I agree to disagree

November 17, 2003 1:04 PM

Do you agree with Jamie? Whether you do or not, it's been hard to escape the Jamie propaganda machine at my university for the last couple weeks: signs, buttons, toques, shirts, a website, and probably more. As it turns out, Jamie's just one of many interchangeable spokespeople for the cause, apparently with quite a bit of cash behind them. Google reveals it's a continent-wide phenomenon. If you do agree, perhaps you'll want to organize an event yourself. I wonder if the campaign has made any converts yet...
posted by chumptastic (69 comments total)

*registers 'heybrianifuckedjoleen.com*
posted by quonsar at 1:17 PM on November 17, 2003

CheesusChristFilter.
posted by Armitage Shanks at 1:18 PM on November 17, 2003

i agree with quonsar.
posted by VulcanMike at 1:18 PM on November 17, 2003

Evangelical Christians go to Universities?

I thought they went to fake schools like Liberty or Regent or ORU.
posted by the fire you left me at 1:24 PM on November 17, 2003

Like how they are all promoting a book. Yet as one posts on his site:for your free copy of "A Case for Faith" by author Lee Strobel available to residents of Kingston Ontario and the surrounding area
posted by thomcatspike at 1:25 PM on November 17, 2003

I agree with VulcanMike.
posted by RakDaddy at 1:25 PM on November 17, 2003

I agree with Janie. Porche that is. Rrrrowr.
posted by PrinceValium at 1:27 PM on November 17, 2003

Certainly religion should avail itself of the contemporary marketing tools and practices to hand, but I for one am especially leery of a religion that has to shroud itself in marketing fluff in order to get people to listen... If the "truth" their peddling isn't self-evident as the truth, how true is it?
posted by JollyWanker at 1:30 PM on November 17, 2003

I don't get how the Christians think someone on this continent somehow missed the Christian message. Like, don't we have to look at it every single day?

Now, on the other hand, my mission to turn all women into lesbians by exposing them to more lesbian experiences is something that should get government funding. And possibly broadcast time on major networks.
posted by Hildegarde at 1:30 PM on November 17, 2003

I agree with all these cheerfull, upstanding young people. just think they're a bit delusional.

I agree with my nephew too - the one who his born again father (my brother) used to discipline with a big wooden spoon.
posted by troutfishing at 1:35 PM on November 17, 2003

i agree with Hildegarde.
posted by quonsar at 1:37 PM on November 17, 2003

"That man is in more dire need of a blow job than any white man in history!" I agree with Adrian.

And I agree with RakDaddy
posted by damnitkage at 1:38 PM on November 17, 2003

I thought they went to fake schools like Liberty or Regent or ORU.

Don't forget the fakest of the fakety-fake, Bob Jones University.
posted by contessa at 1:42 PM on November 17, 2003

I think Jamie needs a big ole enema.
posted by filchyboy at 1:48 PM on November 17, 2003

"I agree with... ... ..."

I'm just not sure.
posted by majick at 1:49 PM on November 17, 2003

At the University of Oregon several years ago, Campus Crusade did a "I agree with Ryan" campaign. Exactly the same, except locally organized. Everyone wore red "Ryan" T-Shirts the whole week and generated tons of buzz.

As a Christian, I'm pretty leery of the marketing campaigns too. But I think what's being marketed here is a speaking event, where people can actually hear testimonies, etc and decide on their own.

Sidenote: I don't agree with Jamie's hairdo.
posted by Happydaz at 1:51 PM on November 17, 2003

i so did not agree with eric.
posted by c at 1:53 PM on November 17, 2003

This reminds me a lot of this.
posted by MrMoonPie at 1:54 PM on November 17, 2003

I don't agree with any of you fuckers.

And isn't the whole "christ" meme kind of played? One True is coming, baby, don't you forget it.
posted by signal at 1:59 PM on November 17, 2003

I agree with Sid.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 2:01 PM on November 17, 2003

i question Hildegarde's mission. if they all become lesbians, then what will the straight men do? and how did the love movement of less than 40 year's ago morph itself into the "makeout with your same-sex friends" movement? i want to see a statement of faith about that.

oh, and i still agree with quonsar, generally. though signal tempts me with his "One True." I'm forced to wonder if it's anything like Pepsi Blue.
posted by VulcanMike at 2:01 PM on November 17, 2003

I disagree with Jamie. My favorite fictional superhero is Spiderman.

