well, i have two midterms to study for, so it seems appropriate that i take the time now to throw my hat in the ring regarding this whole "do you agree..." campaign that campus crusades for Christ is running at various schools in ontario (and possibly beyond?).
be forewarned. this is going to be a long one.
exhibits A, B, and C.
Mac
Guelph
Waterloo
the sites are (as you can clearly see) standardized in format. furthermore, they all use preproduced templates for their informational and educational sections concerning christianity. it's obviously an organized and concerted campaign by CCfC.
so, how are these campaigns doing? well, pretty much as you would expect.
stirring up debate? check.
invoking controversy? check.
promoting Christianity in a positive light? eeeeennnnh.
some would say yes. some would say no.
there is obvious resistance to the invasive guerilla tactics used in this campaign. poster blitzes, chalk writing, t-shirts. the whole nine yards. the forums of each site are awash with discussion both intellectual and respectful, as well as immature and ignorant.
first off, i'll be the first to say that i think if CCfC tried this here at Western...they would fail. miserably. UWO seems to me undoubtedly one of -- if not the -- most liberal leaning major university in all ontario. the amount of backlash a campaign like this would recieve is simply not worth the trouble. not because opposition should be acquiesced to, but simply because the problem with a lot of liberals are that they're empty headed lemmings.
disagree with my ideas? nazi!
you voted for bush? nazi!
you hate michael moore? nazi!
you're jewish and support Israel's actions? na.....oh wait....
a lot of people would protest such a campaign here (and are doing so on other campuses) simply because they don't want to take the time to understand. to them, religion is archaic and -- particularly Christianity -- is exactly the kind of institutionalized structure that is repressing social equality because of its intrinsic exclusivity. these thinkers are the kind who wish to abolish all organized religion and therefore would rally against a christian advertising campaign so quickly they'd sprain their arms raising their middle fingers.
i have a name for people who think like this. facists.
not to say narrow minded, frankfurt school loving socialists aren't "worthy" of being christian. far from it. we're all equal, despite my derogatory insulting language. hell, i'm in media studies, i'm practically a communist. but the fact is, the UWO body has a definite attitude, and a campaign like this would just be totally non-effective here i think.
but moving on....
i have to say that -- as much as i respect and admire the courage and enthusiastic zeal to share your faith unabashedly -- there is in my mind, no question that CCfC needs to rephrase the question.
"do you agree with [us]"
(for all intents and purposes)
is simply too divisive a phrase. in fact, it doesn't even sound like a question. it sounds like a threat.
now, i'm not at any of these campuses to witness first hand the level of promotion going on, but i have to say i disagree with this....campaigning idea, on a variety of levels.
the fact is, jesus never campaigned. he never wore a robe that said "do you think i'm God?"
and this is exactly what these campaigns are doing. if they had asked "is jesus god?", it would be entirely different from "do YOU think jesus is god"?.
the onus of responsiblity changes this from a discourse into a challenge. i understand the desire from a christian standpoint to challenge people to explore their faith and ideas of faith.
the big sticking point, is the assumption of knowledge and truth. the problem with these campaigns is the inevitable argument (merited often, unmerited just as often) that Christians come off as elitest, high-and-mighty, and smug.
it is EXACTLY this kind of language and thinking that gives general Christians this cultural persona.
"do you agree with me?"
personally, i find this an annoying question because the person asking it already thinks that they're right. they're not asking to discuss a truth through a mutual process of discovery. they're asking whether or not you want to argue with them over who's right. it simply doesn't invite dialogue.
i believe this is the biggest problem with many evangelical Christians. they hate it when people don't understand why they believe. the typical answer is "because the bible says so" or "because God made it so".
Christians can't pretend to have all the answers. they can't assume that they're right, even if they believe it, because the fact is, it can't be proven. nothing can.
this is where we have to start as Christians. not from assuming we have it all taken care of and we just have to convince people why we're right. we have to admit that hey -- it's confusing, and difficult. but what i can offer is simply that i believe for a reason
it's my personal experience that leads me to believe in god. not because the bible is true, not because jesus died for my sins. if a christian ever tells you they believe in god without proof, they're lying. there is proof. it's in each of our own lives. it's personal proof. others can interpret it as they choose, and i'm not going to assume that my personal proof applies to everybody.
i don't question for one second the intentions of CCfC, nor the brave christians who've decided to step out in faith and -- i'm sure in their hearts -- obey what they feel God has led them to do.
i do question however, some of the manner in which they have gone about it.
advertising is to sell things to people.
telling is to inform people.
sharing is to care about people.
in journalism, there's a classic and fundamental philosophy to all effective writing: "show, don't tell"
no one wants to be sold or told about God. but people all around us are crying out to be shown God.
we have to know the difference.
No comments:
Post a Comment