I started a thread about this some time ago and forgot to update it. On the way to work, there is a church ith a new saying each week. Last week's was:
The only "tact" in evangelism is "contact."
And, on another one today(I do not go that way weekly anymore, sadly, was, on one side):
"This Blood's for You"
and on the other side:
"Free Trip to Heaven: details within."
They crack me up, actually.
Posted by Theaca (Member # 8325) on :
The church near my apartment complex has weekly sayings too. Just really stupid ones.
Is your life a wreck? Jesus is a wreck-a-mended.
Ch... Ch... What's missing? U R!
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Theaca, not stupid at all! Tell those pastors about our pun threads!
Posted by Storm Saxon (Member # 3101) on :
Just out of curiosity, do you think most preachers actually come up with this stuff on their own, or do they get them from a website or a book they can liberate these pithy statements from?
Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
Some of this stuff has been around forever in other forms. I suspect some of it is new.
Pithy sayings are fun. I wonder if they actually draw people into church though.
I, for one, would stay away from a church where the marquee espoused the opinion that tact isn't a "virtue." It's not the only thing, but I associate such things with a brand of "in your face" Christianity that I don't find at all appealing.
Some of these are funny, but some are also revealing of a particular theological viewpoint beyond mere Christianity.
In some ways, it bugs me because I'm not very fond of what I view as "bumper sticker Christianity." If ones faith can be summarized in a pithy one liner, I'm concerned.
But then, I'm that way about a lot of things. I don't like sound bites. I'm not interested in someone's ability to come up with clever sayings as much as I am about the meat of their arguments.
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
And most of them are (IMO) stupid.
Posted by Storm Saxon (Member # 3101) on :
Interesting. Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
I am so disillusioned.
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
It's possible that the church near you is thinking up their own. I mean, someone's got to think them up.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Well, it is the grandpa of one of my students. I guess I could ask.
(The other one, the one I don't drive by as often, is a bit more aggressive)
But I agree with Bobster on th "tact" message. I think there is a great deal more than contact when it comes to evangelism. In fact, personally, I would almost think of the terms as mutually exclusive.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
quote:Originally posted by Bob_Scopatz: Pithy sayings are fun. I wonder if they actually draw people into church though. ... If ones faith can be summarized in a pithy one liner, I'm concerned.
It might make for refreshingly short sermons, though.
Posted by dh (Member # 6929) on :
quote: If ones faith can be summarized in a pithy one liner, I'm concerned.
That's a shame, because the Bible is chalk-full of wonderful one-liners. "Thou shalt not kill." I mean, why elaborate? "Love thy neighbour as thyself." Short, sweet, and simple. And catchy too. God invented the slogan, and remains unsurpassed to this day.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Good point.
But, did he make puns? Hmm?
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Actually, The Bible is chock full of double entendres.
Posted by Epictetus (Member # 6235) on :
And yet, dh, so much religious conflict has occurred because we simply can't decide what those one-liners mean.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
The church near me always has intellectual quotes on its sign, except in September, when it says "Welcome Back Students!"
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
OK, was that a direction: "Hey, welcome the students back, ye people of town!"
Or was it really just a welcoming back of the students?
Why can't these religious people just say what they mean???
Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
dh, I think the problem comes in when people take those single lines from Scripture and ignore the rest (at least for a time).
Using Scripture to make an informed decision or choose an action is always going to involve picking which section of the Book seems most appropriate at any given time.
Just as, perhaps, educating a child might involve giving them a few basic rules to learn and follow.
But randomly intoning a line from Scripture as if it were somehow THE preeminent thought...no thanks.
Jesus himself took more than one line to sum up "the commandments."
Posted by dh (Member # 6929) on :
Hahaha. You're right. He took two lines.
But seriously, no one is pretending you can sum up the whole faith in one clever sentence. These one-liners are just summing up what aspect is particularly important to you, perhaps on a given day, or in a certain situation, or whatever. The possibilities are endless.
Posted by Mrs.M (Member # 2943) on :
We have a church here in Richmond that has the most annoying/baffling marquee. We either roll out eyes or stare at each other in confusion. I've never understood the need for a marquee, actually - why not just have a sign with the church name and hours of worship?
I also dislike sermons along the lines of "Let G-d be your quarterback." I've never subscribed to the "religion needs to be watered-down to be palatable to the common man" school of thought.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
"Ask God for work, but don't ask him to do the work for you."
(That was on the coming-home side of the marquee)
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Also, the Golden Rule does not always work. It implies that all people love themselves and know what it feels like to be treated with respect and kindness.
If I asked one of my emotionally disturbed students to treat others as they would like to be treated, it would not go well. I am not being facetious.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
quote:"Let G-d be your quarterback."
This conjures up totally un-godly images for me.
Also it would make no sense, since I have no idea exactly what a quarterback except I think it's the guy who throws the football.
Posted by digging_hoIes (Member # 6963) on :
*agrees*
Let God be your goalie? Defenseman? Right-winger?
Come to think of it, I don't know hockey well enough to do that either. I firmly believe in the Seperation of Church and Sports. Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
Every time you bend over, there's God with his hand against your backside, calling out numbers and waiting for the snap?
I just hate sports analogies. Most of the time, the situation has to be so stripped of its complexities (and richness) just to make it fit the analogy. And it's flippin' boring for anyone who's not a fan of that particular sport.
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