I was reading BeliefNet’s take on the Spiritual Pop Culture Trends of the Past 10 Years and, although I think “fads” would have been more accurate than “trends”, I think it’s worth taking note of a few of these:
- Latter-Day Domination
- Red String Days
- Ghost in the Machine (Television, that is)
- Chastity Chic
- A New ‘Passion’ for Cinema
- Tabloid Treatment
- Blockbuster Books
- Miracle Foods
- Kayne West Thinks He’s God
- Celebrity Clerics
The two that stand out particularly for me are the Ghost in the Machine and Clebrity Clerics. The latter, because I think that may actually be a genuine trend, and the former, because it resonates with what I’ve previously said on messageless messengers in Deconstructing Jesus and Angels without God. Our culture seems to have an insatiable taste for ambiguous intermediaries, who direct us towards mysteries without revealing them.
Curious Christian 
I don’t know how relevant this is, but I think the popularity of vampire cult films and fashions also seems to fall into this category.
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“Our culture seems to have an insatiable taste for ambiguous intermediaries, who direct us towards mysteries without revealing them.”
You said a true thing there.
But the first two on the list I didn’t understand. What are red string days? Who are the celebrity clerics? I assume latter-day domination is an oblique reference to Nato.
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Red string days – pop Kabbalah, a la Madonna, Britney Spears and Zac Efron. Red string is a Jewish talisman. This was definitely more of a fad than a trend.
Celebrity clerics – Desmond Tutu, Dalai Lama, Joel Osteen. Tabloidization of religion.
Latter-Day Domination – increasing influence of the Utah Saints in the USA. Note there was a LDS candidate in the last Presidential election. More relevant for America than the rest of the world.
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On ambiguous intermediaries, consider what we find on TV these days: demons named Angel, ghosts who hint at the numenous without revealing what’s on the ‘other side’, aliens beyond comprehension, ascended masters who teach us to listen to ourselves rather than them, a hidden Christ who is lost to history. They all hint at heaven without revealing God. Freedom is their only truth.
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