Aaargh! Why pirates?

What's the deal with pirates?

They're everywhere. From children's parties to Hollywood movies to National Geographic Museum exhibits, we are fascinated by the life and adventures of these 18th century marauders. And from radio stations to Internet culture to the shores of Somalia, we just keep labeling people as pirates.


So why pirates? At Crossroads, we looked at this topic last week and will spend more time on it this coming week. Perhaps, as author and theologian Kester Brewin argues, our cultural fascination with pirates stems from our own feeling of being "blocked" by the economic systems of our day. Perhaps we, like the pirates of the 18th century, sense that things that should be held in common are being concentrated in the hands of the few. Perhaps we are seeking a kind of community and a kind of lifestyle outside the carefully defined--and often violently protected--boundaries of world powers.

We don't want to romanticize the violent life of pirates. But we do think it's worth asking: why pirates? And what, if anything, does our interest in them have to tell us about Jesus?