Comments on: Jesus is Not a Brand: The Good

By: Sheila Branscombe

Sheila Branscombe — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 16:29:50 +0000

Good job Joshua. When the church is open to discussion and criticism and takes a good hard look at things (what Jim Collins calls Confronting the brutal facts but never lose faith), without getting defensive or self rightous, the hearts of people can change.

By: Hal

Hal — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 13:25:59 +0000

I echo the kudos for distinguishing between “felt needs” & “biblical needs.” This is something the church really needs to think about when implementing technologies that make things “more convenient” for its members.
It’s not that convenience is bad. But creating convenience can sometimes be counterproductive for organizations like churches that – among other things – try to foster the development of community (i.e. interactive, authentic relationships).
Real community, real relationships, are many things, but “convenient” is rarely an appropriate descriptor.

By: Megan

Megan — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:56:25 +0000

Joshua, I love your distinction between felt needs that are biblical and those that are not.
I think the heart of God for us is for those felt needs to be met – look at the Garden of Eden. That was his original design. Christ came that we might have life, and have it more abundantly – NOW, as well as in eternity knowing him.
Communicating that could look an awful lot like selling out to the “consumerism” mindset – after all, we’re offering people everything they’ve ever deeply wanted and never knew they needed. But it’s telling them the truth.
We have to spread the word, and that’s marketing. I agree with what’s been said before: the key is that we not compromise or confuse biblical truth with cultural values.
If our church marketing is designed to appeal to someone’s flesh – their desire for STUFF, convenience, entertainment, you know, selfish motivation – then we’ve missed the boat. But if we market in such a way that we call out to their spirits to come and receive from all that Christ has genuinely done for them – then that’s just creative evangelism.
My two cents. ;)

By: Jean

Jean — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 06:11:00 +0000

The “Church” markets because it does not want to change, only grow. How can institutions be Christlike? It is people who are anointed. It is disciples that do the work of Christ. So engagement with the worldly ways of religious camps is not automatically Christianity.
To follow Jesus, to continue his work can be discovered through his words and sayings. An example of “church” failure is evident in the few numbers of people that show up for prayer – one of Jesus’ most regular practices.
The multitudes were fed earthly food and stories, but the chosen received closely held knowledge and understanding. Ultimately, we must know him for ourselves; that is, spiritual pursuit free from the encumbrances of programs and stuff.

By: Joshua

Joshua — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:35:23 +0000

@David Sorry, that “he” was referring to Wigg-Stevenson. I’ll get that cleaned up.

By: Daniel Darnell

Daniel Darnell — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:55:55 +0000

However we market Christianity, we must remember that Jesus is not a product to be consumed. Growing up, I always heard the there was a God-shaped hole in my heart that only Jesus could fill. First of all, that scared me to death to think I had a huge hole in my heart. Secondly, that’s infomercial logic and marketing: You have a problem. We can offer a solution. Just get our product.
Like Tyler says, you can’t just adopt the brand, you must adopt the lifestyle. Jesus calls believers to take up their cross and follow Him. Jesus isn’t an easy-fix solution to our problems, so we can’t market Him as such. Leave the infomercial-style marketing to Billy Mays and OxiClean.

By: David

David — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:43:21 +0000

Last time I checked, I believe Kem Meyer is a female.