F-Word Advertising

Today I opened the newspaper to preview the headlines, but was disgusted by the F-word.

If it were part of the normal print--an article or a quote, I might have raised an eyebrow with a bit of shock. But it was part of a church's advertisement.

The ad went like this:

The real f**** words: faith, forgiveness, family, freedom, hypocrites (I don't know why that one was there)
Do we have your attention, yet? Good. Starting this Sunday come learn what the real "F" words are all about.

It got my attention. It had tremendous shock value, but at what cost? What were people thinking? People (like me) filled in the blanks in their minds, just like men fill in the gaps when scantily clothed women walk past.

Now, let me ask "Is that something we want?"

As churches we are to make people dwell on what is noble and as Christians we are avoid even the appearance of sin (1 Thessalonians 5:22). Pushing someone into sin is gross error, and it would be better to be tied to a millstone and thrown into the sea.

Moreover, when it comes to church ministry and outreach, we should remember that Jesus never tried to be hip or "with it" in his ministry. He had great crowds, but he tried to be as inconspicuous as possible. The prophet Isaiah spoke of him in these terms: "He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench." Odd that today's churches don't replicate his ministry pattern.

No doubt though that Jesus caused people to be aghast. If anyone had shock value, it was Christ. That is as plain as day. But His offense was in his pure life and his searing message "Repent and believe in me." The scandal of his ministry often came out when he said things like, "I tell you, on the day of judgment, men will give account for every careless word they speak." (Matthew 12:36)

Yet, as this advertisement points out, Christ was about forgiveness. That was one of his main "f-words," and we should never forget it. When we blunder, it can be forgiven. But let's not forget the other f-word found so frequently in the Bible: foolishness.

"There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts,

but the tongue of the wise brings healing."

Proverbs 12:18