Last night when I was driving to Polk County Youth Services to get a new church group started with their first time doing a birthday party at the shelter. That is one thing that the ministry I work for does. Anyway, I digress.
I noticed this red minivan ahead of me. The first thing my eyes were drawn to is an Icthus. For those of you who
may not know; the Icthus is an ancient Christian symbol that “followers of the Way” would use to identify themselves during times of Roman persecution. An example of an Icthus is on the right.
The second thing I noticed was a bumper sticker that read, “Protect children, kill a pedophile.” Now I personally have a disdain for pedophiles and I honestly don’t know how I would emotionally respond if that ever happened to one of my kids. Advocating murder, however, is way, way beyond the pale.
I really don’t like “Christian” bumper stickers usually either because of poor theology see the bumper sticker in the picture above that says, “On Judgment Day you’ll Wish your car had JESUS STICKERS.” Yeah, upon Christ’s return and standing at the Great White Throne Judgment, (Revelation 20:11-15), I’m sure that will be on the minds of those who rejected Christ. Not that it would make a difference anyway.
With others you just see a disconnect with what is on the car and conduct while driving the car. Nice seeing somebody with a Christian bumper sticker cut someone off driving or speeding or just lousy driving in general. Then some stickers are just plain goofy… “honk if you love Jesus.” I can see somebody on the highway passing a car with that sticker thinking, “I’d better honk quick or they are going to think I don’t love Jesus!” Or perhaps a non-Christian is going to say to his spouse when they pass a car that warns it will be unoccupied when the rapture occurs – “honey we’d better stay away from them if Jesus comes back (assuming they know what the rapture is) that car is going to be all over the road!”
Maybe people just think when seeing a car with “Christian” bumper stickers pulled over by the police that they are just witnessing to the police officer. Right. If you must have them, please let them theologically sound, not goofy, not have another bumper sticker that contradicts it, and drive like you know Jesus.
But it would be best just not to have them. I can’t recall anyone coming to know Jesus as a result of seeing a bumper sticker.