I wrote a note to Pete Gall congratulating him on his book, and telling him about a couple of uncanny connections with FBC and he generously sent a video lecture for FBC on Transformational Economics which blew my mind. Pete Gall is in advertising. Advertising is often about fear ("American Express. Don't leave home without it.") He's thinking advertising could be about virtue. Genius.Example:
Ad about the Sloman Shield ("Protects You, Your Family & Loved Ones") instead of a program advocating Radical Hospitality.
Ad for Allstate: ("Can you afford not to be in good hands?") instead of confidence that we are already "in good hands" which means we might find ourselves holding the hands of unlikely others.
Does this make any sense?
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6 comments:
makes perfect sense! I've been having these thoughts for years. I remember a Direct TV commercial a few years back that was touting their satellite capability with the slogan "Someone up there is watching out for you" blehhhhhh...I'll take God over a satellite, thanks very much.
The other day I saw a new Heineken ad using the "pay it forward" model in which a woman in India passes a beer to a guy in Texas who passes a beer to an eskimo in Alaska who passes a beer to a family in the Middle East, etc. (I'll admit the commercial uses visually stunning affects to suck you in) and at the end it says, "Pass on the Good"
instead of realizing God in Christ has passed on a different kind of good--the good of love, not materialism--to pass on to others.
One of the best ways to convince you that you must have something is to alert you not only to the dire consequences of not having it but also to the enormous benefits of having it. It's a two edged sword and it's been well used in some forms of Christian evangelism. The consequence of not believing is to burn for eternity in hell, and let me tell you what that would be like. The benefit of believing is that a glorious heaven awaits you. But wait, that's not all, you also get blessings galore in this life also. What's the cost? Why nothing at all, it's already been paid for. All you need to cover is shipping and handling payable to First Church of Me. Beware of imitations. The First Church of Me is the ONLY authorized vendor of this product.
wow. and I looked at the review for My Beautiful Idol, and it looks amazing.
The brief book review is very enticing. I will be interested to read it soon.
You are an amazing story teller. You take the events of every day life and make them speak to the deepest f theological and personal questions. I wish I could do that, but it's not one of my talents. I love reading your blog and will continue to do so most every day, but I think I will refrain from commenting. It's clear that you have a gathering of friends who easily interact with you and each other, and I get the impression that interruptions from some small town Episcopalian way out west in who knows where tends to shut down conversation.
Country Parson - I appreciate and enjoy your comments. Keep them coming.
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