John Fischer writes a daily devotional, is an aging rock and roller (It happens to all of us), and is a very insightful Christian thinker. Here is today’s column.
Having second thoughts about that “Honk if you love Jesus” sticker? I have a solution for you. I have something you can cover that sticker up with. Not that there is anything wrong with honking or loving Jesus, but that sticker means something entirely different now than when it first came out.
When the “Honk if you love Jesus” sticker first got pasted on a bumper, Christians were a minority (at least we thought we were). A lot of followers of Jesus were meeting each other and growing spiritually outside the church. Stickers and buttons were a means of finding each other in the marketplace and that created a sense of newly formed family. And to those outside the church and Christianity, this growing band of “Jesus Freaks” was no threat. In fact, the idea of Jesus being championed by hippies and street people had many looking on curiously. Many even came to Jesus-oriented events just to find out what it was all about.
Today Jesus represents something entirely different to those outside the church. To most of these people, Jesus is the champion of a conservative political base. The Jesus who always stood on the side of the poor and oppressed, who stood against established religious rule and authority, who advocated turning the other cheek and loving your enemies is nowhere in the lexicon of what is perceived a Christian today. In fact for a crash course on how many view Christians today, reflect a bit on this bumper sticker: “I’m for the separation of Church and Hate.” Hmmmm.
So “Honk if you love Jesus” today means, “Honk if you are on our side…” “Honk if you are one of us…” and all that honking only confirms the fact that those who are not honking don’t want to have anything to do with those who are.
So I promised you a new bumper sticker. Here it is. I saw it on my neighbor’s car. “Honk if you love cheeses.” It’s an ad for a local wine and cheese deli.
This bumper sticker will do two things for you. 1) It will put you on “their” side. To those who are familiar with the original Jesus sticker, they will think you are making fun of Christians (which you are), and you can start in with how there is a lot to make fun of; and 2) it might put you in touch with wine and cheese lovers, and that just might lead to a relationship, and isn’t a relationship what it’s all about?
Anything that makes a relationship is far superior to that which makes an enemy. Besides, I don’t think Jesus wants to have anything to do with a whole lot of honking.
Posted by svshaw 
