ministries sounds pretty damn pagan to me.
prairie, shhush! You'll make their brains hurt!
Whoa Hugo! That is my new favorite Bible quote (from a committed agnostic). Jesus said "stop caring what you look like." Awesome.
Anybody else notice the card in this picture that says "PLEASE HIM, for CHRIST'S sake"??? *shudder*
OMG I want to be a supermodel for Christ! Can I please? I know I'm Jewish, but it would be so cool!
It's good to see that the absolution system is catching up with the times.
Alon, that was fucking funny!
DT, as long as you look like a supermodel being Jewish doesn’t hurt. There is even a group called Jews for Jesus. So maybe you can start Jewish Supermodels for Jesus.
Ah! I am really trying to avoid work today...
Man, once you start looking for this stuff it just never, never ends. Models4Jesus.com.
Man, once you start looking for this stuff it just never, never ends. Model4Jesus.com.
It's beginning to dawn on me that as long as something's 'for Jesus', it really doesn't matter what it is.
'I'm eating yoghurt for Jesus!'
'I'm lying on the couch for Jesus!'
'I'm killin' people for Jesus!'
"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth to God."
1 Peter 3:2-4
I am a feminist, and I believe that "gentle and quiet spirit" means to be at peace with yourself and your spirit, not
"girls need to be gentle and quiet all the time."
Hugo Schwyzer,
Surprise, surprise. The bible contradicts itself in countless other ways, too. Which is only a small part of why I think (read: know) religion is a big steamy crock of horse shit.
I have a very good bullshit detector, have read the major classic religious texts and feel organized religion is 100% bullshit. The texts are beautiful and much can be taken from them but the rank sexism is one of the things sets off my bullshit detector.
And then there's this "bod 4 god"-thing I just saw...
(Daily Show, statesman.com. And he's on TV!)
Stuff like this is one of the reasons I'm Pagan
Reddragoness,
Notwithstanding the truth or falsehood of your statement, where is contradiction implied in Hugo's comment?
RedDragonness, did you mean bible doesn't contradict itself but organized religion does?
You guys know that the "Lookin' Good for Jesus" beauty kit is a joke, right? The company that makes it is Blue Q (www.blueQ.com), puerveyors of the "Wash Your Sins Away" soaps and tons of other products that are totally not serious. In fact, usually when I see something in a store that is so crazy weird, religious, or offensive, I flip it over and, lo and behold, turns out that it's made by Blue Q. Just making sure everyone realizes this before we get our panties in a twist over it.
You guys know that the "Lookin' Good for Jesus" beauty kit is a joke, right? The company that makes it is Blue Q (www.blueQ.com), purveyors of the "Wash Your Sins Away" soaps and tons of other products that are totally not serious. I actually own the "Lookin' Good for Jesus" mirror. In fact, usually when I see something in a store that is super crazy weird, religious, or offensive, I flip it over and, lo and behold, turns out that it's made by Blue Q. Just making sure everyone realizes this before we get our panties in a twist over it.
Yes, the beauty kit is a joke. Supermodels for Christ is not, judging from the NPR segment quoted above. The kit is being used as a humorous illustration of the absurdity of the dead serious Tammy Bennett.
This is just ridiculous!!! Maybe instead of teaching people to be beautiful to have a relationship with Christ, we should teach them about having self confidence. Teaching self confidence embraces the idea that God doesn't care what we look like, He just wants us for who we are. Girls/women already have enough trouble when dealing with their looks on a day to day bases, so this idea of "supermodels for Christ" is just upsurd. God doesn't care what we look like, he just cares about what is in the inside.
i liked the look of those dirty girl bath products. no wonder the artwork looked familiar. when i was little, i took three-hour bubble baths which came in wonderful-smelling paper packets which said *for dirty kids*. i wish someone who grew up in the 70s remembered the exact name. they were available at kroch's & brentanos. life was so different in the 70s, so simple simple and carefree. tangent!: the libby verdict today conjured up nixon today and a possible return to innocence. today, i'm yearning for the relative innocence of the 70s.
And here I thought that Jesus died to save me from my sins and make me pure...but no, he wants me to wear makeup and be as artificially beautiful as possible. Should I possibly wear revealing shirts, booty shorts and six inch heels?
I have a personal relationship with my God, and guess what...wearing makeup isn't on the list of things that I need to do to keep the relationship up. THX.