A Challenge to the Cowards of Christendom

A Challenge To The Cowards Of Christendom is the second album by the controversial Christian garage-punk band The Knights of the New Crusade, and their debut release on Alternative Tentacles Records, the label owned and founded by Jello Biafra. Already raising hackles amongst both the Contemporary Christian Music community and secular punk rock acts alike for their "uncompromising and literal devotion to the Holy Bible", the signing of the Knights to Alternative Tentacles raised even more eyebrows because of Biafra's equally open skepticism of all religions. According to a podcast released by Alternative Tentacles to promote the album, the band and Biafra (who had already liked the band's 60's garage-rock style) had found common ground in a strong dislike of alleged Christians who used their beliefs as an excuse to gain power and wealth[3].

[edit] The songs

Many of the songs on A Challenge To The Cowards of Christendom, as well as the label art on the compact disc, openly criticize Christian rock bands who the Knights feel refuse to openly say the name of Jesus Christ in their song lyrics. (While no names are obviously given, one particular target of the Knights' wrath may be bands associated with the Christian punk label Tooth & Nail Records.)

In the song "Father Bingo", the band also shows disdain for Bingo and similar games of chance regularly used by churches for fundraising efforts, comparing them to the scene in the story of Jesus' crucifixion where the Roman guards threw dice to determine who would divide Jesus' garments amongst themselves.

To date, the song on ...Cowards of Christendom that has gained the most attention for the band is "What Part Of 'Thou Shalt Not Kill' Don't You Understand?", a song whose lyrics are strongly critical of both the Iraq War and the death penalty.

[edit] The modified Alternative Tentacles logo

Showing a rather twisted sense of humor, the album's artwork parodies Jack Chick's controversial comic-style tracts, while the Alternative Tentacles' iconic bat logo (designed by Winston Smith) is modified so that the A.T. bat is seen reading a Bible and holding an unbroken cross without a dollar sign in its left foot. (The original A.T. logo has the bat holding a broken cross with a dollar sign on it, meant to show contempt for televangelists. While the Knights and Biafra share a common dislike for televangelists, the cross was "unbroken" and the dollar sign airbrushed out in order to show respect for the Knights' strong religious beliefs). The label's name on the back cover logo is also modified to read "Alternative Testaments", while on the CD's spine and label, the capital T's in the label name are replaced with crosses.