Bumper Sticker Faith
Jon Acuff is a Christian author and the founder of a popular blog called “Stuff Christians Like.”[i] In one article he writes about Christian bumper stickers. Acuff provides this “Christian Bumper Sticker Scorecard”:
1. You have an ichthus fish sticker. = +1 point
2. You have an ichthus fish sticker with the word ichthus written inside it. =+2 points
3. You have an ichthus fish sticker with the word ichthus written inside it, eating a Darwin fish. = +3 points
4. You have an ichthus fish sticker with the word ichthus written inside it, applying a sleeper hold to the Darwin fish or stabbing it with a sharpened prison style toothbrush. = +4 point
5. Your sticker features a bit of wry Christian word play. “Jesus accepts knee-mail.” Or “This car is prayer-conditioned.” = +1 point
6. Your sticker is stolen straight from a popular secular idea. “Subway is HisWay, Adidas is Add Jesus.” = + 2 points
7. You find a way to work topical, relevant issues into the mix. “Jesus Recycles.” = +2 points
8. Your sticker is completely baffling to people who have never read the Bible. “My boss is a Jewish carpenter.” (Does that guy really work for a Jewish carpenter? Should I get a sticker that says, ‘My boss is an Atheist Accountant?’) = +3 points
9. The sticker completely baffles even you. “Try Jesus, if you don’t like him, Satan will take you back.” = +4 points
10. Your sticker makes a random mention of sexuality. “Avowed Celibate. (How’s that for diversity!)” = +10 points
11. The back of your car mentions the devil or hell. “Boycott Hell!” = +3 points
12. The sticker gives your wife a shout out. “I love my wife.” = +1 point
13. The sticker gives your wife a fun shout out. “I love my hott wife.” = + 2 points
14. You give America a bit of a “talking to” with the sticker. “America needs a faith lift!” = +2 points
15. The sticker is oddly competitive and talks trash against other religions. “My God is alive, sorry about yours!” = 0 points
16. Your sticker tries to shame people into God’s open arms. “Real men love Jesus.” = +1 point
17. Your sticker makes a not so subtle threat. “Live it up, sinner.” = – 10 points
18. Your sticker tries to use drug vernacular to reach these crazy gen millennial tweeners. “Another dopeless hope fiend.” “Want to get high? Try God!” “Get stoned like Paul!” = + 3 points
19. Your sticker makes a case about having God in the school system, that may in fact make it kind of seem like you are threatening to murder people. “Bible or murder. Pick one for your school.” = + 2 points
20. Your sticker kind of makes God seem a little like a slot machine. “Get your way, pray.” = – 4 points
21. Your sticker references a movie from the 90s. “The Sin Exterminator, Jesus, Hasta la Vista Satan.” = +2 points
This is Acuff’s humorous way of exploring the Christian fascination with bumper stickers. Acuff then proposes the following as potential new Christian bumper stickers:
1. “Quit judging! I direct deposit my tithe.”
2. “Sorry I cut you off. I’m a Christian, but I drive like an agnostic.”
3. “My other car is a chariot of fire.”
4. “In case of rapture, I’m not sure reading this bumper sticker is a top priority for you.”
5. “Another Sunday Morning Jogger/Saturday Night Church Attendee”
6. “A hedge of protection is my car insurance. Seriously, I’m uninsured.”
7. “I’ve got GPS. God Prayer System!”
Acuff is poking fun at one way Christians in America summarize their faith. Bumper stickers are a modern form of what was known in the ancient world as a “creed.” Bumper stickers provide a short, succinct and memorable way to summarize a significant element of the Christian faith. Creeds did something similar in the ancient world. They provided a succinct and often memorable way of communicating the essence of the Christian faith.
An Ancient Creed
On Sunday nights we’ve been exploring one of the most popular creeds from the earliest Christians. If it were a bumper sticker, you would have found it on 8 of every 10 chariots driven by Christians in the ancient world. For thousands of years it provided Christians a simple way of communicating what lay at the core of their faith. It is called the Nicene Creed:[ii]
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
We’ve been examining how this creed, and how Scripture, provide a view of the Christian faith that is different from what many people in America believe. So far, we’ve looked at three of these differences between what is commonly believed in our culture and what is taught by the Nicene Creed and the Bible:.
1. American Creed: It doesn’t matter what you believe. Christian Creed: We believe. Whereas many in our society argue that it doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you are sincere in your belief, Christianity has historically argued that belief is critical and what we believe makes all the difference in the world.
2. American Creed: God is my on-call counselor. Christian Creed: We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. Whereas many today view God as a nice but distant God who assists when we ask and then returns to his post, Christians have historically believed in a God who is powerful, personal, and intricately involved in all of life.
3. American Creed: We believe in many lords. Christian Creed: We believe in one Lord. Many today believe that Jesus is one of many lords, one of many viable spiritual alternatives. Christians, however, believe in Jesus as the true Lord, the only alternative.
