god bless america
Last weekend I visited the United States of America for the first time in many years. I visited the fine metropolis of Minneapolis/St. Paul (current home of everyone’s hero, Tony Jones. I briefly considered undertaking a Celebrity Pastor Stalking mission, but abandoned the project in its planning stages as in the end I’m far to lazy and not nearly Emergent enough). The Twin Cities are quite nice, and I say that without irony — I enjoyed looking at many pretty, old houses, lovingly restored and/or maintained.
I stayed with a friend who attends a Lutheran church which, during the summer, holds drive-in services. I personally enjoy outdoor services, but something about the drive-in concept rankles me. Maybe it’s the idea of staying neatly insulated within one’s vehicle (gas-guzzling SUV or not) that seems to run counter to the idea of corporate worship. Or maybe it’s the aftertaste of church-as-product/entertainment that the drive-in concept imparts.
During my visit, I indulged in a visit to the Mall of America. (OK, actually two, but one time was just to eat at Famous Dave’s, to sample the barbecque which my brother adores enough to make biannual trips to Fargo.) I was born in Edmonton, so I thought I knew a few things about giant temples of consumerism, but I was wrong. Canadians cannot and never will be able to do consumerism the way Americans can. We’re just not as willing to get our glitz on the way they do south of the border. We’re satisfied with weird bronze whales and deadly dolphin tanks. West Ed, once the largest mall in the world, is completely quaint when compared to the gleaming, carpeted halls of the MOA, glass and silver shined to a blinding glare (by legal or illegal immigrants? Only the night staff can tell!).
In a place where you can buy anything from designer jeans to designer hot sauce and Lego a la carte, it’s no surprise then, that you can also consume yourself some religion, before you consume some coconut shrimp at Bubba Gump’s.
NB: I’m sure we have mall churches here in Canada, too. But they’re probably not this… pretty.
April 6th, 2006 at 9:05 pm
Ironically, when I visited Niagra Falls I found the Canadian side of the border to be way more consumer-oriented. That was 1991, maybe things have changed. Of course you can’t see much from the US side….
April 6th, 2006 at 9:11 pm
West Ed has “the Marketplace Chapel” actually… kinda tucked away in a corner. So you’re right, on both counts. It doesn’t look quite so much like… a BOSE store, say. Except instead of going in for a speaker demonstration, you’d go in for a demonstrative speaker. Ha!
April 7th, 2006 at 5:52 am
Zeke: I am not surprised about Niagara Falls. But keep in mind that the US side of the Falls is one of the least exciting tourist attractions in the US, whereas the Canadian side is one of the most exciting in Canada (to some people. Actually there are lots of cooler things but you know what I mean. We don’t have Disneyland, what can I say?)
I’ve only been to Niagara falls once. The trip on the boat was fun, but what I mostly remember from that trip was a truly horrifying Canadian-themed dinner theatre experience.
Phil: I should have known! That’s why I have you. For the information AND THE JOKES!!
April 8th, 2006 at 3:05 am
you could’ve at least bought me a cup of coffee!