The Pew Potato, NAE Newsmaker of the Year

Time magazine named “The Protester” its Person of the Year,  and now the National Association of Evangelicals has named “The Pew Potato” its Newsmaker for 2011.

The Pew Potato, NAE Newsmaker of the Year

NAE President Leith Anderson said the Pew Potato composite character represents the ideal personality for maintaining the status quo in the mainline and evangelical church organization.

“The Pew Potato is someone who, most importantly, shows up. He  occupies his role in the church with regularity and without controversy. Steady to the point of immobility, the Pew Potato provides the ballast that keeps his spiritual ship on course.

“Another key characteristic of the Pew Potato,” Anderson said, ” is his lack of a questioning mind. Sure, as a young spud he may have rocked the boat,  entertained ideas that diverged from the norm, perhaps even questioned his own faith or challenged theological doctrines. But to become a Pew Potato, that attitude has to fade, replaced by a blossoming certainty of one’s own rectitude, leaving the more difficult issues to those paid to handle them.”

Without the Pew Potato, Anderson said, “the church as an important institution in our society might simply fall apart, replaced by small bands of outliers and irritating prophetic voices in the wilderness.”

“But we’ve seen where that leads,” Anderson added, pointing to various persecutions throughout history.  “Been there, done that.”