I didn’t hear much about Nacho Libre when it came out and I heard even less when it was released on DVD. My Netflix queue finally flipped me the disc and I have to say I liked what I saw.

Obviously Nacho Libre is some sort of attempt to create a Napoleon Dynamite-esque cult classic, an attempt that fails miserably. The movie has interesting cinematography and beautiful vistas along with a cast of lesser known actors (besides, of course, Jack Black). I also really liked the soundtrack with riffs from Beck among others.

But what really surprised me and impressed me the most was the Christian message in the movie: God has a unique plan for everyone. You see, Jack Black’s character Ignacio is a monk who has a desire to be a professional wrestler. All the other religious leaders in his monastary tell him wrestling is a sin and Ignacio can’t understand why God would put this desire in him if it were sinful. In the end Ignacio realizes the ego and contempt shown by professional wrestlers is the REAL sin, not the wrestling itself. I won’t spoil the ending for you but suffice it to say the movie has a happy ending.

The movie is a bit slow at times and the humor is a little strange but this is certainly a movie worth renting when you have a chance. This movie probably won’t become a cult classic but for Christians, it is a welcome message hidden in a secular medium.

This is an article I wrote for relevantmagazine.com that was published online recently. It seems like many of the people who commented on the relevant site didn’t read the entire article so I’ve posted it here to get your feedback. Let me know what you think!

“Fashion is in the sky, in the street; fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” — Coco Chanel

Legendary fashion designer Coco Chanel found inspiration not just in her fellow Parisians, but in the air she breathed and the life she lived. Fashion consumed her, but not simply the clothes worn by the women bustling through the Left Bank. She was fascinated with the desire to express lifestyle and ideas through clothing. For Chanel, fashion was this expression that made simple body coverings into fashion.

Since Chanel launched her career eighty years ago, has this definition changed? We think not. Designers seek inspiration in the elements that surround them, and consumers seek new ways to express themselves. Clothing is the primary vehicle for self-expression. This medium demonstrates creativity and individuality by revealing a bit of your personality.

Your fashion choices make statements about the type of person you aspire to be. Fashion is inspiration, not just a simple method to hide your birthday suit. (Otherwise, we’d all be wandering the streets in muu muus!) Contemporary fashion is dominated by so-called “lifestyle brands,” providing consumers with the chance to align themselves with pre-packaged ideals. If you’re rockin’ some threads from DC Shoe Co., we know you’re a skater, or at least living the skate lifestyle. In a culture where first impressions are critical, we create connections with one another based on these social cues and attribute values to strangers based on their clothing.

And so we must ask the question: how is the “Christian” lifestyle represented in fashion? At the very least, can a “Christian” style be found amidst the chaos of fashion?

Nailing down a Christian “style” would be impossible. We are blessed to have people from all walks of life gather with us in worship everyday. Faux-hawked indie-rock hipsters, blinged-up urban MCs and overall-wearing plumbers in rural Arkansas are all represented. We certainly don’t look to our church elders for guidance, as I would doubt many of you take fashion tips from your pastor. “Look at those sexy new robes he’s wearing this Sunday.” No, I don’t think so.

Despite an incohesive style among Christians, where are the brands that reflect the Christian lifestyle? First we must ask whether it is even possible to define the Christian lifestyle. The basic tenets of the Christian life are something on which we can generally agree. We lead a lifestyle of high ideals and commonality in our failures. Together we seek communal worship and create opportunities to spread the good News. Our lifestyle is rooted in fellowship and faith, and anchored in a search for meaning and truth. Our responsibilities in fellowship are not simply to worship together, but to live and speak the message of hope, love and grace.

With that said, where is the clothing that reflects this lifestyle? If skaters, snowboarders, preppies and jet-setters all have their brands, shouldn’t we? Maybe secular fashion responds adequately to our Christian value system? Does Christian fashion exist, and if it does, how responsive to this lifestyle is it? How do we as Christians currently express our lifestyle and value system? Where are our brands that help us build community? Where are the clothes that provide us a chance to express ourselves in a creative way?

