ROFL!

Thanks so much for posting these - they're always funny :-D
Alex King | Homepage | 11.13.05 - 6:16 am | #

What's the main theme of this cartoon in particular? And what is the theme of the cartoon in general? What I get from it is a smart aleck, rebellious kid who makes light of spiritual things. I see a nominal Christian teen who puts his love of heathen, hellish music above loving others who aren't as "enlightened" (en-darkened?) as he is. This saddens my heart and offends me personally.

I heard something on our local rock station while searching through the channels on our car radio that sums up what I believe the main theme of this particular cartoon is. The announcer said, "We may not respect authority, but we respect the music." This attitude has no place in the Kingdom.

Pro 4:13-15 Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life. Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.
Marcia Wilwerding | 11.14.05 - 4:59 am | #

Dear Marcia,

Thank you for your feedback. We are always in need constructive criticism, especially from those who are older and wiser than we are. Allow me to respectfully explain the theme and/or message of the comic strip and why we are hosting it on our blog.

Jiffy and his friend Lou are misguided, but they are clearly misguided. Their justifications for listening to the music you refer to, as witnessed in Installment #100, and their attempts at conscience appeasement, as witnessed in installments #102 and #104, are portrayed as immature, foolish, and sometimes even downright ludicrous. Their actions are not presented as appealing or admirable.

On the other hand, their immaturity sometimes reminds us of ourselves. And I have found that the best way to discover that my face is dirty is to look into a mirror. That is one of the reasons we include these comic strips.

Furthermore, you must realize that this comic strip's intended audience is young people who are just being introduced to ideas such as courtship vs. dating, homeschooling, godly standards for movie-watching and music-listening, etc. The comic strip is designed to help those young people laugh at what their going through rather than sulking and/or rebelling.

Finally, I hope that the existence of this comic strip will not subtract from the other resources we have provided that speak very highly of teenage responsibility, respect of parents and authorities, and love for God, family, and country. For the reasons stated above, we do not view Jiffy N' Lou as a contradiction to those messages.

Thank you again for your feedback. Please keep us in your prayers as we try to please the Lord and serve the brethren.
Brett Harris | Homepage | 11.14.05 - 7:30 am | #

Yeah, I've been catching the message from Jiffy 'n Lou pretty clearly, and I've used it as an illustrational point when talking with a few 'christian' friends online. It helps them see past their false views of themselves.

The mirror comment was a beautiful illustration, I must say.

I wanted to ask you, by the way, if there was a news article on here a while ago.

Because I came here earlier, and Jiffy'n Lou was the second post on the page, after a very long news article. I went and looked at Jiffy 'n Lou first, then refreshed the page, but the news article was gone.

Please let me know if I'm insane or not.

;-)

God Bless!

In Christ, John.
John Robert Moore | Homepage | 11.14.05 - 12:36 pm | #

John: You're not insane. There was a news article, but it was removed because we decided to rework the post to be more commentary and less article.
Brett Harris | 11.14.05 - 2:02 pm | #

Excuse me, but I believe that the most appropriate and beneficial mirror one needs to be looking into is the Word of God (James 1:22-25).

My friends, can you honestly say that this cartoon is a tool in witnessing? I am almost sure that no one is looking at this cartoon and laughing at themselves. In fact, I would have to say that they are, in fact, encouraged to continue in their rebellion against God and His ordained authorities.

Pride, rebellion, and back-talking parents in a sarcastic manner are not a laughing matter. There are actually readers of your blog who will read and enjoy this cartoon, relate to the main character in all his debauchery, and will become more fully entrenched in their rebellion. Unfortunately, I have known teens personally with the attitude of this character, and their lives have only developed into one tragedy after another. Do you want to be guilty of that?

Do you understand the essence of the word 'profanity?' To profane something is to take that which is holy and make it common. When the character of this cartoon keeps saying that God has been good and doesn't really mean it, he is using profanity in its most deplorable sense.

I pray you would reconsider your use of this cartoon on your blog. It just doesn't jive with the separated Christian life your family usually portrays.
Marcia Wilwerding | 11.14.05 - 3:31 pm | #

Thanks for the cartoon!

[Note From Editor: Nicky, I'm afraid some of the content on the website you linked to is inappropriate and for that reason we have removed the link. I hope you understand.]

