# Why is \[children's\] Christian media so cheesy most of the time? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted, books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [January 28, 2021, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-childrens-christian-media-so-cheesy-most-of-the-time/931720 "2021-01-28T22:06:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2021, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-childrens-christian-media-so-cheesy-most-of-the-time/931720/82 "2021-01-31T20:28:20Z")
> [@CorpusNeptune](#): > > [**VeggieTales**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VeggieTales) - A show centred around vegetables teaching Christian-centered life lessons to the viewer. A fine enough show to watch on its own merits, but a lot of the lessons are presented with weird plotlines and can get pretty awkward to watch at some points. My kid watched some VeggieTales and we aren’t even Christian. It was at worst a 6/10 show as kid’s cartoons go. Had some fairly high quality gags. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2021, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-childrens-christian-media-so-cheesy-most-of-the-time/931720/83 "2021-01-31T22:47:57Z")
> [@Brayne\_Ded](#): > > Not so Tolkien’s friend C.S.Lewis and his _The Lion, the Witch and Wardrobe_ series, which Hollywood turned into the cringeworthy _Narnia_ films. The first film is excellent. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2021, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-childrens-christian-media-so-cheesy-most-of-the-time/931720/84 "2021-01-31T23:12:50Z")
Y’all are dissing the barbie movies without stopping to mention that the books are very good Christian literature. Isn’t that a form of media? And i mean very good in the sense of good children’s literature, although they are also pretty good at preaching a Christian message. I liked veggie tales enough that i watched several of them with my kids, despite not being Christian. I found it fascinating how they stripped the racism and genocide from the book of Esther. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-childrens-christian-media-so-cheesy-most-of-the-time/931720/85 "2021-02-01T00:19:24Z")
I’ve definitely heard versions of that regarding the Laura Ingalls Wilder books, and the “Ramona” series too. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-childrens-christian-media-so-cheesy-most-of-the-time/931720/86 "2021-02-01T00:20:51Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Y’all are dissing the barbie movies without stopping to mention that the books are very good Christian literature. Really? > **[Top 10 Gayest Barbie Movies](https://takaraphoenix.tumblr.com/post/187260094751/top-10-gayest-barbie-movies)** > > As promised, the Top 10 of Barbie movies, ranked by gayness. Granted, I need to preface this with the fact that the majority of Barbie movies can be read quite gay because they are about very... ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-childrens-christian-media-so-cheesy-most-of-the-time/931720/87 "2021-02-01T00:21:38Z")
Holy crap animated gifs in links embed. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-childrens-christian-media-so-cheesy-most-of-the-time/931720/88 "2021-02-01T03:20:38Z")
Okay, that’s one of the funniest swypos I’ve made. 🤣 I intended to say Narnia books, if that wasn’t clear. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-childrens-christian-media-so-cheesy-most-of-the-time/931720/89 "2021-02-01T13:54:02Z")
Barbie or no 😉 , The Chronicles of Narnia are kind of like what has been said earlier in this thread, Christian literature that doesn’t call itself “Christian literature”. Those that use Christian as a descriptor tend to be the cheesy crud. However there are plenty of media with strong Christian themes (a number of songs by U2 or Sufjan Stevens or Chance the Rapper for instance) which aren’t consider the same thing as “Christian music”. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-childrens-christian-media-so-cheesy-most-of-the-time/931720/90 "2021-02-01T14:09:54Z")
Fred Clarke of the Slacktivist blog has a bit where he talks about how restricted “Christian Bookstores” are > **['Hi, I'm looking for a Christian book ...'](https://www.patheos.com/blogs/slacktivist/2012/07/11/hi-im-looking-for-a-christian-book/)** > > Ring. "LifeWay Christian Bookstore, how may I help you?" "Hi, I'm looking for a Christian book." "Well, you've called the right place. What's the title? " “LifeWay Christian Bookstore, how may I help you?” “Hi, I’m looking for a Christian book.” “Well, you’ve called the right place. What’s the title? I’ll see if I can find it for you.” “It’s called _The Brothers Karamazov_ .” “ _The Brothers_ …?” “Karamazov. With a ‘K.’ It’s by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.”" The point being that The Brothers K is a book steeped in Christian themes, but doesn’t fit into the narrow range of books permitted in a Christian bookstore. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-childrens-christian-media-so-cheesy-most-of-the-time/931720/91 "2021-02-01T14:41:13Z")
Yep. And they take out most any sort of conflict or anything that makes things interesting, which seems to be a feature of that particular strain of Christianity. I mean, Christian rock could make some pretty interesting songs, if they were willing to reflect the struggles that drive true redemption, but they always take the lighter, sunnier “Everything’s awesome, because I love Jesus” tack. Which seems to be a reinforcement of the whole sunny Christian thing; how often have you met avowed evangelicals or other overtly religious sorts who aren’t relentlessly and saccharinely sweet and sunny? As in, saying anything negative or not super-positive is unholy? I know it’s the default around here, and it’s weird as hell. I think the music is a way to reinforce that in a singing-to-the-choir sort of way. And I think the children’s media is just an early manifestation of that. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-childrens-christian-media-so-cheesy-most-of-the-time/931720/92 "2021-02-01T15:26:32Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I mean, Christian rock could make some pretty interesting songs, if they were willing to reflect the struggles that drive true redemption, but they always take the lighter, sunnier “Everything’s awesome, because I love Jesus” tack. Always? You just haven’t been listening to the right Christian rock. > [@Is there deep Christian rock?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-deep-christian-rock/603011): > > My wife has been listening to a christian rock radio station recently. I can’t stomach it for more than 10 seconds, but I’m hoping there’s some fans here who can chime in. I asked her if there was any christian music that was deep and challenged the listener? Very quickly she said there was, and then she said that the music in her church was also pretty deep. Having sat through this music, I objected, clarifying, “No, I mean stuff like, ‘God, why did you give my mother cancer?’” To which sh… ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-childrens-christian-media-so-cheesy-most-of-the-time/931720/93 "2021-02-01T16:54:57Z")
