Marquees and Messages

On my way to speak at a college retreat in St. George Island this past February, I stopped to refuel in Carabelle, FL. It was a quaint little seaside town that was more Georgia than Florida in many ways, not the least of which being the ginormous trucks filled with rednecks aplenty. As I was walking into the gas station to pay for my overpriced octane, I happened to glance up the road and see First Baptist Church Carabelle. It was a small, red brick building with a modest white steeple. It had all the architectural features that come standard on Baptist churches, including a hand-loaded marquee out front.

I was walking at a considerable pace until I read the marquee. I stopped dead in my tracks as I read the message:

"The wicked shall be turned into hell,

And all the nations that forget God"

The only thing missing was:

"XOXO,

FBC FAMILY"

As a lifelong Baptist, I was embarrassed; as a follower of Jesus Christ, I was saddened.

When I posted this on my Facebook status and called them a "clueless Southern Baptist church," the comments were heated. One person noted that they were only "as clueless as the writer of Psalm 9" because the marquee was merely quoting Psalm 9:17. Another asked, "Isn't God's word powerful enough to reach today's younger generation?" Another commented that if the marquee reaches just one person, then it was worth it.

But these comments really miss the point, don't they? The point isn't whether or not the message was from the Bible. I can think of several Old Testament verses about stoning gays or avoiding sex during menstruation that I wouldn't place on a marquee with no context or explanation. The point isn't whether or not God's word is powerful. The power of God's word is in the message of God's word. That message is that our sin demands a Savior, and Jesus was the Savior that was sent to give us hope for eternal life and a purpose for living. Does Psalm 9:17 with no context accurately reflect that message? No. The point also isn't whether or not we can reach "just one." I can only imagine the person who made that comment going into an advertising firm and coming up with an offensive ad campaign. When she is asked if she has lost her freakin' mind, she says, "Well, if it reaches just one person, it will be worth it." That kind of logic is grounds to be Donald Trumped. Even if that marquee could reach one, and I think that would be a feat, would it be worth the masses who will be turned off to the faith forever?

The point is this: As followers of Jesus Christ, we are on this earth to share the Gospel and serve others. Sharing only about our sin is sharing a half-Gospel. In a time when people are looking for hope, preaching a half-Gospel is not only ineffective, it is poor stewardship of the message we have been given. Don't get me wrong. The fact that we are all sinners is important. In fact, it is critical because it stresses our need for a Savior. But alone, it is only a message of discouragement and condemnation, which fails to communicate the central tenet of our faith.

I love the words of Cornelius Plantinga, President of Calvin Theological Seminary:

"To concentrate on our rebellion, defection, and folly--to say to the world, 'I have some bad news and I have some bad news'--is to forget that the center of the Christian religion is not our sin but our Savior."

A marquee, a mass mailing, a web site--these are primary touchpoints for people in the 21st century. You may only get one shot at telling someone what following Christ means, and what you say might shape the way they view the Church, the gospel, and even Jesus Christ for the rest of their lives. What message will you choose? A message of condemnation or a message of salvation? Will you give them only the bad news or will you give them the good news?

Ultimate Hope is Not Political

Steve Monsma, a senior research fellow at the Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics at Calvin College and author of Healing for a Broken World, recently received a brochure from an evangelical organization. The pamphlet stated,

With strategic partnerships in Washington, D.C., it [the organization] is able to be proactively involved in the effort to reclaim America for Christ. Whether delivering petitions; encouraging constituents to respond to critical legislation with letters, faxes, phone calls, and email; fighting for qualified judicial nominees; or registering voters; the [name of organization] aims to provide a megaphone for the collective voice of Christ's church.

Reflecting on this, Monsma comments, "There is a problem here, is there not? How, according to this brochure, is America to be reclaimed for Christ? Not by Christians preaching the gospel, not by winning their neighbors to Christ, not by Christian husbands and wives creating homes of mutual respect and love. No, it is by political means: petitions, constituent pressures or public officials, working to affect the judicial nomination process, and voting. It is assumed that America can be led back to Christ by political means. But this cannot be right. Whenever in history the church has tried to advance the gospel by political means, the church has been corrupted and the gospel dishonored."

This story was brought to my mind after some recent comments on this blog. I am reminded that over the last quarter century, many Christians in America have developed the belief that our greatest responsibility is to affect change as citizens of an earthly nation. But even a cursory reading of scripture reminds us that first and foremost we are citizens of a heavenly kingdom, and our ultimate responsibility is to live as one devoted to the Ruler of that realm. It is unfortunate that so many people get red-faced and wound up in an effort to mobilize Christianity into some political force to fulfill their duties as followers of Jesus Christ. On the contrary, our duties are fulfilled when we live like Jesus--preaching the Gospel, serving the sick and poor, and feeding the hungry. 

We have a responsibility to be involved in the political process of this great nation, and if you have followed this blog for very long, you know I take my civic responsibility very seriously. We should rise up to oppose injustices and make good use of our political system. Yet, I am increasingly concerned by the number of Christians who go well beyond this. They fly into an apoplectic panic over political disagreements, reactively fling weak arguments like horseshoes on Independence Day, and demonize any who dare to disagree. We of all people should know that ultimate hope is not found in the hallowed halls of Washington, but in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Perhaps if we spent more time mobilizing people to serve others and share Christ, our communities and even our country would realize the change we so badly desire. 

Just my thoughts. What are yours?