Dear Ms. Theologian:

And what might you think of this?

–Doubly Curious

Dear Doubly Curious:

Ms. Theologian actually has a small collection of Christmas collectible art, but only the blasphemous and slightly obscene kind, like the Erect Devil Ornament, Dancing Piggie with Presents Galore, and the Praying Santa.

Now she hadn’t thought of kitsch in theological terms, but the Ship of Fools has.

Think of this: Christmas is supposed to be profane. The idea of God sending his only son to earth (to die a painful death) is obscene. It is the ultimate sacrifice.

Think of Abraham and Issac. If God asked for your son to be carried up a mountain and then slit to drain and die, no doubt your reaction would be more than a polite no. No, God, I don’t want to lose my son.

And that’s exactly what God does in the New Testament. He sends his son to a painful death. It’s totally obscene. And Jesus’ actions in the world are almost exclusively to turn on its head the practices of the day: the money lending in the temples (obscene!), the treatment of women (equally obscene!). There is actually a lot written in theology about the obscenity of Christmas, and so Ms. Theologian is quite happy to continue with her collection of things that turn the Christmas story on its head.She’s thinking that the dog nativity scene might be a nice addition to the collection, but not sure which collection of dogs is most appropriate. Jim prefers the shepherd-centered collection for obvious reasons. These are sold on Wild Things, by the way.

Thankful for your shopping tip,

Ms. Theologian

P.S. If you’d like to write to Ms. Theologian, send an email to ms dot theologian at gmail dot com.