I am sorry that it has been awhile since my last post, but I had been battling a cold bug for the last two months and it now seems as though the various has finally bit the dust. And so on I go...
I was watching TV a while ago and was impressed by a commercial because it spoke a significant truth about the culture in which we now live. The narrator says, "Instant gratification has us in a stranglehold, so much so that we don't want to fix things anymore - just replace them. Don't like your nose, get a new one. Don't like your job, get a new one. Don't like your spouse, get a new one. Whatever happened to commitment, to standing by our decisions?"
Granted, the commercial is for a car company and their "10 years/100,000 miles powertrain warranty", but in this instance the fact is they are speaking truth and we in the Christian community should applaud such frankness.
I was looking up this commercial so I could write some kind of response about it and in doing so I found another blog author writing about it also. They author's response is as follows:
"On one hand, yes, definitely, we could all be reminded of the importance of commitment, of not giving in to instant gratification. Yes, amen. But, on the other hand, who in the audience (all TV viewers) hasn't failed into this regard to some extent? And, I don't know. I like the value the message is aiming at: commitment is good. But the tone is a little too holier-than-thou, don't you think? I just find it a little irritating for some reason.
If I were on the Hyundai board deciding whether to air this commercial, I'd say no, too risky. Might alienate buyers."
It may surprise you that this author is a pastor and has a seminary degree to boot. I tried to do some research on the author - where was the degree from, what denomination do they pastor in - but I didn't find anything. But if this person is concerned about the possible offense of this commercial, even though it speaks truth, then how does one preach a gospel message that is very offensive in our culture?
As Christians we need to be careful about how we share that gospel message. If it is not done in love then I don't blame anyone for not listening. But, if we share that message with a Christ-like love and people get offended or irritated then that is too bad. I feel for them because they are throwing away the greatest gift of all time. But we should never feel ashamed of the gospel. We should always stand up for the truth of who God is and what He has done. If it's the truth...
2 comments:
Here's the link to the ad. It's a good one. Hyundai had another good one a few years ago also where it showed a family driving down the road watching all the other neighbors get into their cars dressed for work and waive goodbye to others in the family. I think the child in the back seat asked something like, "Why do all those people need such big cars?" I wonder if the same guy made them? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMq3JWwWs-Y
Glad you are back! I missed your posts.
Post a Comment