11.21.06
Posted in shifting our thinking, bad church signs at 9:45 pm by signcommentor
I have to say that when I saw this sign I laughed out loud. It is implying that the church is the place for salvation. But, I have to ask, is there really a place to get saved? I’m sure this goes back to the typical church’s idea that getting saved (aka coming to know Jesus personally) happens at the end of a great sermon while the choir is singing and the organ is playing, but Biblically should this be the main place for such decisions?
I don’t have any problem with an altar call (provided that the teacher is not playing on the emotions of the audience), but I’m hesitant to think that this is the primary way that a person comes to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. In fact, I would say that if we are truly following what the word says then most people will hear about Jesus in the Malls, or at school, or at work and will likely receive Him these places as well.
The Great Commission tells us to go out and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20). A person cannot be a disciple of Christ until they first believe in Him; therefore, the first step in the discipleship process is evangelism. Based on our call to go out, I think it is safe to say that evangelism should happen primarily outside the walls of the church. So, while Walmart might not be the only “saving place” I pray that many souls will be saved within it’s walls.
My challenge to you (and myself) is to stop relying on the church (and the church staff) to do the job that you and I are responsible for. Let’s take our Biblical roles seriously, step up to the plate, and share the good news of the Kingdom with our friends and neighbors.
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11.14.06
Posted in bad church signs at 1:47 am by signcommentor
Click HERE to sign the petition…
Here are some signs from a church that I pass by regularly.
This is a pretty common church sign and a pretty terrible one. The hookeyness factor is pretty huge which is the most obvious criticism. The fact that this sign is utterly corny just feeds the thought that Christians are goofy and out of touch with the rest of the world, which unfortunately, is often true.
This is a little more original than the first, but almost as goofy. It is of course making fun of the “honk if you love Jesus” bumper sticker, which I happen to find less goofy than this particular sign. First and foremost this sign begs the question, can anyone serve? And, do all people who love Jesus actually serve? It seems to me that you can serve Jesus in action without knowing Him personally. This is what Matthew 7:21-23 is referring to:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
It seems to me that if we love Jesus we should probably do more than honk and more than serve. It might be a good idea to actually live for Jesus if we love Him. After all only a Christian can do that.
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06.21.06
Posted in bad church signs at 2:50 am by signcommentor
Click HERE to sign the petition…
This is the first post of many in which I will post a bad church sign and then offer my thoughts on its contents. I hope these posts will help to enlighten people to the dangerous theology and general absurdity of many church signs.
As I think about this sign there are a number of objections screaming to get from my mind to this screen. It’s really hard to know where to start…
I guess the most glaringly obvious problem is this sign is that being a Christian has nothing to do with religion. I mean, come on! Jesus was constantly slamming on all those “religious” and “legalistic” guys. One of the points that He kept driving home was that getting to Heaven isn’t a matter of works or actions (say like being in church every Sunday), but that it’s about a relationship with God.
Next, we don’t go to church for the sake of religion, but for the sake of learning, growing as a community, and spurring one another on toward God. We shouldn’t go to church because we feel “required” to be there, we should go to honor God and minister to one another.
Finally, the underlying idea that church attendance has a direct impact on going to Heaven is utterly ridiculous. Its not like going to church gets you “credit” that you can use to get into Heaven. The only way into Heaven is through the blood of Jesus Christ (for more info on this CLICK HERE).
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06.15.06
Posted in general at 10:02 pm by signcommentor
Click HERE to sign the petition…
If you believe in this cause and that many churches are driving a dangerous wedge between believers and non-believers then please join this fight. This blog will be devoted to exploring many of these issues. I will talk about being missional and taking the church out to the people. I will also be writing about Christian subculture and how it often alienates the outside world that it is trying so desperately to reach.
If you know a church with an awful sign, do the world a favor; take a picture, email it here, and I will post them on this site. I know there are other sites out there that have these pictures, so send those if you like (just make sure they aren’t copyrighted).
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Posted in general at 3:59 am by signcommentor
Click HERE to sign the petition…
We’ve all seen church signs that are corny and often demeaning. This petition is asking churches to stop because it drives people away from the church and further separates Christians and the people they are trying to reach.
This petition is an attempt to get the attention of the many, many churches out there that are tarnishing the Christian reputation and harming the Christian cause with their marquee signs.
When you sign this petition you are asking churches to stop putting out theologically weak and belittling messages like: “reason is the greatest enemy faith has”, “tired of being a loser turn to God”, “the infallible word of God taught hear (sic)”, “worry: a darkroom where negatives develop!”. I think you get my point. Please sign the petition and pass it on to your friends, these signs are more of a menace to the Christian cause than most realize.
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