Share Your Journey

I saw the new Igniting Ministries commercial for the first time this morning.  It caught my attention.  I was curious about what exactly was being advertised.  It was a surprise to see that all the various paths were leading to the United Methodist Church.  At least that was implied, though never directly stated.

The slogan "Find your path and share your journey," sounds very seeker sensitive.  And I will admit that I can get cynical over much that comes out of Nashville, but I wonder, where is this path supposed to lead?  I love the idea and image of sharing your journey, but I would like to have some rough idea where this path going to end up. 

This is another example inclusiveness run wild within the United Methodist Church.  If a Hindu who believes he has found his path and wants to share his journey with United Methodists, is there any expectation that he will eventually see that he is on the wrong path?  Of course, for some there is no wrong path. 

John Wesley said, "Offer them Christ."  All this new ad is doing is offering them companionship.  Could not God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit at least get a passing glance?  And while companionship is great, it doesn't have the power to transform lives like Jesus does. 

The Mormons have broadcast some of the most effective religious commercials over the years and they make no bones about what they are offering.  What they are "selling" is a way to meet life's problems with the guidance of their "holy" book.  They are growing by leaps and bounds. 

All the while, we United Methodists are content to help people find their path and share their journey.  Whether or not they find Christ along the way doesn't seem to be much of a concern.

Comments

[Steve]

I share some of your frustration with the Igniting Minstries stuff. However, the purpose of the ads is not to necessarily present the gospel. Rather it is to present an image of the UMC to peak the curiosity of seekers so that they'll consider visiting one of our congregations. It's left up the congregation to take it from there.

[Mark Winter]

Did this ad come from Nashville or a group of Zen Buddhists?

[Greg Hazelrig]

Wow, I thought I responded yesterday here. I must have really been in a daze.

Anywho, I think the ad is just like the rest of them have been. Ads that say nothing and probably don't do much to attract folks.

The other thing that I thought I said when I thought I responded yesterday was to say thank you for your response over on my blog. It meant a lot to me and I am doing much better than I was a few days ago.