The "C" Words: Crazy Christians, Comics, Commission, Conversion and Controversy



A Demon's Nightmare, pg 22, Jack T. Chick

Matthew 28:16-20

Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

  

The following events actually occurred. All names have been changed to protect the identity of the innocent:

It all happened about a year ago on Facebook. One of my friends (who is a Christian), let's call her "Diane", posted an evangelistic tract that someone had placed on her windshield. You know the type: a booklet filled with cartoon/comic figures that at the end tell you that you that you are going to hell if you do not repent by saying this prayer and accept Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. Then "Diane" asked if we as Christians are trying to scare people to Heaven. Then everyone chimed in. Another friend (who is a Christian), let's call him "Oswald" said that these were the same tactics that his grandma used to no avail. He shared that if this was how he was originally presented the gospel then he would have been an atheist. Then "Oswald" linked me into the conversation and asked if I could discuss this on my blog. I said that it was a tricky issue because I understood both sides but I would address it whenever a Scripture that discusses evangelism came up (like Matthew 28:16-20). So that brings me to today's blog entry about the sometimes controversial methods of Christian conversion tactics. Actually we will discuss two controversial things because the artist who creates the majority of those evangelism pamphlets/comics is very controversial himself (even amongst Christians). His name is Jack T. Chick and he is the main artist at Chick Publications. He is an Independent Baptist and like many Evangelicals and Fundamentalists he felt the call to personally be involved in spreading the message of Jesus Christ. The problem was that he couldn't overcome his personal shyness in talking to people. So he created these evangelistic comics and used his talent and creativity to share the Gospel. Kudos to him, right? Well... things never come out perfect in practice even when they seem perfect in theory. Jack T. Chick started being active when Conservative Protestantism was at one of it's worst stages of mixing Religion, Politics, Conspiracy, Internal Christian Polemics and Feuding,  Extreme Right Wing Paranoia and a good dose of Rock & Roll-Is-The-Devil-ism (even when it's Christian Rock). To put it short, he blames every sin, political movement, religious movement, social movement and every other thing that he disagrees with on a conspiracy between the Devil and the Catholic Church. His attraction to conspiracy theories and disdain for Catholicism often led him to be duped by certain characters with wild accusations and fantastic stories. In his defense, he seems to have been enlightened in the area of race relations at a time when many in the Church were bigoted. The negative aspects of Mr. Chick's comics appear to be the embodiment of what most outsiders dislike about Christian Proselytism... it can be too simplistic, impersonal, politically charged, divisional, anti-intellectual, anti-advancement and anti-cultural. The making of Disciples and the methods used can be a very controversial thing... yet Christ calls us right there in Scripture to do it. Should we continue to be embittered by our rejection as we enlist others to share our "us versus them" mindset? I believe that the answer may be hidden in the term that we use for our conversion campaigns: Evangelism. Wikipedia shares that it comes from the Koine Greek word εὐαγγέλιον, which was translated to English as "gospel." At it's heart the Gospel is the story of Jesus. We share Jesus's story because it is the introductory way of sharing his presence with others. But I believe that in Matthew 28: 16-20 Christ is asking that we not only share his story with others...Christ doesn't just want people to make mental assent of him and become rule followers who know how to stay in line. He wants us to share all of him. Full evangelism is sharing all of Jesus.  



The Awful Truth, pg 9, Jack T. Chick

Finding Jesus

Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.

I understand Jack T. Chick's approach to evangelism because I was raised in in a similar approach. I am a Preacher's kid and my childhood was filled with episodes of neighborhood evangelism, handing out homemade church invitations (hand lettered and illustrated by mom and duplicated at the local Kinko's) and singing background vocals as my dad did his best John the Baptist impersonation while street preaching on the corner or median of a busy street. This method of sharing the message is based both on pursuing people and being prepared for chance encounters. Though this method was very annoying to the childhood version of myself I don't necessarily disagree with it. Christians have done this for millennia in some form from St. Paul to St. Francis to Billy Graham. When their has been any adjustment to this standard it has been in a case like Jack T. Chick. An adjustment has been made for effectiveness and/or personal/cultural considerations. So my following comments are not to refute prior methods but rather to expand them into a fuller presentation of the Gospel. The beginning of sharing the gospel is knowing the gospel. I mean all the definitions of the word gospel. The word εὐαγγέλιον literally means "good news." The English word "Gospel" derives from the Old English "god-spell" (yes, like the play) or "glad tidings." The most popular usage of this word is the name of the four New Testament books chronicling the life of Jesus. The books (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) are named after the assumed author. Two of these authors are Apostles, former Disciples of Jesus who were eye witnesses of the events in their narratives. The other two were early Christians (Mark is even believed to be one of the seventy other disciples sent out by Jesus) who received much of the details from the Apostles. So anyway you slice it our gospel accounts were passed down from these remaining eleven Disciples who went to the mountain in Galilee to meet with the resurrected Christ. Like them our commission to spread the gospel begins with us finding Jesus. How does one find/encounter Jesus? This question has dumbfounded great men like Lieutenant Dan and Forest Gump. The formulation of classic-modern evangelism is based of the "born-again" experience that Jesus tells Nicodemus of in John 3:1-18. This scene mirrors the Lieutenant Dan and Forest Gump one in its comedic response: 

Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

You can imagine a rim shot playing behind Nicodemus after his response. Even though the spiritual metaphor was initially lost on Nicodemus, Lieutenant Dan and Forest Gump they all would come to understand it's truth: you must start a new life. The unintended consequence of following this metaphor of the spiritual rebirth too tightly is that one assumes that the moment of "spiritual conception" occurs once...that finding Jesus consists of that initial consent that he is Lord and Savior. I would argue that finding Jesus happens several times...maybe even daily. I base this on the lives of these eleven disciples. They had been "called" to follow Jesus a long time ago. He even chose to send them out as his Apostles a long time ago as well. Nathanael declared him to be the Son of God and King of Israel upon meeting him and Peter later confessed that Jesus was the Christ. But they all still had their moments of betrayal, denial and doubt. Their spiritual development continued into the book of Acts long after Jesus had left. They continued to find, encounter and discover Jesus' truth throughout the rest of their lives. Christ knew this about them and he knows this about you. Still he enlisted for the long haul. He is the one who called the Disciples to follow him in three years of ministry, then called them to be commissioned on the mountain in Galilee and continued to call and develop them throughout their lives. He showed them mercy, he shared his love, he provided them food, he healed their afflictions, he befriended them, he forgave them, he taught them and he listened to them. He did all of these things for these eleven who would found the Church. And he did the same things for the one disciple (Judas Iscariot) who would betray him...knowing that he would betray him. Christianity isn't based on a one time event but a life long pursuit. Evangelism isn't an investment in those that will one day yield returns. It isn't about reciting a magic spell that will solve all of your problems and serve as a hall pass out of hell (poverty, failure, marital problems or fill in the blank). It is not a sales gimmick for church growth. Christian evangelism is about sharing all of Christ with all of Mankind in all of our lives. It is about being a follower of Jesus around other people.  



The Death Cookie, pg 1, Jack T. Chick



The Death Cookie, pg 6, Jack T. Chick

The Death Cookie, pg 10, Jack T. Chick

Making Disciples 

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,

So how does one make a Disciple? Well like most good things it's comparable to being in the Mafia... Look, just go with me here and it'll make sense. I mean they both deal with "Made Men," When I have time to myself I like to paint but that's only when their isn't a good Mafia movie or documentary on. And of course after watching them I think that I'm an expert on everything about the Mafia. So if you don't mind humoring me, allow me to share what I have learned about the Mafia through watching films:

1) The Mafia doesn't internally refer to itself as "The Mafia." It is called "Cosa Nostra" or "our thing" in the Sicilian Italian dialect.

2) As shown in the film Good Fellas you have to be 100% Italian to get into the American/Sicilian Mafia. Ray Liotta's character was just a regular White guy so he never became a Made Man.

3) Being a Mafia member is about more than being initiated. It is about putting in work and living daily to advance the enterprise of the family.  

When Christians follow the Jack T. Chick model of evangelism it can be eerily become its own Mafia. Christian groups become their own families that are in competition with the other families. They compete for converts and territory. Things can even go so far as to question the salvation of other Christians based on varying degrees of difference from your theological and/or organizational family. The focus turns to "our thing." That is what I think of when I see polemical pamphlets like Jack Chick's "Death Coolie." It is a brazen attempt to attack the Catholic teaching that Christ is present in the Eucharist. Now I am not against preaching or teaching against things that you disagree with from other Christian groups. What I am against is doing it from Conspiracy theories and straw man arguments as opposed to Scripture, Reason and Church History. If you disagree with another brother reason with in the same manner that Christ would: from a foundation in Scripture and from a heart filled with Love. That is where making a true disciple starts. You share your life, practices and attitude that is based on Jesus with others as to replicate it in them... even if they begin or end with different theological conclusions than you. You must maintain the foundation of your actions in the character of Christ. That is one that seeks to show love, mercy and kindness to all to display the truth. That way your faith goes from a small sectarian "our thing" to a grand inclusive "Our thing" that seeks brotherhood with all (especially those who claim Christ). A disciple of Jesus is not just one who desires to learn about Jesus but rather one who wants to apply those lessons to be like Jesus in all of his/her life. We are called to facilitate the construction of these re-born people. The Great Commission was to go to all, show Christ to all and then self replicate.



