Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Trying Jesus

So I came across a bumper sticker today. In big print it said "Try Jesus." And in little print (so little that I couldn't read it from right behind the idling behind the car), it said something like "If you don't like him, the devil may own your soul." Google suggests that the accurate wording is actually "the devil will always take you back."

It's hard for me to gather much enthusiasm for the bumper sticker. I think product advertisement by a catch-phrase or label works great when the product is well-known, consistantly defined, easily available, and pretty much the same everywhere. Like Pepsi. We all know where to get Pepsi. It's the same in grocery stores, gas stations, pop machines, and refreshment stands. It's production is carefully controlled, and most Americans know it by name.

While Jesus' name is certainly well known, who he is, what he stands for, where to find him, or how to try him are questions sparking some volatile debate. Which churches, if any, accurate represent him? What exactly does it mean to try Jesus? And so on.

Another part that irks me is the equating of Jesus to a commodity. Try Lime Coke to cool down. Try Old Spice to smell better. Try E-Harmony to find the love of your life. Try Jesus to improve your life. I'm not sure God is really impressed if we're coming to him for a little life-improvement. "Hi God. You're big and cool. Can I get a 5% raise, a better home, and, um, could my wife nag me a bit less?"

There are funny religious bumper stickers. Here's a few I found:
Lord, help me to be the person my dog thinks I am.
Tithe if you love Jesus! Anyone can honk!
After the rapture, can I have your car?

Monday, June 27, 2005

Bringing Pastors to my Bachelor's Party

Bah. This is a horrible time to start a blog, but as I can't sleep, I might as well. And then go warm some milk. (It's my own fault that I can't sleep; I need to be more disciplined with my bedtime so that I don't oversleep on the weekends so that I can sleep at night. Hrm.)

Anyway, I attended a friend's bachelor party tonight, mostly guys my age. (Okay, entirely guys, most of whom were my age.) One of the thoughts that crossed my mind was "Where do we learn what it means to be like Christ at bachelor parties?" I've never heard a teaching on the subject. And they are (hopefully) one shot deals: One party per person per lifetime. And since most of us marry young (under 30, at least), most of us haven't been serious Christians a terribly long time.

So I figure the practical solution to this dilema is to invite a few pastors to my bachelor party and watch the chaos ensue.