Money To Burn On Evangelism (revisited)

I-65 between Indianapolis and Nashville, Tennessee, is a rather boring stretch of highway. Don't get me wrong. The drive across the bridge into Louisville is very pretty and the scenery becomes more interesting the further south you go. For the most part, though, it's just highway. So when I drive south of Indy on I-65, I tend to give an eye to the billboards that line the road. It helps that I'm a graphic designer and love to look at advertising. On a recent trip to Nashville, I noticed one billboard in particular that grabbed my attention.

That it grabbed my attention at all is effective advertising. I tend to give most billboards only a passing glance. The problem is that the billboard fired me up, and not in a positive way. It read:
JESUS
SAVES
In an effort not to be a negative Christian, I should explain why a billboard with this message bothered me. Why would a billboard with a Christian message offend a Christian? This whole billboard was dedicated to a phrase that's as vague as a billboard that says 'FREE TIRES.' This hypothetical billboard doesn't tell where you can get these free tires. Are they new tires? Used tires? Is there a catch? You shake your head in distrust and keep driving.

Would anyone come to faith by simply reading the phrase 'Jesus Saves'?

In my opinion, this type of evangelism reduces the gospel message to a vague cliché. I'm sure the person who paid for the ad didn't mean for it to be received that way, especially by a Christian. As part of a younger generation of Christians, I want to be aware of how I'm received by others. I'm very careful about how I present my faith in conversations and elsewhere. I don't want to misrepresent Christ. I'm not perfect and do not pretend to be, but I strive to be honest and authentic.

If a person chooses to use a billboard as an evangelistic method, that's cool with me. It seems, though, that if an organization has enough money to buy advertising space on a highway billboard, a lot of careful thought should be put into the message that will be advertised. What words or images would really engage a passerby? What could be said that would prompt them to seriously evaluate their faith, or lack of faith?

Faith in God is really too big for a billboard. This doesn't mean that billboards or other types of advertising can't be effective forms of evangelism. In the example of the billboard, I might try a phrase such as:
Don't like religious people?
Neither did Jesus.
Luke 11:37-54
I'd like for people to think of Jesus outside of the stereotypes that we've boxed him into. I'd like to give people something to think about – brain food to chew on. A billboard advertisement can be a tool for evangelism. It can also be a tool against evangelism. It doesn't matter if a Christian or an atheist designs the billboard ad, the way the message is received is what's important. It seems too often that I see books, billboards, or preachers on television that have not carefully considered how their message will be received. Of course, the gospel message is always going to be accepted with hostility by many. And while that doesn't give us license to water-down the gospel, believers are taught to "be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity." (Col. 4:5)

This blog isn't meant to harshly criticize. I certainly don't want to condemn anyone who tries to promote the message of Christ. That doesn't mean that I will always agree with their methods.