The good news: There are Christian brands out there for us. The bad news: it’s certainly not all good. Try Googling “Christian clothing.” You can find countless peddlers of “witness wear” (that stuff that screams “JESUS!!!” and makes some of us want to take His name in vain!). When we talked to both teens and adults, the majority are appalled at the apparent propagation of this stuff. Does this really help us “witness,” or does this lead to debate and overall negativity about Christians in general? We believe that unfortunately it does the latter. These messages can be quite polarizing, and at best are worn only in the community of believers. This does not provide opportunities to spark positive conversations in which we can spread the good Word.

There are, however, some cool companies out there, promoting positive lifestyles with a faith-inspired message. One such example is California action sports brand Disciple. Says Jason Lowrym owner/designer of Disciple, “Our fundamental beliefs guide everything we do, from our clean and subtle design approach to the athletes we work with. We strive to live up to the concept of ‘disciple’ everyday.” Messenger, a North Carolina-based fashion brand, ties every design to scripture that provides daily reminder and inspiration in the everyday, without making any overt or explicit statements. Companies such as Ephraim, Simple Letter and Emunah pursue similar inspiration and create great product.

All of these aforementioned companies do one amazing thing – they initiate a positive conversation for us. By wearing a hip shirt that contains a meaningful spiritual message, we will inspire our secular friends to, “Hey, cool shirt!” By wearing something that helps you express your values as a Christian, you may be able to follow their compliment with an opportunity to reach an open soul.

If “witness wear” is the status quo, then the so-called Christian fashion of today is ready to be supplanted by the positive messages we truly seek to express. We’re ready to tear down the walls and build anew. Let us create creative forms of expression that praise the gospel with designs and words of hope, love and grace. Sometimes the less you speak, the more you are heard. Express yourself and be inspired by the Christian lifestyle in every aspect of it.

The Steel Roots Reveal Tour kicked off last Friday in Wake Forest (just north of Raleigh) at a skate park called The Factory and Messenger Apparel was in on the action. The guys at Steel Roots covered the entry fees for the night and there were hundreds of kids taking advantage of the free ramps. We saw some sick moves from kids of all ages as they warmed up for the best trick contest.

The best trick contest did not disappoint with rail slides, heel flips, frontsides, boardslides, and kick flips from some local skaters. After the contest we got a full preview of Steel Roots’ latest film, Kaleidoscope, showcasing some of the best pro-skaters in the country. Best of all, each skater had a Christian faith message to share with the viewers. Awesome music, sweet skating, and a positive message – you definitely need to get a copy of this DVD!

After the video the Steel Roots crew did some giveaways including a couple Messenger tees – sweet! The guys really did a great job promoting Messenger and we’re stoked to be working with such a great group.

You can still catch the Reveal Tour as the Steel Roots crew makes their way down to Georgia and Florida through the rest of the month. Next year the tour is heading north, be sure to check the website for more details.

Wow, has it already been 3 weeks since Purple Door? It’s been crazy around here getting Messenger launched but we finally have some time to talk about our trip to Lewisberry, PA.

First of all, Ski Roundtop (location of Purple Door 2006) is a beautiful spot for a Christian music festival, probably one of the more scenic spots on the festival circuit. There were 4 stages set up for the show and we got to see some amazing bands Friday and Saturday. On Friday Copeland and Emery rocked the main stage, but the highlight for us was hearing Joy Electric for the first time on the gallery stage. Who would have thought there was a sweet Christian synth-pop band our there?

Saturday was pretty relaxed during the day and we got to check out some big name acts like Hawk Nelson but also saw some of the smaller, local bands on the Warehouse 54 stage. Joe was especially stoked to see Anathallo on the gallery stage, definitely a soulful performance. We had to jet before the Myriad (one of my favorites), Thousand Foot Krutch, and Reliant K but I’m pretty sure they rocked out without us.

Everyone at the show was great and we even got the chance to chit chat with some musicians at the merchandise tables. We had heard Purple Door was one of the more arty Christian music festivals and it certainly did not disappoint. Art exhibits, great music, cool people, and the beautiful Pennsylvania countryside as a backdrop. What more could you ask for?

This is a copy of an article we wrote for the Wikipedia about the origins of Christian clothing.

Christian clothing has been around since the earliest days of the Christian church. Members of the clergy have traditionally worn Vestment to distinguish themselves from lay worshippers and church members during Sunday services and to project an image of piety and humility. As such, Religious Dress has traditionally been marked by androgynous looking garments in somber colors like brown and black that often seek to quietly shy away from attention.