Angels?, pg 22, Jack T. Chick

Being Observant

baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you;   

To some (believers and non-believers) being a Christian is about following rules. Do's and Don't Do's and Should's and Should not's.  Women should always wear dresses (and long ones). Pastor's should always wear a tie. Don't play sports on Sunday. Do not question your pastor. Do not trust scientists. And if you subscribe to Jack T. Chick's notions don't ever listen to Rock n' Roll...not even Christian Contemporary music, because it's still Rock n' Roll... because it's still 1950 and people still say "Rock n' Roll." In truth Christianity does have rules (like most things, such as Gravity... and Fight Club) but the rules are there to highlight the greater freedom that you have. Being a disciple/being a Christian is all about living out the fullness of Jesus' teachings. You can subdivide his teachings in to several different parts if you'd like. There is the  Practical/Worship side. This includes Sacraments/Ordinances that Jesus has asked us to perform in observance of what he did with his life for our life. It is the type of stuff we most often do in a Sunday church setting (or Saturday if you are a Seventh Day Adventist or Messianic Jewish believer) and at minimum it is Baptism and Communion. Then there is the Theological/Belief system. This includes the sermons we hear in a church service, the things we learn in Bible Study class or Catechism but also our own personal study of Scripture, theology and Apologetics. Then their is the Lifestyle/Holiness part. This section starts with our prayer time and devotional life but spreads into abstinence from Sin and our pursuit of good in the world around us (taking care of the poor and needy, comforting the lonely, forgiving others). When Jesus covers all of these he highlights baptism and then covers the others in "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you." To be observant is an old school way to say that one is practicing the tenants of their Faith. Well I have another observation to make about Jesus' call for us to be observant. We spend a lot of time in our study of Scripture observing Jesus' teaching and preaching and his teaching through his actions but their is yet more to be learned in studying Jesus' attitude. Jesus was teaching deep theological truths in his way and his manner of doing things. It is not just what Jesus said and did but how he said and did it. What can we learn from Jesus' attitude? Jesus attitude is how he acted out his greatest commandment: to love. Jesus was patient and kind and loving. Yes Jesus was confrontational with the Pharisees but the end game was not to destroy them as people but rather to show them the destructive nature of pride and show humility and grace. Observing and adopting Jesus' personality leads to observing the commandment to love.



A Love Story, pg 9, Jack T. Chick

and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

And that leads me to the end of the story that I started earlier. I told the same group of Facebook friends that I would be posting about the pamphlet incident this week. Then yet another friend (who is a minister), let's call him "Keith", added his two cents to the conversation. He commented that these types of pamphlets had been wildly successful over several decades, usually bringing in converts to Evangelical and Fundamentalist Protestant churches. "Keith" was right. Protestants had done this type of stuff since the Reformers. Martin Luther is one of my heroes but he even got a little wild with printing caricatures of the Pope when he distributed arguments criticizing the vices of those in Church leadership. "Keith" also said that in the end the risk of hellfire that these tracts spoke of was harsh the truth. The only criticism that he could share was that it was done coldly without love. Now the literalness of Hell may be a controversial topic for some of you but I find that most positions on that debate believe in their being a place that is outside of God. Even if you remove the flames from it this place of judgment is a place of torment and unrest. This lack of peace is due to it being absent from the love of God. The opposite place is paradise because it is filled with God's presence. It has been describes various ways in Scripture and sometimes it is hard to delineate what is metaphor and what is literal truth but there is one this that for sure. It is where Christ is. In Jesus is where we find God's love and fullness. Even before we pass on to eternal life, Christ has promised to be with us in this troublesome life. And he has promised to bring God's love and fullness with him. This is the kind of God that I am a disciple of. This is the kind of love that I pray that I share with others. This is the fullness of the Gospel message. True evangelism and disciple making isn't complete in sharing a pamphlet. It is sharing your life and God's love.