Victory Family Church in Decatur, Texas, has hit the news with a billboard with the words, “I Hate Victory Family Church’, Satan”. The church is lapping up the publicity, enjoying the rise in hits to its web site, www.victoryfamilychurch.net.
Associate pastor Chris Bates said the web site has had more than 1,100 hits since the billboard went up. “That’s huge for a small church like us,” he said. Bates said his church isn’t done yet; the next billboard will read, “Victory Family Church stole my kids - Satan.” “It’s a different take on the God sign,” he said. “We just wanted something that didn’t look churchy.”
USA-wide church network Lifechurch TV runs satanhateslife.com, a web site associated with a billboard campaign for Billboards include the words, “I was robbed at lifechurch.tv”, “Lifechurch.tv is killing me”, and “Lifechurch.tv sucks”.
Cedarcreek, Ohio, one of those churches, provides the explanation:
“Satan wants people to be stuck in a meaningless, frustrated whirlwind with no apparent way out. But he knows better. He knows there is a way out and it’s found in a relationship with God, not in a religion. God is willing to forgive and forget your mistakes. Satan wants you to remain in a guilt-ridden state of mind and will constantly remind you of your miserable performance in life. Don’t fall for Satan’s tricks to get you to give up on and hate life. He hates life and hates you. God loves life and loves YOU! To find out more about God’s love, forgiveness and purpose click here.”
So what do you think? Is this an example of a church network with a sense of humour? Is it likely to get people thinking? I guess it depends on whether people believe in the existence of Satan or not. They do risk encouraging a polarisation in their community, unwittingly (or maybe consciously) inviting persecution and resentment.
How about the explanation of the gospel? Framing good news in the context of Satan’s hold on people is an approach used since the church first began - the Christus Victor approach. However the way this is written comes across like a political dirt campaign. It’s not convincing and paints the advertisers as people who believe in two choices - God or Satan. It assumes a common understanding of Satan.
Brian talks about the trap many worship leaders find themselves in, trying to serve the needs of sophisticated consumers of worship products and prefabricated worship experiences.
He concludes that there’s a difference between propaganda and art. Art can be about telling the truth - even if it’s not pretty. Being honest about the ugliness of life can be a beautiful thing. But trying to make everything look pretty makes it look cheap.
I agree. But the most difficult art is supporting people in the transition from the safety of the ‘worship industry’ culture to the sometimes threatening environment of honest worship.
Mark Driscoll, pastor at Mars Hill Church in Seattle, has hit the emerging church blogosphere this week, with a video clip he provided for the National New Church Conference Church Planting conference in Miami last week. Mark wasn’t able to get to the conference and so sent a videotape of him speaking.
Mark focuses on 2 Timothy 2, the passage in which church planter Timothy is encouraged to be focused, hardworking and able to endure hardship.
“You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs�he wants to please his commanding officer. Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.”
Mark delivers his rant from a military cemetery, with a video closeup to the firm-wristed gun-toting soldier statue. He paints the church planting scene in terms of battleground and body count. He believes that selecting the ‘right man’ is critical to the success of a church plant. He suggests that the core mission is to find men to serve, put them through boot camp, instruct them, and through God’s grace force them to be people who will live as God’s people. “If you want to win a war you have to get the men.” The message, Driscoll says, is Jesus the warrior, king and hero who has fulfilled his mission: leaving his throne in heaven to live a life without sin, dying for our sin, rising from the dead triumphant over Satan, sin and death, and ascending into heaven. The message, Driscoll says, is not about some marginalised Gallilean peasant hippie in a dress rocking out to the Spice Girls in a cabriolet hoping to meet nice people to do aromatherapy with while drinking herbal tea. The snapshot from John in Revelation is of Jesus in his glory returned home as a triumphant warrior and victor.
Interestingly Mark’s video was just before Bill Hybels presented the closing address for the conference. Hybels simply suggested that church planting needed women in leadership before proceeding on to his talk.
Clearly the soldier image does it for some men. And some women. However the writer of 2 Timothy goes on to use the image of athlete and farmer as well. The early church would have had a healthy percentage of pacifists for whom the military connotations would have been repugnant.
I don’t agree with Mark’s commitment to use only men in church leadership roles. But I can sympathise with his efforts to develop a concept of church that will equip and inspire people with the Y chromosome. So are there models and metaphors that provide the sense of challenge and focus needed by men today?
Denny Weaver, in his book, Nonviolent Atonement, works with the Christus Victor concept in a way that clearly portrays Jesus as an alternative to the stereotypes of ‘macho marine’ and ‘gay hippie’. I’ve written a brief review of his Nonviolent Atonement at GodPost this week.
If we want to talk about being focused, hard working and enduring hardship we can learn from sportswear companies like Adidas. I’m aware of the questionable work practices of these companies, but we can learn from their advertising agencies!
Adidas, in its latest ‘Impossible is Nothing’ campaign, invites sports and adventure role models to talk about the toughest times of their lives, using art, animation and gritty honesty. They’ve interviewed women and men, young and old, and enabled each to cross the artificial boundary between creativity and gutsiness. Adidas doesn’t need to ignore women to attract male customers.
Associate pastor Chris Bates said the web site has had more than 1,100 hits since the billboard went up. “That’s huge for a small church like us,” he said. Bates said his church isn’t done yet; the next billboard will read, “Victory Family Church stole my kids - Satan.” “It’s a different take on the God sign,” he said. “We just wanted something that didn’t look churchy.”
