Titus Benton
Titus lives in the suburbs of St. Louis with his pretty wife Kari, adorable daughter Nora, and handsome son Malachi. He has worked in Student Ministry for 9 years in part- or full-time roles. He contributes to http://www.teensundayschool.com. When not cheering on the St. Louis Cardinals, he enjoyes listening to country music, eating greasy food, and reading John Grisham novels.
I'm Dumb, But Not That Dumb
- By Titus Benton
- Published 06/17/2008
The other day I saw an ad in the paper. It was for a casino in my town. It said, "Life: Best lived with a cocktail in one hand and a pair of dice in the other." I wondered who wrote the ad. I wondered if they believed what they were saying. I wondered if they actually thought ANYONE would. It's hard to change a diaper with a cocktail in your hand, and hard to type data into a spreadsheet with dice in the other. Is life really BEST lived in such ways.
I also like a new minivan ad I saw. In it I was being persuaded to purchase said vehicle because then my family would be together more often. The last scene was a pretty Caucasian family of four at the beach in their new van. Never mind that the teenage boy was listening to music, oblivious to his DVD watching sister. The parents were on the tailgate looking for whales or something, but it didn't exactly look like quality family time.
Speaking of car ads, how many times can the same company hold a "Once in a Lifetime Event." By definition, shouldn't they only do so, oh, I don't know--ONCE? And since when did selling cars qualify as a once in lifetime experience. You might win the lottery once, go to Europe once, hopefully just get married once. I'm 27 and I've already owned five or six cars. I don't get too excited about once in a lifetime stuff anymore.
Do we really "buy" this stuff? How can anyone with half a brain actually be convinced that these silly slogans are true. Commercials have become an extension of entertainment for some. They are highly produced, creative, inductive, and they work (if they didn't, they wouldn't exist). In print, on-line, on television, everywhere we look we're bombarded with these messages. Unfortunately, the promises they make are absolutely false. But do people know that?
It causes me to reflect on how the church advertises Jesus. Are we making promises Jesus won't/can't keep? I was talking to a kid the other day who was told when they accepted Christ that their life was going to get so much better. It didn't, and now he doesn't walk with Jesus anymore. He accepted Him on the premise that He would fix stuff. The stuff didn't get fixed. The kid is confused.
It's hard to say who Jesus is, what He does, how He'll change someone. It's hard to advertise for Christ. Sticking to the Scriptures are our best bet. Trying to be catchy and creative will only lead to problems. When people get the wrong message, when they feel misled by our marketing scheme, I suspect they feel kind of like you and me when we see a get-rich-quick infomercial:
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
I also like a new minivan ad I saw. In it I was being persuaded to purchase said vehicle because then my family would be together more often. The last scene was a pretty Caucasian family of four at the beach in their new van. Never mind that the teenage boy was listening to music, oblivious to his DVD watching sister. The parents were on the tailgate looking for whales or something, but it didn't exactly look like quality family time.
Speaking of car ads, how many times can the same company hold a "Once in a Lifetime Event." By definition, shouldn't they only do so, oh, I don't know--ONCE? And since when did selling cars qualify as a once in lifetime experience. You might win the lottery once, go to Europe once, hopefully just get married once. I'm 27 and I've already owned five or six cars. I don't get too excited about once in a lifetime stuff anymore.
Do we really "buy" this stuff? How can anyone with half a brain actually be convinced that these silly slogans are true. Commercials have become an extension of entertainment for some. They are highly produced, creative, inductive, and they work (if they didn't, they wouldn't exist). In print, on-line, on television, everywhere we look we're bombarded with these messages. Unfortunately, the promises they make are absolutely false. But do people know that?
It causes me to reflect on how the church advertises Jesus. Are we making promises Jesus won't/can't keep? I was talking to a kid the other day who was told when they accepted Christ that their life was going to get so much better. It didn't, and now he doesn't walk with Jesus anymore. He accepted Him on the premise that He would fix stuff. The stuff didn't get fixed. The kid is confused.
It's hard to say who Jesus is, what He does, how He'll change someone. It's hard to advertise for Christ. Sticking to the Scriptures are our best bet. Trying to be catchy and creative will only lead to problems. When people get the wrong message, when they feel misled by our marketing scheme, I suspect they feel kind of like you and me when we see a get-rich-quick infomercial:
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Spread The Word
Comments
Comment #1 (Posted by Will Penner)
My favorite stewardship campaign slogan is "I upped my tithe. Up yours!"
Comment #2 (Posted by Jerry Varner)
Hey Titus...
I really enjoy your blogs, too. Great point being made here.
Makes me think...maybe we should try the classic "The more you spend, the more you save!" slogan in our next tithing campaign!
