"Abbey Road," by way of Interstate 10
There was once a popular rock band from England called The Beatles. They released records and played concerts and made a lot of money.
They were so big that singer John Lennon infamously pronounced in 1966 that his band was "more popular than Jesus." I don't know if there's a way to quantify whether there were actually more Beatles fans than practicing Christians, but it seems at least clear that Lennon - if not bigger than Jesus - at least had a bigger ego back then whichever celebrity is currently coming off as the most sanctimonious.
The Beatles - and Jesus - actually do tie in to Redlands. Ken Mansfield, the former U.S. manager for the band's Apple Records is scheduled to visit Trinity Church in Redlands on Saturday. I can't say whether Mansfield will address John Lennon's famous quote but I'm guessing that he would disagree with the singer.
Mansfield is the author of a book called "The Beatles, the Bible and Bodega Bay: My Long and Winding Road," and his event at the church is called "The Beatles, The Bible and Beyond." It seems to me that The Beatles, as far as religion is concerned, are more often associated with Eastern spirituality or no religion at all (Lennon's "Imagine") so Mansfield's take on rock music and religion could be interesting.
For those who may want to attend, Mansfield's talk is scheduled for 7 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday at Trinity Church, 1551 Reservoir Road. There's actually an admission fee of $5 for the event and the church's Web site has info at www.trinityonline.org.