Also, college was a lot more bearable because I got laid occasionally. Otherwise, I would have been Charles Whitman, I think. So Jamie's plan wouldn't have worked for me.
posted by Mayor Curley at 2:03 PM on November 17, 2003

What straight men? There is another mission alongside mine to convince all these 'straight' men that they have find solace in each other.

That also will be broadcast to a hungry nation.
posted by Hildegarde at 2:07 PM on November 17, 2003

"Holy shit!"
posted by hoskala at 2:10 PM on November 17, 2003

And isn't the whole "christ" meme kind of played? One True is coming, baby, don't you forget it.

Let override, let overwrite.
posted by IshmaelGraves at 2:11 PM on November 17, 2003

Wanna link up Resuna's, IshmaelGraves?
posted by signal at 2:16 PM on November 17, 2003

Now I understand! I'm supposed to watch Queer Eye for the Straight Guy until the Carson "Fashion Savant"'s clothing recommendations seem tasteful. I suppose that's when the big mission accomplished banner will be rolled out for that mission.
posted by VulcanMike at 2:18 PM on November 17, 2003

Hildegarde is my girlfriend.
posted by LittleMissCranky at 2:21 PM on November 17, 2003

I agree with CrunchyFrog.
posted by CrunchyFrog at 2:21 PM on November 17, 2003

I disagree with the above statement, but agree with the one below it.
posted by RakDaddy at 2:24 PM on November 17, 2003

Marketing rule-of-thumb: the harder the sell, the crappier the product.
posted by yesster at 2:26 PM on November 17, 2003

There was one of these at my Uni freshman year. I never did quite find out for sure why everyone was agreeing with Dave, but I chalked it up as some likely cheesey evangelical thing. Looks like I was right. Good to get closure.
posted by Ufez Jones at 2:27 PM on November 17, 2003

I like how they have managed to reduce religion to its most basic vehicle: going along with your friends.

Jamie went through a big, profound personal quest, but you don't have to. Just agree with him.
posted by scarabic at 2:37 PM on November 17, 2003

I agree with Nietzsche.
posted by Sidhedevil at 2:40 PM on November 17, 2003

Jesus likes stupid people. "Blessed are the dumbfucks, for they shall inherit a fruit basket."
posted by Hildegarde at 2:40 PM on November 17, 2003

"The TSN Turning point™ for me came when my faith was transformed from a philosophy into a relationship."

I see that it's not just the Scientologists who are trademarking and copyrighting religion these days. All hail the Supply-Side Jesus!
posted by Slothrup at 2:56 PM on November 17, 2003

Didn't Matrix Revolutions safely establish that Keanu Reeves is the new messiah?
posted by Eloquence at 2:58 PM on November 17, 2003

Other continent-wide phenomenon:

Campus + "I agree with" +
christ = 7430 matches
chips = 2460 matches
burgers = 542 matches
pizza = 3099 matches
beer = 6470 matches
posted by Ogre Lawless at 3:10 PM on November 17, 2003

wait a minute. maybe i don't agree with anyone.

or maybe i do. i'm sooo confused.

ah, fuck it. hey jamie, kiss my ass.
posted by damnitkage at 3:14 PM on November 17, 2003

Point of information, Slothrup: The TSN Turning Point™ is a post-game recap feature on TSN (The Sports Network), an ESPN-esque sports channel in Canada, so actually their religion is trade-mark infringing on a God-fearing corporation.
posted by cardboard at 3:20 PM on November 17, 2003

Up Yours Jamie
posted by Stynxno at 3:26 PM on November 17, 2003

This is old news. Agreeing with closet campus evangelicals is like so 2001. What's cool now is praying in groups outside of Humanities classes on the days when the professor is lecturing on the authoriship of the Old Testament—because it's indoctrination, you know.
posted by rschram at 3:37 PM on November 17, 2003

What's cool now is praying in groups outside of Humanities classes on the days when the professor is lecturing on the authoriship of the Old Testament—because it's indoctrination, you know.

