Church Life

Commercial Brake

Advertising for a Church of England diocese equates Jesus’ crucifixion to body piercing

Advertiser

The Church of England, Diocese of Birmingham

Setup

“Body piercing?”

Tagline

“Jesus had his done 2,000 years ago.”

Rationale

Diocesan communications director Arun Arora: “The purpose of these posters is to try and grab the attention of a group of people with whom the church has lost contact.”

Rebuttal

Christian Institute spokesman Ian Bainbridge: “The poster … trivializes the crucifixion of Jesus.”

Copyright © 2002 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Related Elsewhere

The Diocese of Birmingham‘s official Web site has an image of the poster and explanation of what it means. The Body Piercing ad is one of four posters put up to advertise the diocese’s Web site to 16 to 24-year-olds. Other posters include: Asylum Seekers, Drugs, and The Church is for Life.

Related articles include:

Church unveils ‘body piercing’ crucifix poster – Ananova (Dec. 4, 2001)

In December, Commercial Brake looked at a wine company who launched a “Jesus was born in a trough” campaign.

Also in this issue

Is the God of Muhammad the Father of Jesus? The answer to this question reveals the heart of our faith.

Cover Story

Is the God of Muhammad the Father of Jesus?

Missing God at Macalester

Afghanistan: Entrapment Suspected

Deann Alford

North Africa: Interest in Satellite TV Up Since 9/11

Philipines: Missionary Couple Remains in Limbo

Anil Stephen

Church Leader Gets Reprieve

Tony Carnes

Kenya: Christians Flee Rioting

Sue Sprenkle

Quotation Marks

Today's Sermon: Thou Shalt Not Steal

Raiders of the Lost Ark

The Holy City

Southern Baptists: SBC Agency May Revoke D.C. Funds

Ken Walker

Outpaced by Islam?

Christianity Today Editorial

Bad Priorities Can Kill

Christianity Today Editorial

In the Word: The Jesus Scandal

James R. Edwards

God's Mission

Richard A. Kauffman

The Long View: Wielding the Sword

A Quiet Compromise

Tall Tales

Jeremy Lott

Was Just Wondering…

The 10,000-Mile Courtship

Whatever Happened to Repentance?

News

Coming to a Screen Near You

Douglas LeBlanc

News

The Lowdown on Downloads

News

Go Figure

Does God Hear Muslims' Prayers?

James Lewis

One African Nation Under God

Fire in the Sky

Wendy Murray Zoba

"Big, Soft Targets"

Jeff M. Sellers

The Agony of the Families

Jeff M. Sellers

News

No Longer Just a Rock Band

Todd Hertz

A Daily Repentance Workout

Classroom Corrections

Still Somebody

Only God Is Free

Geoffrey Bromiley

Midterm Exams

Sheryl Henderson

September 11: Church Binds 9/11 Wounds with Quick Cash

LaTonya Taylor

Mining Controversy: Robertson Takes Flak for Gold-Mining Venture

Chuck Fager

Rite of Passage: Promise Keepers Begins to Evangelize Boys

Larry Pierce

Bible Translation: Revised NIV Makes Its Debut

Timothy C. Morgan

View issue

Our Latest

News

How Mexican Cartel Violence Disrupted a Guadalajara Church

Christians call for peace and prayer after the killing of drug kingpin El Mencho led to violence across the country.

Confronting Evils

In 1974, CT saw trouble in the White House, Chile, and Cyprus, and in the American fascination with exorcists.

The Bulletin

Tariff Takedown, War with Iran, and State of the Union

Mike Cosper, Clarissa Moll, Russell Moore

Supreme Court says Trump’s tariffs are unconstitutional, US considers war with Iran, and a very long State of the Union address.

ICE Is Devastating Some Latino Churches

Samuel Rodriguez

One of America’s leading Hispanic Christians witnesses the devastating effect of immigration politics on church life.

‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ Should Be for All Americans

Commonly referred to as the Black national anthem, the Christian hymn is part of our shared inheritance.

Review

Parenting Takes Courage. These Books Offer Hope.

Gretchen Ronnevik

Three books on parenting and family to read this month.

The Just Life with Benjamin Watson

Preston Perry: If God Is Good, How Can He Allow Such Horrific Things to Happen?

How the Gospel provides the framework for both righteousness and justice.

Analysis

Housing Doesn’t Solve Homelessness

At California’s Orange County Rescue Mission, a two-year program provides far more than a roof over residents’ heads.

Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastprintRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube