The Onion for Christians

There is the Unitarian Church known as The Onion, where Ken Kesey and his Band of Merry Pranksters held their first acid test in L.A. And, of course, there is The Onion newspaper, which publishes story with headlines like this: "Dairy Company Introduces Lots-Of-Pulp Milk."

But there is also The Onion for Christians, better known LarkNews.com, via Christianity Today.

What keeps fans coming back for each month's fresh material is a wit so sharp that, as with The Onion, people sometimes mistake its satirical stories for real news. In February 2003, for example, Kilpatrick made up an item that Zondervan would publish a gay-friendly version of its New International Version of the Bible. Like many gay advocates within churches, the theoretical gNIV assumed that Jonathan and David were lovers. Enough people sent in horrified e-mails that Zondervan issued a statement calling the report "a sick joke."

Meanwhile, homeschooling bloggers fell for "Harvard forcing homeschoolers to 'Fit In,'" which played off of stereotypes that such students need more social skills. And Christian radio stations were duped by "Wal-Mart rejects 'racy' worship cd": "The latest Vineyard Music worship cd, 'Intimacy, vol. 2,' has raced to the top of the Christian sales charts, but Wal-Mart is refusing to stock the album without slapping on a parental warning sticker. The groundbreaking—some say risqué—album includes edgy worship songs such as 'My Lover, My God.'"

Today's top stories include "Warren to buy Saints, build Purpose-Driven Field," "Blessing the iPod: Churches sanctify music devices" and "Holy Spirit neglects to show up at revival."