Tonight we explore a fourth contrast between what many Americans believe and what the Nicene Creed and Scripture teach. This contrast rises from one word in the creed: He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. The critical word in this line is the word “kingdom.” This single word provides a way of highlighting a very important concept. Here’s how I’ll summarize it: American Creed: Jesus cares for the hereafter. Christian Creed: Jesus also cares for the here and now.
American Creed: Jesus Cares for the Hereafter
In their book Living at the Crossroads, Michael W. Goheen and Craig G. Bartholomew write about a cultural worldview called “modernism.”[iii] Modernism was the dominant way of understanding the world for thousands of years. There were four components to this worldview:
1. Human Autonomy. Modernism believed that humans have replaced God as Creator, Ruler and Savior. That is, humans now explain the meaning of life, give order to creation, and determine standards of right and wrong—the function of a Creator. Humans also guide history toward its goal—the function of a Ruler. And humans liberate the world from evil—the role of a Savior.
2. Faith in Human Progress. Modernity believes in human progress but tends to define progress in terms of wealth and possessions. Modernism lead to the idea that to be successful is to be wealthy. Thus the mall has replaced the cathedral as the center or anchor of the city. Modernism believes that humans will progress society so that are healthy and wealthy.
3. Reason Over Religion. Reason, not religion, best explains the world/life. Church no longer is seen as the center around which a stable society could be built. Reason was now at the center. By reason alone humans could perfect life on earth. We could learn natural laws and social laws and perfect life through those laws.
4. Dualism. Modernism taught a sharp distinction between material vs. immaterial; this life vs. next life; life before death vs. life after death; spiritual v. secular. Modernism believed that science/philosophy best deal with matters of this life. The church best deals with matters of next life. The church is perceived as concerned solely with “spiritual” life and not with “secular” life. The church deals with otherworldly things not this-worldly things. Thus, the church was viewed as not relevant to secular life.
While modernism has largely been rejected and replaced with what is called “post-modernism,” there are still some ripples from modernism which impact the body of water which is our culture. One of the most enduring legacies of modernism is the sense that the church, and Christianity, deal primarily with the spiritual, the otherwordly, or the hereafter. Science is needed to address the earthly, the material, the here and now.
And this has given rise to a common belief in American culture: Jesus cares for the hereafter. If you want to talk about heaven, Jesus is a good source. If you care about your soul, Jesus is a good choice. But if you want to talk about the earth, if you want to address the maladies and problems in the here and now, you need politicians, governments, agencies, and scientists. Jesus and Christianity are for the conversations that revolve around spirit, soul, heaven, and hell. Everything else is needed to address the here and now.
Christian Creed: Jesus also cares for the here and now
In his book One.Life Scot McKnight writes about how the word and concept of “kingdom” is critical to addressing this misunderstanding.[iv] McKnight writes that as a child, he was taught and came to believe in this understanding of Christianity: “A Christian is someone who has personally accepted Jesus Christ, who has found forgiveness through his death, and who is now on their way to heaven when they die.”[v] Jesus primarily came to bring forgiveness and to get us to heaven. We accept that blessing through faith. Jesus is primarily concerned with what I’m calling the hereafter.
But, McKnight writes, Jesus came for much more than this. What Jesus came for is summarized by the word “kingdom.” McKnight writes, “For Jesus the word kingdom meant ‘God’s dream for this world come true.’”[vi] God had a dream for the world. His dream was not simply to rescue humanity and get them off the planet and into heaven. God had a dream of redeeming and recreating the world and its citizens. That dream is captured in the word “kingdom.” It is a dream that has to do not only with the hereafter but also with the here and now.
In the ancient world of Jesus, “kingdom” always included three things: 1) a king, 2) land, and 3) citizens.[vii] A kingdom had someone in charge—a king. A kingdom involved land and physical space—that which the king ruled over. And a kingdom involved people—citizens who participated in the reign of the king. A kingdom was never about one person. It was always about an entire society. McKnight writes, “By kingdom, Jesus means: God’s Dream Society on earth, spreading out from the land of Israel to encompass the whole world.”[viii] Kingdom, to Jesus, referred to something God was doing right here, on earth, through us, his people, for the good of the world. It was an earthly dream. It was not just about the hereafter. It was also about the here and now.
Kingdom and the Lord’s Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer is the ultimate introduction to this concept of kingdom.[ix] Jesus teaches us to pray for God’s kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven. God’s kingdom coming means God’s will being done on earth. God’s kingdom coming means God’s dream for humanity and the planet being realized.
Kingdom and the Parables
The parables of Jesus are perhaps Jesus’ clearest indication of what this kingdom dream is about.[x] It’s not merely about forgiveness of sins and a ticket to heaven. It’s about the total transformation of the human society.
