I have received a mixed response to what I wrote last night in ‘Four reasons I’m disappointed with the start of Jesus: All About Life‘. Some people have been very upset and discouraged. Others (both Christians and non-Christians) have told me that they are confused and disappointed (and some embarrassed) with the campaign.
I’d like to respond to some of the feedback I’ve received, to clarify a few things, to apologise, and suggest a way forward.
- First of all, some people are making connections between what I have said, and what my church might think about the campaign. I want to make very clear, I was speaking personally, about my own reflections on the campaign – these have nothing to do with my church’s involvement. Please avoid making any connections – there are none.
- I want to reiterate and again make very clear also that I am very passionate about this campaign being a success and Jesus being honoured and glorified through it. I am entirely supportive of this campaign! Offering critique isn’t an indication of lack of support. I wholeheartedly desire that this campaign be a great wake-up call to Australians, and the means by which many come to know Jesus. This is what our city, our nation and our world so desperately needs. And this is why I am so passionate about doing things well, and why I have felt so sad with how the campaign has been implemented thus far (i.e. phase 1), because the implementation affects perceptions and peoples’ engagement with it. I was nearly in tears on the phone to a friend this morning, grieving what I have seen as lost opportunities.
- I want to apologise to the people who I have discouraged by sharing the critique. In critiquing the campaign, I wasn’t in any way seeking to discourage you (although I can see how I did this). You are all working (and praying) very hard, and I am as desperate as you for this campaign to work. My intention with the critique was a) to demonstrate that whilst Christians agree on the purpose of the campaign and other outreach activities (i.e. making Jesus known), we don’t necessarily agree on the method (nor, I don’t think do we need to); and b) to identify opportunities for improvement so this campaign can have the maximum possible impact.
- Some people have suggested to me that if I had an issue with the campaign, I should have raised it with the Bible Society/JAAL organisers privately, rather than posting about it online. The general principle that seems to be suggested here is Matthew 18 – “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.” Obviously, the people running this campaign haven’t sinned against me, but I can see what these people are saying and the benefits of this. Perhaps I should have done this. By offering the critique publicly, I was hoping to encourage Christians to offer their (constructive) critiques, to get involved in doing what they can to improve and make the most of the campaign, and to show that as Christians we are open to robust critique and discussion, for the purpose of improvement. Whilst some people who aren’t yet Christians might read the post, I think (and I hope not naively), that they will appreciate the fact that Christians can disagree, and whilst we agree on the glorious message, can differ on the method. At least from one comment I’ve received from a non-Christian friend, he seems to appreciate the fact that some of the flaws of this campaign haven’t gone unnoticed, and that there’s opportunity for improvement (i.e. we know there are issues and we want to get it right).
In offering critique in the previous post, I realise I could have been more explicit in offering suggestions of where to go next. Here are my thoughts on how we can make the most of the campaign. Perhaps you have some to add – all for the purpose of making this campaign a success for Jesus’ name.
- as the first phase is being implemented via electronic media, we need to get onto the forums where people are discussing the campaign and respond to what people are saying. Implementation musn’t be the first and last step – genuine engagement using the designated media must follow.
- we need to help Christians, like me, know how to respond to the big issues people are raising in forums (and in general conversation) about pain and suffering. We need to equip Christians to answer the difficult questions that are raised about whether we should just be thanking Jesus for the good things in life, and what is His role in the bad. I understand the next phases of the campaign might address some of these issues, but people are struggling with them now. By the time the next phases are launched, some credibility or ‘listening capital’ might have been lost. This is a great opportunity to share the gospel – let’s make the most of it.
- we need to use Twitter and Facebook as best as possible – equipping Christians to creatively use these media to engage with their friends. This might include prayer updates, links to media reporting, testimonies, videos, tips for answering questions, images people can use on their Facebook/Twitter profile, discussion forums that engage with the questions people are asking, and more. I’d be happy to sit down and help brainstorm these ideas.
- we need to provide clear links to good quality resources about Christianity, the gospel, apologetics material, and even material such as testimonies of people who know Jesus. This page is a good start (Who is Jesus?), but other pages (such as Order the Gospel of Mark) could be more inspiring and informative, providing more information targeted at people who don’t know Jesus. Lots of people will be thinking about Jesus, and whilst I know we want to encourage them to churches and church events, the online medium allows people to anonymously explore these questions for themselves. I’m sure there are lots of people who would be willing to compile resources and write copy to this effect (myself included).
- we need to fix the allaboutlife.com.au website. It’s slow, some of the links are broken, and, because our levels of concentration and patience with new media are so low, it doesn’t take much to turn people away from a website. If the developers need help to fix the site and optimise the speeds, again, I’m sure there are lots of Christians out there who would be willing to assist.
- for each of the above, there is a wealth of Christian talent that can be harnessed to great effect. For example, God has gifted many Christians in PR, website development, social media usage, search engine optimisation, website usability, etc. There is an ‘army’ (for lack of a better term!) of Christians who I’m sure would do whatever it takes to increase the impact of this campaign to be the most memorable campaign this city has ever seen and that bring many into the kingdom.
To all working on this campaign – you are my brothers and sisters in Christ. I love you, I’m praying for you and I am sorry for any discouragement I have caused. Please let me and others know, how we can help you to make Jesus name known through this campaign.