Thanks for the great blog by the way, It is always a pleasure to read!
Nicky Truice | 11.14.05 - 6:51 pm | #

Marcia, as a Christian parent, I can appreciate your viewpoint and insights. Yes, after looking at the posts on Rebelution as see two young men who, along with a number of other young Christian bloggers are trying to be a light on the internet. The humor in the Jiffy and Lou comic may not be to your liking, but the heart of what is behind it was well expressed in Brett's respectful reply to your post. I agree that sarcasm and rebellion against God is rampant in society, but please don't take one little part of this blog-site without looking at the whole picture. There are plenty of other posts on this site that may be of interest to you. (I especially like the Rise of the Kidult series.) If you read their other posts you can see that rebellion against authority is not their intent. From what I ascertain from Brett and Alex's posts is that they are not promoting rebellion against authority, but rather rebelling against unbiblical preconceived ideas of how teens should behave. I am rather amazed at how combative you seem to be on the issue.
In Christ,
Ponderin'
Ponderin' | 11.14.05 - 7:39 pm | #

I understand Marcia's feelings. I felt the same way the first time I saw the cartoon series (in Josh's New Attitude magazine). It was clear to me from the rest of the magazine (and it is clear from the rest of this blog) that the cartoons were not meant to promote rebellion, but even though I knew that, the series was very disconcerting, and I didn't know how to respond.

At this point, I am personally ok with the cartoons, because I recognize the intent behind them, and I realize they are probably quite effective for some audiences. At the same time, I know that satire and humor are very hard to do without sending confusing messages, and I don't fault some readers for feeling as disconcerted as I used to feel. Sometimes, it is just very difficult to identify the real intent behind such humor. If the intent is NOT clear to a reader, and if the message is missed, the cartoons come across very badly.

Perhaps one solution would be to frame the cartoons in a context that indicates they are NOT meant literally. I think you've already done this before, but you could, for example, include the cartoon, with a few serious questions following that help readers understand and think about its real message. That approach sort of detracts from the humor and genius of satire, but it might at least ensure that readers are not drastically confused and alienated by a misunderstanding.
J | Homepage | 11.15.05 - 2:57 am | #

Thank you, Jamie. Your advice is well-taken and has been implemented. God bless you!
Alex Jordan Harris | Homepage | 11.15.05 - 5:00 am | #

1.) I think the correct response would be that a Christian 'Band' could be identified by an entirely biblical orthopraxy.

They wouldn't be playing the dating game, showing off their 'WWJD' tattoo's, and their music would glorify God. Not the lyrics, the music. Of course, the lyrics should glorify God as well, and have meaning, not just a 'happy clappy', "my life was boring until I found Jesus, and he is almost as cool as my 'M' rated video games' lyrics, but a truly, scripturally based, teaching lyric.

Now, back to the music. I'm personally trying to understand this as well, and I only have common sense knowledge of this. Doug Phillips has a very deep understanding of 'musical philosophy', and I would love to know what he does about this issue, but for now, stick with me on this.

I believe rock music is stereotyped as being completely reckless. Why? Because most of it IS reckless. The instruments used are not clear, and when many of them are used together, it creates disorder. Confusion, is a better word.

1 Corinthians 14:33

For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

God doesn't author confusion. The phrase 'It's just a bunch of noise to me' is used all the time to describe pop and rock. And I must say, most of it is. There's no order to the sound.

Now, Hans Zimmer and John Williams have no lyrics in their orchestral music, but most of it (there are some disorderly tracks) is orderly, and peaceful. It's very lovely to the ear, and any Christian around the world can listen to it and enjoy it.

So first, the music must be Godly, in that it must be orderly, and peaceful (even if it's 'The Blacksmith of Brandywine' it can be peaceful) and the lyrics must also be orderly, sensible, and meaningful.

So that describes the product of the bands creativity, and how it should be Christian, but the bands themselves must follow that practice. They must be orderly, separated from the world, and called out. They shouldn't wear earrings and punk clothing, just because they're ordained with crosses or 'WWJD'. Because I have a feeling that one thing Jesus wouldn't do, is wear earrings or muscle shirts.

I feel it would be completely appropriate for a band to perform in suits and ties, and I think they should.

2.) I've seen it a lot. Generally, the parents don't care, as long as the music is labeled 'Christian'. My Dad doesn't care what somebody is called, he cares how they look, and how they sound. By that, we determine whether we should listen or not.

I have a tendency to be a pushy 'D' type personality, and somewhat rebellious. Not on purpose, and I constantly correct myself, but I have that nature. Then again, we all do.

But I was listening to a song called 'American Pie'. A friend of mine said it had to do with the end times, so I figured it must be a good song. Dad heard it from down the hall, and immediately told me
John Robert Moore | Homepage | 11.15.05 - 3:15 pm | #

Dad heard it from down the hall, and immediately told me to shut it off.

He was right. There was something about that song that was depressing and evil. Neither of us really knew what, but it was pretty enough that I figured I'd let it go.

Well, upon research, I discovered that the music revolved entirely around death, the satanistic nature of rock bands, and how depressing this young mans life was. You can't read the lyrics and find this, but upon reading why he wrote the lyrics the way he did, I was completely amazed.

