The cover of this month's edition of Christianity Today features a well-written article by Tyler Wigg-Stevenson entitled Marketing Jesus: How to evangelize without turning God into a brand. I've done quite a bit of reading on this topic over the years, so I was curious as to what the author had to say, especially since I was unfamiliar with him. Upon turning to the article itself, I saw that it bore a more direct and provocative caption - JESUS IS NOT A BRAND.
I couldn't help but smile. I knew where this guy was going before ever reading his article ... and I liked it.
The gist of Tyler's article (and that of his book, I'm sure) is that though we live in a market-driven culture, in which "organizations identify and shape the wants of target consumers and then try to satisfy those consumers better than competitors do," the truth is that "evangelism and sales are not the same." There is a categorical difference between the Truth of God and a "truth" you can sell. To substantiate his point, Tyler exposes four key conflicts between a consumerist mindset and the Christian life. I'll piece together several of Tyler's own statements so that you can understand the essence of what he's saying:
1. "I am what I buy" vs. the lordship of Christ.
In a consumerist society, my identity comes from what I consume. The main focus of a consumerist society is me. . . .
Spiritual consumers, therefore, will approach the church with the same narcissism they bring to other brands. What am I expressing about myself if I buy Brand Jesus? How will Christianity fulfill my vision for me?
The theological implication: I belong to myself. I am my own project, my own product to do with as I will. This is an enacted rejection of the honor due God as Creator. . . .
The danger is that the church will subtly contort the gospel into mere personal fulfillment. Preaching and evangelism that focus on the benefits of becoming a Christian present a message not fundamentally different from commercial advertising about the existential benefits of this car or that soap.
This attitude inhibits the disciple's growth into living a God-centered, neighbor-focused life. Yes, the Christian life brings fulfillment beyond imagination. But such fulfillment will be strangely elusive if it is your main priority as a Christian. Indeed, it comes only when we seek God instead of ourselves.
2. Discontent vs. the sufficiency of Christ.
Perversely, though consumerism promises personal fulfillment, the economic cycle depends entirely on continual discontent. . . . Consumer discontent also carries twin spiritual pitfalls. First, our perpetual quest for comfort and happiness-inducing products actually kills any chance of satisfying our wants. The pleasure of purchasing a new product will last a short while. then it wears off, and we hanker for something new.
Second - in a perverse corollary - we can't handle discomfort any better. We seek new products at the first hint of irritation. . . .
Of course, having all of our needs met at all times is the precise opposite of what a disciple should expect. Paul expresses an indifference to circumstance that is born of spiritual maturity: "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength" (Phil. 4:11b-13).
Consumerist habits drive us in an endless and endlessly dissatisfying quest for new and different things. But discipleship, pursued in Christian community, is about becoming satisfied with just one thing: the Lord who gives us strength.
3. Brand relativism vs. the supremacy of Christ.
A good marketer seeks to create the sorts of people who identify so strongly with a certain brand ... that another form of consumption is unimaginable.
One logo might do a better job of capturing hearts and minds; products might have competing technical merits. But to declare the inherent superiority of one brand over another is as ridiculous as saying that Bostonians are better than Chicagoans. By what standards?
The consumer who buys our marketing may well make Jesus his or her chosen brand, and the resulting zeal will look like passionate faith. Appearances deceive. Genuinely passionate faith is rooted in recognizing who Christ actually is. Brand zealotry, by contrast, is self-centered, because the supposed superiority of one brand over another depends on the brand devotee's enthusiasm. The zeal of the endorsement masks the inherent arbitrariness of the choice.
But the choice for Christ is not arbitrary. If a disgruntled Chevy man switches to Ford, Chevy loses and Ford gains; if we desert Christ in favor of another god, he is not diminished. Brand superiority is in the mind of the consumer, but Christ's divinity and worth are his own, regardless of what we think of him.
Spiritual shoppers have no reason to think that Christianity is anything but one option among many. But the life of a holy church is a powerful witness to the contrary - perhaps most evidently in our celebration of the Lord's Supper, when we remember that the one we consume has already consumed us. The church reveals the supremacy of Christ in a world that denies his power when - crediting it all to God - we love the unlovable and forgive the unforgivable, reconcile seemingly intractable hatreds and rejoice even in sorrow, persevere in hardship and serve to the point of sacrifice, and baptize and teach instead of consume and discard.
4. Fragmentation vs. unity in Christ.
The key to successful marketing is niche segmentation: dividing a population into identifiable groups who behave in predictable ways based on consumer preferences. . . . Because niche segmentation enables marketers to target their messages to narrower audiences, it is reflected in advertising. Moreover, it has allowed us to live lives that are increasingly tailor-made to suit our personal preferences.
We must therefore be concerned about market segmentation infiltrating the church. It has resulted in two unacceptable outcomes: utterly homogenous churches representing consumer-based "clusters," and homogenous groupings within larger churches.
Both divide us along racial, socioeconomic, and age- and gender-based lines, each of which predicts consumer behavior. This is certainly a "pattern of this world" (Rom. 12:2). . . . If we treat the gospel like a commodity, can we fault nonbelievers for thinking that the cross is just another logo?
Spiritual consumers will come to Christianity as do window shoppers at a mall, wanting a spirituality tailor-made to their preferences. They will want this because consumption is the only salvation they have ever known. They will bring all of their riches and perversely be unable to conceive of grace because they cannot imagine a thing that cannot be bought.
The question for us in our time is whether seekers will find the world-transforming body of the Lord, formed by the Spirit - whether, expecting something new to buy, they will instead be surprised by God.
Tyler Wigg-Stevenson has raised some excellent points, from both an analytical and an applicational standpoint. His propositions resonate quite well with something pastor-teacher John MacArthur wrote several years ago in his book, Ashamed of the Gospel: "The Great Commission is not a marketing manifesto. Evangelism does not require salesmen, but prophets. It is the Word of God, not any earthly enticement, that plants the seed for the new birth (1 Peter 1:23). We gain nothing but God's displeasure if we seek to remove the offense of the cross (cf. Gal. 5:11)."
The problem with the market-driven approach to evangelism is that it is man-centered, not God-centered. It focuses on what people want, rather than what God demands. It views the church as something that exists to entertain and gratify the crowd rather than to exalt and glorify Christ.
My purpose in raising this issue is not to look down my long, self-righteous nose to those who don't do evangelism the way that I do. Quite frankly, I need to be a better witness than I am, and I thank God for my Christian brethren who are zealously seeking to win others to Christ. What concerns me isn't so much their motives but rather their methods. We don't need clever methods to win people to Christ (1 Cor. 1:21); all we need is the Word of God (Rom. 10:17). As we plant the seed of the gospel, watering it with our prayers, we can be sure that the soil that God has prepared will bear fruit for His glory and that our Lord will add to His church day by day those who are being saved (Acts 2:47).