Actually, have you ever looked into the evidence supporting the Documentary Hypothesis? It's way, way beyond thin. Maybe there's enough evidence there to support a conclusion by the standards of the liberal arts, but to my mind "literary analysis" is now an oxymoron.
posted by gd779 at 3:46 PM on November 17, 2003

Well to link to my own thread: I agree with Pat Matheny
posted by Eekacat at 3:47 PM on November 17, 2003

This reminds me of the "I Found It" t-shirts and bumper stickers distributed by Campus Crusade for Christ back in the '70s. Which led, perhaps inevitably, to the "It Found Me" campaign of the Campus Crusade for Cthulhu.
posted by mkhall at 3:58 PM on November 17, 2003

I agree with H P Lovecraft.
posted by aeschenkarnos at 5:08 PM on November 17, 2003

"This reminds me of the "I Found It" t-shirts and bumper stickers distributed by Campus Crusade for Christ back in the '70s."

I remember the "I Lost It" and "I Found It But Don't Remember Where I Put It" counter-stickers.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 5:13 PM on November 17, 2003

Where's my "I don't agree with Jamie but I think he probably means well" T-shirt ?
posted by troutfishing at 5:46 PM on November 17, 2003

When I was in college (mid 80's) we had Brother Jim Giles of The Campus Ministry who found Jesus at a Van Halen concert. I still have his pamphlet (From Running With The Devil to Walking With Jesus) that he signed for me. It reads "Repent you ERA feminist!" At least he didn't call me a "vaginal juice sucking bull dyke" like he did another student who disagreed with him.
posted by whatever at 5:58 PM on November 17, 2003

I agree with Charles.

I only need at least 49 other people to do the same...
posted by Smart Dalek at 6:00 PM on November 17, 2003

Certainly religion should avail itself of the contemporary marketing tools and practices to hand,

I'd disagree somewhat, and I'm probably one of the few people at metafilter who's actually spent time as a full-time evangelist. There's something distinctly cheapening about trying to "market" a faith in the same way you'd sell soda. This is one thing that I consistently think a lot of evangelical Christians get wrong.

I do think there are more tasteful ways of using mass media to deliver a message. You see it all the time in good film or television. Shadowlands, for example (1994 film about C.S. Lewis' late life romance, Richard Attenborough directing, I think) did an excellent job of exploring themes of suffering, grief, and faith. It didn't sell any of them: it just told the story very well.

You don't see this sort of artfulness often in Christian media. In fact it's very rare. Why is something I'll probably spend the rest of my life trying to figure out.

I for one am especially leery of a religion that has to shroud itself in marketing fluff in order to get people to listen... If the "truth" their peddling isn't self-evident as the truth, how true is it?

Exactly.

But on the other hand...

I don't get how the Christians think someone on this continent somehow missed the Christian message. Like, don't we have to look at it every single day?

It's pretty easy to believe that a lot of people have only a shallow understanding of it. It's a lot like comments I get from people when I discuss having studied Mathematics for an undergrad degree. "So... what are you going to do with that? Accounting?" or "You know, I've just never understood what else there could possibly be to math once you get Calculus." These people have no clue what there is to the discipline/body of knowledge. And a lot of the time they don't care... at some point it didn't make sense to them and they wrote it off as useless to them.

I'm not saying all criticisms of Christianity are weak and uninformed -- I've encountered strong and well-informed ones. I'm just saying that when I see things like this:

The TSN Turning point™ for me came when my faith was transformed from a philosophy into a relationship.

which is from the linked article, I recognize an important distinction that I find critics often miss: the difference between an arbitrary cosmology and a relationship-like experience. It's probably worth mentioning when evangelizing. Although the (TM) in the sentence makes me vaguely nauseous.

Where's my "I don't agree with Jamie but I think he probably means well" T-shirt ?

