Standing behind a blank backdrop with a lilting keyboard riff in the background, two men introduce themselves.

“Hi, I’m a Christ-follower,” says a casual 20- or 30-something in a hooded sweatshirt.

“And I’m a Christian,” retorts a stuffy gentleman cloaked in a business suit and tie, carrying a stack of religious texts.

The familiar vignette is a parody of a recent series of Apple Inc. commercials – the popular advertisements that favor Mac computers over PCs. The TV spots feature a hip Mac character and a washed-up PC character. They introduce themselves, and it quickly becomes clear which person has the advantage.

The Christ-follower takeoff was created by Eric and Elic Bramlett of Community Christian Church (CCC) in Naperville, Ill. The brothers put the first video online in early 2007. Since then, it has received more than 430,000 views and hundreds of comments. Five subsequent videos have garnered almost 700,000 views combined. Quite simply, here are a couple of guys who know how to use Web 2.0 for ministry.

Elic, the younger brother, plays the fresh, young Christ-follower. He says that even going back to their childhood in Arizona, he was always “the cool brother.”

“That’s just my opinion, anyway,” Elic deadpans. “I also think that I was our parents’ favorite.”

Perpetual comics, the Bramletts are always performing, and now they’re doing it in the name of Christ. They both have theater backgrounds, each boasting a master’s degree in directing. Elic was a part of successful productions in Chicago, meeting people from all walks of life. “Being in the real world of entertainment certainly opens your eyes to what the average person is looking for,” he says. “You see that everybody is searching.”

Eric, CCC’s creative arts director, plays the straight-laced Christian. But in real life, he couldn’t be more innovative.