Alright, what thoughts did that billboard produce in your mind? Let me be brutally honest with you. We have around three of those advertisements in approximately a 20 mile radius of our house. The first time that I saw one, my thoughts were pretty close to this: "Oh..wow. Ummmm...what?" After this thought occurred, questions began to arise in my mind. "Who is this appealing to?", "What about people who have never heard the name of Christ?", and "Why put a billboard up with the name of our Lord and Savior...and that's it?". Please do not take me wrong here brothers and sisters. In our darkening culture, I am glad that they allow this advertisement...but I do wish that they would use their form of spreading the gospel (if that is what the point was...) in a clearer form. This can also be compared to the way that we talk about Christ to someone. We must make sure that we are clear. Jesus makes everything clear (and even uses stories to help us understand it!), whereas this type of witnessing is very indirect. So...unless they were just trying to get the God-fearing people to be more conscious of their speed, and lower road rage (this is possible...), I find that the money it takes to rent a billboard would be better spent elsewhere supporting something that would bring our country closer to God and His laws. But I'll spare you another nine paragraph post and let you decide for yourselves. =) Is this effective? Think on it.
In Christ,
Paige
2 comments:
I agree with you. I think that allot of Christians today think that witnessing by the T-shirts they wear and the signs they put out are going to be good enough to reach people. I heard a saying once, that it's getting to the point that they don't know us for our love, they know us for our "T-shirts." It's kinda scarry. Really scarry. But in a minimal use, the signs have brought a smile to my face once or twice as I pass by, and maybe they will reduce the amount of road rage who knows. :)
I think that, in the pictured example you have used, you are absolutely correct. Simply throwing the word 'Jesus' on a billboard, or a bumber sticker, doesn't even inspire me that much as a Christian. I know who it refers to, I know His sacrifice and His gift of eternal life. I have a personal relationship and friendship with Him as my Lord and Savior, yet seeing simply the name, beyond reminding me of His sacrificial gift, does nothing spectacular to inspire me at the very moment. For the unsaved, it is nothing but fodder to remark on 'religious fanatics' who sit back happily because they got the word Jesus on a billboard. Perhaps some do get saved when seeing that name, maybe they are going through some tough situation where the only way out is through Jesus Christ and they see that billboard and recognize their need at that exact moment. It could happen, but the likelihood of that playing out is indeed small. We have several catchier billboards down here with 'messages' from God that tend to be a bit more thought provoking, but could also be a victim of the dressing up of religion and matters of faith to be 'cute'. Replying to Kayleigh's comment above, I would agree that much of the world recognizes Christians only by the paraphrased verses on their backs rather than a vocal sharing of their faith. As a whole, we as Christians would much rather wear it than share it. The WWJD bracelets were always more of a fashion accessory than a means of ministry, and T-shirts are really no different. Many are only knockoffs of popular music group or movie themes, appearing to the outside crowd as people obsessed with the same things as them, who just happen to have Jesus as a part of their life. If we are sincere about our faith, I think Christ deserves a bit more than a 'Return of the King' and a reference to Revelation on a shirt we happen to wear occasionally.
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