Cafepress is open. Let's make a "I'm not sure I agree with Jamie substantially on particulars but I'm willing to have a dialogue about it" too. : )
posted by weston at 6:10 PM on November 17, 2003

I disagree with Canadians calling knit hats "toques"
posted by jalexei at 6:57 PM on November 17, 2003

I agree with the the Campus Crusade for Cthulhu.
posted by dejah420 at 7:25 PM on November 17, 2003

I just don't know.
posted by pizzasub at 7:29 PM on November 17, 2003

I agree with Quetzalcoatl.
posted by furiousthought at 7:51 PM on November 17, 2003

im unfunny.
posted by sgt.serenity at 8:04 PM on November 17, 2003

I Agree With Pat Metheny.
posted by Zonker at 8:07 PM on November 17, 2003

Chumptastic> You're going to Queens? Huh. So am I. Arts '05 in my case. You?
posted by Pseudoephedrine at 8:24 PM on November 17, 2003

fantastic post
posted by scarabic at 8:41 PM on November 17, 2003

It's pretty easy to believe that a lot of people have only a shallow understanding of it.

Considering that the main target of campus crusade is foreign students, often foreign students for whom English is a difficult language to understand aurally, I don't think these people are really that interested in making sure people have a deep understanding of Christianity. As I understand it, the whole point of Christianity is that it's simple: faith will get you into heaven. Jesus loves you. Right? What more do you really need to understand or accept to be a Christian?

I recognize an important distinction that I find critics often miss: the difference between an arbitrary cosmology and a relationship-like experience.

Please. Find me a single Jew who isn't aware that Christians love to proclaim their personal relationship with Christ. Or a single Atheist, for that matter. This might have been an eye-opening experience for Jamie, but for those of us who get asked if we have a personal relationship with Jesus every time we walk out of the grocery store, it's kind of old news.
posted by Hildegarde at 9:20 PM on November 17, 2003

I agree with the Hopi elders.
posted by leaveok at 10:34 PM on November 17, 2003

I agree with Kodos.

Oddly though, my school's site was up there as well. What is it with you people and links to Kansas State lately? Is this a conspiracy? Well, dammit, it better be.
posted by Belgand at 11:28 PM on November 17, 2003

"I agree with Charles."

I want Charles in charge of me!

No, no, anything but that....
posted by batgrlHG at 11:48 PM on November 17, 2003

I agree with Carlin.
posted by andryeevna at 12:28 AM on November 18, 2003

Back at my old uni, we had an "I Agree With Dave" campaign a few years back. A friend of mine started a countercampaign, posting signs on campus reading "Don't Drink Dave's Kool-Ade."
posted by hal incandenza at 2:15 AM on November 18, 2003

Reducing religion to peer pressure and sheeplike following is so, you know, apt.

But then again, I'm very disagreeable.
posted by CunningLinguist at 5:21 AM on November 18, 2003

Relax now, c'mon. It's like any other advertising campaign in the form of an advertorial. Those, you may know, work well in Canada. If neighbour Hildegarde bought it and liked it, there's a really good chance you'll buy it too when she tells you about it.

Like any advertising, its premise is to keep the product first and foremost in the minds of consumers. Selling faith? Well, sex sells and apparently Jamie.

I suppose it's better than beating on near elders and stealing because your friends are doing it too. Why the fuss?

My first impression was the same as quonsar's. YahOO! [This is not a paid advertisement in any form]
posted by alicesshoe at 5:49 AM on November 18, 2003

Please. Find me a single Jew who isn't aware that Christians love to proclaim their personal relationship with Christ. Or a single Atheist, for that matter.

Oh heck...certain Christians aren't immune from being proselytized at. My mother-in-law, a lovely woman, is Catholic. She has to socialize with business associates and their wives of my FIL. One of these wives has yet to miss an opportunity to tell the MIL that "Catholics are pagans" and that if she doesn't find "real Christ" through her particular brand of evangelical christianity, that they are doomed, DOOOMED, I tell you, to go straight to hell.

So, it's not just the unbelievers who are targeted by those who feel that their god is the only god...
posted by dejah420 at 7:53 AM on November 18, 2003

I agree with Gene.
posted by monkey.pie.baker at 2:25 PM on November 18, 2003