Why do so many people perceive Christians as irrelevant, out of touch, and even a menace to modern society?
When the Christian brand does not resemble Jesus, we have a severe problem. We are losing connection to the only source of persuasion for a modern audience.
How do we handle this situation?
This week's blog will examine building a brand that looks and feels more like Jesus.
When politics becomes the main source of identity
The other day, I watched the documentary “Praying for Armageddon.” If you haven’t seen it, you can watch it here.
Once again, we see an example of White evangelical Christians promoting hate and fear. They even framed Jesus as a war hero, getting armed and ready to slay the enemy (one of the preachers showed an image of Jesus armed with an automatic rifle.)
The same group of people that brought Donald Trump to the Oval Office in 2016 (and will likely do it again this November) is shaping people’s perception of Christianity.
We have seen so many examples like this that we sometimes fear expressing our faith publicly. I sometimes feel that way. Do you?
So what do we do when the Gospel Choir sings out of tune?
The tune of Jesus is still beautiful, even if Christians have gone way off-key.
Australian church leader and historian John Dickson uses the analogy of a beautiful tune:
“When you hear Bach's Cello Suites played poorly, you might question Bach´s ability. But if you listen to it played by Yo-Yo Ma, it's sublime. And I think of Jesus´ impact, not just his teaching, but his death and resurrection—the story of his self-giving for the world; that's the beautiful tune.
Sometimes, Christians have played it beautifully, perfectly in tune. And other times, they´ve gone way off-key. But we can tell it's way off-key by looking again at Jesus.”
Trevin Wax of the Gospel Coalition put it this way, “When Christians sing the melody of the gospel horribly off-key, the answer isn’t to change the song.”
As John Dickson says, the renewal process can only begin when Christians return to the Gospels and the New Testament, read the Word of God afresh, and suddenly realize, “We don’t look like this!”
The good news
That’s so crucial. This is where we realize we are off-brand. The good news is that we can do something about it.
Reverend and teacher at Yale University, H. Richard Niebuhr, is considered one of the most important Christian theological ethicists in 20th-century America, best known for his book Christ and Culture.
Niebuhr claimed, “The Great Christian Revolutions came not by the discovery of something that was not known before. They happen when somebody takes radically something that was always there.”
I think he’s right. We must rediscover the greatest story ever told and find ways to communicate Christianity’s core message effectively. And we can!
Have a great day :)
See you next week!
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