I mean, you can make the argument that since U2 is a band composed of avowed Christians, that any of their music that references Christian themes is “Christian Rock”, but I’m talking more about explicit Christian Rock bands where their Christianity is part of their marketing. It seems mostly through reading in that thread, that there are a whole lot of the former making some really thought provoking emotionally charged songs, but not very many of the latter. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-childrens-christian-media-so-cheesy-most-of-the-time/931720/94 "2021-02-01T16:56:26Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I’m talking more about explicit Christian Rock bands where their Christianity is part of their marketing. It seems mostly through reading in that thread, that there are a whole lot of the former making some really thought provoking emotionally charged songs, but not very many of the latter. No, that thread included plenty of examples of the kind of artists who released albums on Christian labels that were sold in Christian stores. ---
**Author:** ![bmoak1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f4b2a3/32.png) [@bmoak1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmoak1)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-childrens-christian-media-so-cheesy-most-of-the-time/931720/95 "2021-02-01T23:48:45Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > That said, I think VeggieTales is actually fairly good for the genre. Even when it aired, it was able to get appeal from teenagers. The songs are fun and humorous, and aren’t didactic at all. And it cracks somewhat irreverent jokes (for the genre), something that seemed verboten in Christian media. > > That is, the older stuff did. I think the most recent thing I ever watched was the movie about The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything. > > Oh, and the graphics were innovative at the time. Normally Christian stuff gets the dregs on the technological front, but VeggieTales was actually one of the earliest fully CG TV shows, and looks much better than stuff that came out years later (in part because they knew their restraints). Veggie Tales is kind of the apotheosis of Christian children’s programming. It’s always brought up as an example on threads like these because it’s the only Christian cartoon that had anything like crossover appeal. [Here’s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvuhUBZEeUk&t=649s) a sample of some really bad Christian cartoons. There’s a type of children’s video that I call a granny-bamboozler: Lil Jimmy asks Grandma for a popular kid’s movie, say Pixar’s Cars. Grandma notices something that looks a lot like Cars (A Car’s Life, etc.), but made with less budget than the short film that precedes Cars, at the dollar store and buys it for Jimmy, not seeing the difference. They’re both cartoons about cars, so Jimmy will like both of them the same, right? Similarly, Christian kidvid is marketed to parents and grandparents and the main selling point isn’t the quality, it’s the Christianity and any lack of controversy. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a Grade-Z Veggie Tales knockoff out there that producers claim is more whole wholesome and pious than Veggie Tales, with none of those irreverent jokes! ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-childrens-christian-media-so-cheesy-most-of-the-time/931720/96 "2021-02-01T23:56:00Z")
The irony is that the Bible itself never shied away from violence or controversy. The Old Testament, especially, is chock-full of genocide, homicide, etc. And kids are _ **encouraged** _ to read the Bible. Yet somehow these same kids apparently can only be provided with the blandest of entertainment media to watch. (Unless it’s The Passion of the Christ.) ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-childrens-christian-media-so-cheesy-most-of-the-time/931720/97 "2021-02-02T00:02:12Z")
> [@bmoak1](#): > > [Here’s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvuhUBZEeUk&t=649s) a sample of some really bad Christian cartoons. And some bad Christian children’s movies: [Top 6 Worst Religious Animated Movies - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iGBcSyIMpM) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-childrens-christian-media-so-cheesy-most-of-the-time/931720/98 "2021-02-02T00:20:05Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I mean, Christian rock could make some pretty interesting songs, if they were willing to reflect the struggles that drive true redemption, but they always take the lighter, sunnier “Everything’s awesome, because I love Jesus” tack. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/AZQxH_8raCI/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-BIAC4AOKAgwIABABGDQgVCh_MA8=&rs=AOn4CLAu8NiQFhRkUzkH9yMSfb7rPHx5bw "Spirit In The Sky Norman Greenbaum") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZQxH_8raCI) Norman disagrees with you. So does Rolling Stone Magazine’s who placed it #333 spot in 500 Greatest Songs of All Time . ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-childrens-christian-media-so-cheesy-most-of-the-time/931720/99 "2021-02-02T00:20:05Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > The irony is that the Bible itself never shied away from violence or controversy. The Old Testament, especially, is chock-full of genocide, homicide, etc. And kids are _ **encouraged** _ to read the Bible. That’s because the parents who are doing the encouraging don’t realize that all that stuff is in there, because most of them have never read it, aside from the same dozen stories that come up repeatedly in their pastors’ sermons. ---
**Author:** ![bmoak1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f4b2a3/32.png) [@bmoak1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmoak1)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-childrens-christian-media-so-cheesy-most-of-the-time/931720/100 "2021-02-02T00:48:03Z")
Norman Greenbaum is, and always has been, an observant Jew. BTW, Spirit in the Sky would never be played on a Christian radio station. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-childrens-christian-media-so-cheesy-most-of-the-time/931720/101 "2021-02-02T01:09:06Z")
Lest anyone think that there are only a small handful of Christian children’s shows that are bad, here are 22 shows for Christian tykes that shouldn’t be watched without a bottle of tequila by your side: [22 INSANE Christian Shows FOR KIDS! - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzc1ogE2dMs) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-childrens-christian-media-so-cheesy-most-of-the-time/931720.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-childrens-christian-media-so-cheesy-most-of-the-time/931720.md?page=6)