Hood Jesus vs. Max Lucado

            For my Religious Communication class we were asked to formulate a case study analyzing religion's role in new media. I wanted to do research over a medium that I use daily so of course I thought of Twitter. The following is my case study proposal: 

          Although often a taboo topic, religion has remained a consistent facet in life since the dawn of time. This is even found true in the modern technological era. Religion has transcended any previous restrictive barriers and is now predominantly displayed via the Internet through every social networking medium. Twitter is no exception. Both famous Protestant pastors as well as no-named parody accounts of Jesus Christ himself litter the web. The proposed case study will be an in-depth comparison of three Christian faith-based Twitter accounts. The first being the personal Twitter account of famous San Antonio based evangelical pastor and author Max Lucado. Max Lucado's account would be an example of official religion. The second is the anonymous Jesus Christ parody account known as “Hood Jesus” and the third is the personal twitter account of Reverend Run Wisdom. "Rev Run" is a former rapper from Run DMC turned inspirational tweeter. The case study will include a comparison of daily inspirational tweets, use the content of the two accounts to assess how religion is displayed over social media, compare follower’s responses to similar tweets via “favorite” and “retweet” tracking as well as attempt to better understand whether or not the prevalence of well-known religious heads alongside holy parody accounts and inspirational figures affects the perceived sacredness of religion.

            The comparison of the three Twitter accounts will prove interesting because they are all centered around Christian ideals, yet, they represent two polar ends of society. Max Lucado is prestigious, wealthy and educated while the anonymous Hood Jesus parody account pokes fun at society’s obsession with hip-hop music through the translation of Bible scripture into pop culture references and lyrics in each tweet. Rev Run Wisdom also represents pop culture through his previous rapping history, yet promotes a positive Christian message alongside rap culture. One account is straight laced and serious while the Hood Jesus account is a silly rendition of turning “rap life” into “real life.” Rev Run holds a middle ground; He is a prominent figure in society but still promotes the same popular culture which Hood Jesus resides. By comparing the three accounts the study will strive to answer the question of whether or not religion is losing its’ reverence by engaging in both comical, serious and popular outlooks of one’s beliefs over the same social media platform.