Sermon Illustration

Slogan or Message?

We must be aware of trivializing the gospel, of presenting it in a form that compromises the radicality of its message. If someone is used to seeing or hearing "Coke adds life," he or she will, most likely, understand "Christ adds life" in the same commercial way: Christ is just another consumer item vying for attention. Christ doesn't speak as crucified King, but as a tricky salesman; not as Lord of the universe, but as genius of the slogan.

The slogan trivializes the message and suffocates understanding. So we must move beyond the slogan to the creed. A slogan-saturated society tempts us to demote the Christian faith to the level of a slogan. When we give in, we freeze our understanding at a commercialized level. We are satisfied with a starvation diet.

But the truth of God is rich and full; our orthodoxy is full-orbed and comprehensive. We may credally summarize it without suffocating it with the trivial. We cannot bottle up and mechanically dispense the great truths of our Lord, but we can celebrate our doctrinal inheritance with joy.

Our Latest

Article

Music at Midnight: The Supreme Value of Mercy

Our pastoral forefather, George Herbert, orients us to the music that stops the flow of discouragement.

Article

Good Expectations

Knowing the ways God uses our preaching feeds our faith in the outcomes.

Article

On Finding Sacred Space in the City

How will congregations find places in dense, expensive urban areas?

Fiction

The Weight of Calling

The sanctuary quieted as it cleared. The worship team finished packing up and departed. Daniel’s thoughts faded, interrupted by the sound of Norma’s voice.

addApple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseellipseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squarefolderGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastprintremoveRSSRSSSaveSavesaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube
Down ArrowbookCloseExpandExternalsearchTable of Contents