Skywriter Jerry Stevens sees himself as an evangelist for people looking for heavenly signs. "You can't imagine what it's like when you're feeling low, wondering if God is listening to your prayers, and then you walk out of your house and up above in big letters right over you, there's 'God Loves You,' " he told the Palm Beach Post. But his New Year's Day message really caught people's attention: "God Is Great." For Palm Beach County residents, that was too close to the Muslim acclamation Allahu Akbar ("God is great"). The county was home base for half of the 9/11 hijackers and was the first target of an anthrax attack. Police were flooded with frantic calls. "I was just wondering if a terrorist group was paying for someone to write that," said one observer. Stevens says he'll stick to clearer messages.
Copyright © 2002 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.
Related Elsewhere
Previous coverage includes:
Boca Skywriter Causes Panic by Writing 'God Is Great' — Associated Press (Jan. 1, 2002)
Have something to add about this? See something we missed? Share your feedback here.
Our digital archives are a work in progress. Let us know if corrections need to be made.
Annual & Monthly subscriptions available.
- Print & Digital Issues of CT magazine
- Complete access to every article on ChristianityToday.com
- Unlimited access to 65+ years of CT’s online archives
- Member-only special issues
- Learn more
More from this Issue
Read These Next
- TrendingAmerican Christians Should Stand with Israel under AttackWhile we pray for peace, we need moral clarity about this war.
- From the MagazineFractured Are the PeacemakersA Christian reconciliation group in Israel and Palestine warned that war would come. Now the war threatens their relevance.españolالعربيةFrançaisрусскийУкраїнська
- Editor's PickCare for the Environment Is Biblical. It’s Also a Witness to Environmentalists.Do activists often invest their work with religious significance? All the more reason for Christians to be discerning co-laborers.