For years I’ve been trying to help people see that popular consumer culture is a form of religion. It offers us a sense of value, identity, and context that traditional religions once provided. Similarly, pop culture has sacred symbols. How do I know this? Because when one of these symbols is altered the faithful will rise to protest the act of irreverence.

The Coca-Cola Company learned this lesson in 1985 when they released New Coke. And earlier this year when Gap changed their logo, hoards of angry white females rioted via social media. Gap relented and the retail deity’s image was restored.

The latest victim of pop-culture blasphemy: Superman. Photographs have leaked from the production of Warner Brothers’ new film Man of Steel showing actor Henry Cavill wearing…

Our regular columnist over at Out of Ur, Collin Hansen, has a really interesting examination of the presidential debate between McCain and Obama. Beyond the obvious difference between left and right, liberal and conservative, young and old–Hansen sees a distinct difference in worldview between Modernity (McCain) and Postmodernity (Obama). I definitely think he’s got a point, but I’m not convinced it’s simply a matter of Mo verses Pomo.

I still have yet to read a thoughtful article about how Obama’s diverse, multi-ethnic background has influenced his view of the world as well as his ability to engage people of differing views. For example, is his willingness to engage in diplomacy with America’s “enemies” a result of his liberal politics, his disdain for Bush’s foreign policy, or the outworking of…

I’ve already written about Obama’s poor performance at the Saddleback forum a few weeks ago. His campaign has been trying hard to win support among moderate evangelical voters, but his answers to Rick Warren’s abortion questions were very disappointing—doing nothing to change religious voters’ views of liberal Democrats despite Obama’s policy stance to reduce the number of abortions.

Now comes Governor Palin. The self-described bible believing conservative from Alaska. The hockey mom (pitbull in lipstick) has energized the evangelical base of the GOP and infused their lukewarm support for McCain with some religious zeal. Where does this leave Obama’s chances with evangelicals? Answer: right about where John Kerry’s were in 2004.

Steve Waldman posted this report on the CT Politics blog:

I asked Mark DeMoss, Christian PR mogul

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I just watched the forum at Saddleback with the presidential candidates conducted by Rick Warren. My initial thoughts:   

1. Obama didn’t win over any evangelicals tonight. We already knew his answers on abortion and same sex unions wouldn’t be popular, but I thought he might have won some people with his candor or moderation. I don’t think it worked. He really should have focused more on reducing the number of abortions and how his policies are proven to do just that. A tough, straight answer like, “An Obama administration will save more unborn children than a McCain administration that continues Bush’s domestic agenda” would have been amazing. Obama could have made it clear that he wasn’t going to retreat the moral ground on the abortion issue. He didn’t. He…