The cheap knock off of a declining, immoral television show aside... it was the back of the card that just about made my teeth fall out!
In case you can't read it, please note the following. This church (whose name I have blocked off the image)* will have an Easter service - to talk about desperate housewives that live in their area. Presumably, there will be some funky twist to this story that leads to an altar call.
On the 29th of this month, this progressive, edgy, cool-cat congregation will have a PG-13 service to talk about sex. And just to get you out of bed that Sunday morning at 11, is the enticing prospect of a can of whipped cream for every couple! I am not making that up.
My guess is that the whipped cream is a little joke to entice sex-starved husbands to get to the service. There will be lots of nudge-nudging and winks and double-entendre... and the lucky participants will learn that the key to a good sex life starts in the kitchen when you learn to cook with your wife... or something absolutely ridiculous like that. You see, it is not about spraying whipped cream all over each other, it is about cooking! Time together! Isn't that lovely!
I am sorry. But it is this kind of confused attempt at evangelism that makes it absolutely essential we learn what the real Gospel is and how it must be presented.
This is a desperate church... and it seems to me that had best get their own household in order.
*UPDATE (4/5/07 3:07PM): Please forgive a major error on my part. I missed the name of the church in the written content on the back of the postcard. I have removed that image and if I have time I will post it again with that name removed. Thank you to commenters who caught that! I would have removed it sooner but I was teaching this morning and just got back to my computer.
UPDATE (4/5/07 3:20PM): I have posted a second scan of the image that removes any reference to the church name.
Paul . . .
ReplyDeleteThis is just incredibly sad. And I've discovered that some of my well-meaning Christian friends just can't seem to understand what is wrong with this. A dear friend with whom I grew up, who was raised in a Bible-believing, Christ-honoring home and attended a church far removed from these kinds of "marketing" ploys, once remarked to me that she couldn't understand what was wrong with Joel Osteen. "He's SO positive," she said to me. It's all about feeling good, or being entertained, or "well, they're such good people, after all," and so little (or none at all) of the God of the Bible and the Gospel as found in Scripture. If they only understood the power is in the preaching of the Word and not in all this other "junk". Whipped cream over Scripture? Incredible!
Incidentally, I DO see the name of the church on this post card, so maybe it's not being blanked off after all?
Oh, and loved THAT song! Quite the imagination there, Pastor Paul!!!!
Annette is right - the name of the church IS showing, but shoot, they don't seem embarassed about it.
ReplyDeleteWe have someone from this church in our church. Can't imagine why. Pray for the Fellowship. In fact, maybe for a church social we could take the ad to the grave of one of the founding fathers of the Fellowship just to watch him spin!
Another "export" of dubious distinction from your great neighbor to the south. Sorry 'bout that!
ReplyDeleteI just deleted the image - thanks to those of you who noticed what I missed.
ReplyDeleteI will post the image again if I get the time to scan it.
Paul,
ReplyDelete"This kind of confused attempt at evangelism that makes it absolutely essential we learn what the real Gospel is and how it must be presented."
Are you scared that I agree with you?
Darryl -
ReplyDelete"Scared?"
No way!
I'm thrilled!
Hey Paul,
ReplyDeleteYou can buy your own here:
http://www.outreach.com/print/List.asp?sid=44&N=41+%2D1203
Or not!
*sigh... I'd puke if I had eaten recently. This sounds pathetic.
ReplyDeleteId be wary at judging this thing at first glance... the first sermon sounds okay but yeah the pg-13 thing and the whipped cream... that goes a bit too far imho. and at EASTER??? worst time ever to be holding something like this. id say withhold the judgement until somebody actually goes to this church and see what this is all about but yeah the whipped cream does make me raise my eyebrows.
ReplyDeleteon another note, sometimes i just loathe marketing techniques. its a shame when people have to "market" the gospel. i thought the message of christ was meant for everyone and not a target audience?
I can hardly believe my eyes. That is soo bad exploiting our sex-crazed society to preach the gospel, if indeed that takes place. The sovereign Spirit must be grieved. Lord we're sorry for this.
ReplyDeleteThat is so sick! It will just entice the rest of the church to catch up on such a trashy program while the rest of the church...shame on them for watching such drivel.
ReplyDelete