Needless to say, I don't listen to that song much anymore. 'not much' as in, not at all.

3.) Emulation of non-Christian artists shouldn't be the goals of a Christian. Christians shouldn't emulate non-Christians at all. We should do what is good, and just, and righteous, and acceptable, and virtuous, as is judged by God's word.

That even goes to clothing. God wants Women to wear dresses, and Men to wear pants. It's biblical that the men girded up for battle, and the women girded around, for protection and covering. So emulating Rebecca St. James, who is known to wear 'hip' clothing, which reveals her form, to a level that is considered 'Christian' in the worlds eyes, but is not ordained by God's word. She isn't supposed to go into battle, and she isn't the high priest of her home, so she should be in submission to her Father, and wear a dress.

4.) The devil doesn't have the good music. He has the 'attractive' music.

Such a question is almost as ridiculous as 'Why should the devil have all the pretty girls', which isn't true. He doesn't have them. He merely twists them, and has them do things that are not at all Christian, which of course causes us to focus on them. Beauty in Christian Women is appropriately hidden.

Beauty in Christian music, is also appropriately hidden. The lyrics stand strong, but the music is subtly far more beautiful (Not attractive, necessarily) than music of the world.

Wow, that was really, really, really long.

Alex, or Brett, if you read this, I'd love your comments or advice. Let me know where I'm wrong. Or even just read it and let me know you did, because that was so long, if you read the whole thing, I'm delighted.
John Robert Moore | Homepage | 11.15.05 - 3:21 pm | #

John: I read it! It wasn't too long. We so appreciate you taking the time to think through and write about these issues. We just pray that you came away with a better understanding of your own beliefs and that you stretched and grew through writing. Plus, we know that we have benefited from reading it, and we are positive that others will as well. Keep it up!

Specific feedback will have to come later. I need to go and make dinner! God bless!
Brett Harris | Homepage | 11.15.05 - 3:52 pm | #

Dinner, huh?

Well, just make sure you don't reinvent the dinner table while you're there...

;-)

God Bless!
John Robert Moore | Homepage | 11.15.05 - 5:01 pm | #

1.) I enjoy listening to some Christian rock. But I have discovered you cannot tell if a band is Christian by whether they refer to G-d or not. I used to listen to one band who sung about G-d in one song, then in their next CD they used obscenities in their lyrics. Obviously, though they may profess Christianity, the fruit of their spirits is contrary to the fruits of the spirit listed in the Bible. Because of this I have learned that one must not just look for the word "G-d" in the lyrics of the song, but also read their lyrics to see if they are on the whole, reflective of a Christian/Biblical view of life.

To me, another heavy indication of whether a band is truly Christian or not is whether their lyrics are edifying. In Jiffy 'N Lou, they talk about a fictional band called "Shallow." I've heard many bands, even on my local Christian rock station, sing about very shallow topics (i.e. happiness, dating, etc.) While they may not say anything bad their songs, their songs are not edifying and do not pass the Phil. 4:8 filter.
Hannah | Homepage | 11.15.05 - 5:04 pm | #

To clarify my original comment, I wasn't saying that I thought it was funny in the sense that the charactor was doing what was right. I still think it was a great cartoon, however, and didn't have any problems. In my opinion, it's taking the concept of "bad influence" too far when even seeing sin such as this portrayed as stupidity isn't ok. But that's just my personal opinion :)
Alex King | Homepage | 11.16.05 - 4:32 am | #

Alex: You also have to remember that classic comic strips such as Calvin & Hobbes, Foxtrot, and Dilbert, all work off the premise that perfect people aren't very funny. Therefore they present imperfect, often stupid people who make us laugh without making us admire them.
Brett Harris | Homepage | 11.16.05 - 5:41 am | #

I'm trying to understand where all of you are coming, because I believe God teaches us to be understanding; but I can not. Many of you leaving comments seem confrontational and self rightieous. It's sickening to me. I do not consider myself to be a "good christian" by any means but if you are the "spiritually mature" of our generation then I am happy to be where I am. You are so quick to label and so slow to lood for the good. I am not a frequent conasuer of Christian rock, but I know for a fact that it has been extremely benificial to many of my Christian friends. Who are you to target those who make and listen to Christian rock if it brings any glory to the Kingdom of God. As I said before, I do not consider myself to be a "good christian" by any standards let alone Biblically speaking, but I promise you, the comments you have left are not of God. You are part of a new age generation of Christians that make Christian living unatainable. You are the pharasies of this generation. God forgive me if I've said anything contrary to the God's Word, but I say it in hopes that you will abandon your judgemental state of mind, and turn to the loving, patient, way of thinking that Jesus had. I appologize if this comment was not as articulate as the previous, but I hope my point has been made.
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