The Commodification of Jesus
http://www.veritaspa.org/uploaded_images/McJesus-764145.bmp
So yesterday I got back from the Creation Festival in Mount Union, PA. We have gone every year with the youth group from Hempfield COB. It was a bittersweet time because this will probably be the last one for a while. But I have this love hate relationship with the Festival.
I love hanging out with people. I love eating with people. I love seeing people I haven’t seen for awhile and catching up. I love some of the bands and the speakers. But the one thing that drives me up a wall every year is the jesus junk that is being sold…especially alot of the T-Shirts.
The one that bothered me the most this year is represnted by the picture above. It said “mcJesus..Over one bilion saved.” This shirt to me represents a troubling trend..the commodification of Jesus. What this shirt is really saying is that Jesus is a product that can be bought and sold. That when we “accept Jesus” into our lives we are making a business transaction. That we “go to a church” on Sunday and attend a worship service, where we are being served by the Pastor and leaders. Also there is the whole problem of consumerism that Tony Campolo speaks about in “Lord Save Us From Your Followers”. We are way too comfortable with consumerism in the evangelical world.
Maybe I read into things too much….but people need to think about what they are making when they make t-shirts that they think are clever. Most of the time they are a rip off of something in the world, which is not clever, not original, and not artistic. And there are the meanings behind the t-shirts that the designer didn’t think about. Jesus is not a product to be bought and sold. Jesus is Lord and is to be followed and served.
29 Jun 2009 RyanBraught
Right-on, brother! I’ve felt this way for a long time, too. Our God is a God of creativity, from Genesis 1 through Revelation 21! God blesses us each with gifts to serve and bless others. Through these gifts and our lives, the creativity of the Spirit can flow through us to create NEW things, not to imitate what the world has created.
I love the church I participate in and the creativity of all, especially the videographers and graphic artists. You can see samples of their work at diveintoflood.com.
Next year at Creation, could you go and sell a tee shirts in the midst of the others, which would have a non-consumerist message? I know this might be an oxymoron idea. Maybe you could even get some ideas from http://www.buynothingchristmas.org. I LOVE some of their posters and graphics that have messages like, “Where did I say that you should buy so much stuff to celebrate my birthday?” — Jesus.
Selling tee shirts could be a blessing in two ways: you could be ministering/witnessing to others at the festival AND raising funds for your church plant.
Blessings to you,
Jeff Glass