For church-goers and congregation members, Christian fashion is best described by the phrase “Sunday best” and has traditionally meant saving one’s finest clothing for Sunday services [1]. In the early days Churches not only fulfilled the religious needs of communities but often served as the main social center for local residents. As such, dressing in fine clothing for Church (ironically) was more often dictated by a need to project status and influence among peers than to dress up for God. Church clothes also helped members feel a sense of cleanliness and pride that carried through in worship and in fellowship.

Various Christian holidays such as Easter have traditional clothing associated with Sunday celebrations today. Women often wear their newest bright and colorful Easter dresses and bonnets while gentlemen don their best suits and ties. Christmas brings assorted sweaters in greens and reds for both men and women, and on Mothers day many Christians wear red or white flowers in honor or remembrance of their mothers.

Over the past several years, many churches have encouraged a more informal dress code, especially with the rise of non-traditional churches and Mega churches around the country. In fact, many clergy have abandoned the traditional robes and vestments in favor of golf shirts and khaki pants to close the perceived gap between clergy and layperson.

Outside of Church, there is very little distinction between Christian and secular fashion for most believers. However, during the late 1980s, apparel producers began selling parody t-shirts that featured familiar brand logos changed to project Christian messages [2]. Some examples include a design meant to look like the Hershey’s chocolate logo with the word “Hershey” replaced with the words “He Saves” and Abercrombie and Fitch inspired designs branded “A Breadcrumb and Fish” in reference to Jesus’ feeding of the multitude using just five loaves of bread and two fish. These Christian clothing designs met with limited mainstream buy-in and were often pushed upon ungrateful teens from well-meaning parents and grandparents. Unfortunately these messages were also met with scorn and disgust from non-Christian peers and often served to alienate Christians from mainstream society. This type of Christian clothing is part of an entire category of goods that is sometimes referred to as “Jesus Junk.”

In the late 1990s many smart, artistic Christians realized that fashionable Christian clothing was possible and set out to create brands that connected with mainstream consumers but were rooted in faith values. Many of these brands sought to distance themselves from the “Christian clothing” moniker and instead prefer the term “faith-inspired” or positive lifestyle brands. Companies like Jedidiah have met with mainstream success while still staying true to their roots in faith, love, and grace.

Many of the companies currently operating in the faith-inspired clothing space are located along the west coast of the United States and take much of their fashion cues from skate and surf culture. As such, some designs take an edgy look at Christianity much the way that Christian hard-core punk music takes the message to an extreme. Other companies like Simple Letter and Messenger seek to uplift through cheerful designs inspired by Biblical messages.

To support the growing number of faith-inspired clothing brands, retail outlets have been springing up around the country to carry clothing for Christian teens and adults alike. C28 operates a chain of mall-based stores in California and GoFish franchises Christian clothing stores across the southeast. Online retailers such as Unity3 seek to gather the best designs from the top faith-inspired brands so consumers can find the newest styles available. While many communities have Christian bookstores, Christian clothing stores are not nearly as prevalent and point to the nascent state of this market. Sales at Christian retail stores totaled $4.34 billion in 2004 while apparel sales accounted for just $84 million (less than 2%) of the total [3].

References

• “Dressing up for Church” by Neil Carter, 2002, retrieved August 14, 2006.
• “Commercial Christianity” by Stephanie Taylor, “The Washington Times”, September 02, 2004, retrieved August 14, 2006.
• “Christian Retailers Put Their Print on Products” by Stephanie Simon, “The LA Times”, July 21, 2006, retrieved August 14, 2006.

I was reading an article about The Fray and their recent success and came across a quote from front man Isaac Slade that sums things up nicely:

Messenger has the same idea for fashion, hopefully we’ll be half as successful as The Fray has been!

Everyone knows Duane “Dog” Chapman has a fashion flair like no one else. I mean, who else wears feathers in their hair these days? I recently saw an episode where Beth was buying shirts for Dog and here’s what he had to say about his style:

What a man’s man, if the mullet ever comes back in style, Dog will be the one to lead the charge. Rock on!

My favorite line from Run-DMC’s Down with the King:

My only question is whether Rev Run is actually a reverend or if it is some type of stage persona. He seems to be pretty legit, quoting scripture and wearing a priest’s collar but I just don’t know. Anyone have the answer?