Consider the parable of the seed growing in Mk. 4:26-29. Jesus imagines a man who scatters seed on the ground, and whether he works or sleeps, that seed germinates and grows and produces grain. And then he harvests it. McKnight writes, “Jesus wants his listeners to see that the kingdom of God is at work in the ordinariness of everyday life. God is at work, God is at work, God is at work—in the most ordinary of things we do. When you make that cup of coffee at the café, when you teach those kids how to read, when you do that ordinary assignment, and when you carry about life in the only way you can because that’s the way life works — God is at work.”[xi] The parables teach a God who works while we sleep and while we work.
Consider the parable of the mustard seed in Mk. 4:30-34. Jesus imagines a man who plants a tiny mustard seed that grows up into a big enough bush that birds can make nests and dwell in it. McKnight writes, “Jesus wants us to imagine a world in which our small actions are seen as significant actions.”[xii] The kingdom is all about how God takes the small things we do in this life and magnifies their impact across his kingdom.
Over and over the parables paint a portrait of the unexpected society God wishes to build here and now: a society of love, peace, reconciliation, justice, and generosity.
Kingdom and Jesus’ Purpose
This aspect of kingdom can also be seen by considering the answer to this question: “Why did Jesus come to earth?” McKnight, who teaches college courses, says the most common answer given by his students is this: “Jesus came to die for my sins, so I can go to heaven.”[xiii] But that is not how Jesus answered this question.
Here’s how Jesus answered the question in Luke 4: 16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. 17And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 20And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Jesus did not merely come to forgive sins and get us to heaven. He came to proclaim good news to the poor, freedom to captives, and to recover sight for the blind. He came to help those who are oppressed.
Here’s how Jesus answered this question in Luke 6: 20And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. 22″Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! 23 Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets. 24 “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. 25″Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. “Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. 26″Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets. Jesus did not merely come to deal with the hereafter. He came to deal with the here and now—to bless the poor, the hungry, the weeping, and those who are excluded. He came to correct the injustices caused by the rich, the full, and those who laugh.
And here’s how Jesus answered the question in Luke 7: 18 The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, 19calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 20And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?'” 21In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. 22And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. 23And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” Jesus came to heal diseases, plagues and evil spirits. He came to give sight to the blind and help the lame walk and cleanse the lepers and enable the deaf to hear and raise the dead and preach good news to the poor.
McKnight writes, “Why did he come? I’ve asked my students this question for a decade and there is one word that rises to the surface each time: Jesus came to bring justice by building the kingdom society on earth, beginning right now with you and with me.”[xiv]
Hereafter or Here and Now
The point is not that Jesus is not interested in the hereafter. The point is not that Jesus doesn’t care about sin, and forgiveness, and heaven, and hell and the spirit and life after death. The point is that Jesus cares about so much more. He doesn’t just care for the hereafter. He also cares for the here and now. And what a contrast that is to what is commonly believed. Here, once more, is the contrast I’m are painting: American Creed: Jesus cares for the hereafter. Christian Creed: Jesus also cares for the here and now. And all of that is wrapped up in the word “kingdom” in the Nicene Creed.
Author and professor Lewis Smedes used to ask his students if they wanted to go to heaven when they died.[xv] “Who would like to go to heaven?” he would ask. Everyone would raise their hand. “Who would like to go to heaven today?” he would ask. Only a few hands would go up. Then he would change the question: “Who would like to see the whole world made right today? No more common colds, no more uncommon cancers. Hungry people would have plenty; no one would lift a finger to harm another; we would be at peace with everyone, even with ourselves. Anybody interested in that?” There would be a frenzy of hand-lifting. Then Smedes would point out that if that new world made right is what you really want, then heaven’s really where you’d like to be. Because heaven is the world made right—made right by the power of God. That’s what the kingdom was all about. That’s what Jesus was all about. He was interested in the world made right, beginning right here and right now. And the earliest Christians confessed that belief when the
[i] http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/2010/01/christian-bumper-stickers/.
[ii] Gerald L. Bray, Editor Ancient Christian Doctrine Volume 1 (IVP, Academic, 2009), unnumbered page.
[iii] Michael W. Goheen and Craig G. Bartholomew, Living at the Crossroads, (Baker Academic, 2008).
[iv] Scot Mcknight, One.Life (Zondervan, 2010).
[v] McKnight, Kindle location 14.
[vi] McKnight, Kindle location 337.
[vii] McKnight, Kindle location 366.
[viii] McKnight, Kindle location 385.
[ix] Ibid., 401.
[x] Ibid., 401.
[xi] Ibid., 501.
[xii] Ibid., 510.
[xiii] Ibid., 881.
[xiv] Ibid., 983.
[xv] John Ortberg, “Our Secret Fears about Heaven,” Today’s Christian Woman (July/Aug, 2003), 39-40.
