Hear about the latest misguided Christian attempt to counter Halloween? This one is so misguided that when I read TIME’s article, I assumed it was a spoof. Alas, it’s not. It’s JesusWeen. Jesus. Ween. Jesus+ween. Je. sus. ween.
1. Is Jesus being weaned? It’s not even Christmas yet.
2. JesusWeen makes the Lord of the Universe sound like a weenie. Seriously, folks, whether you are a songwriter, a preacher, an author, or anyone who writes words down that you or others will sing, say or read, you should speak your words aloud. If JesusWeen didn’t look bad enough on paper, surely someone in this group would have heard it spoken aloud and said, “Wait guys … this name may not be as cool as we’d first thought. For one, putting that “s” and “w” together isn’t the easiest combination of consonants to say. For another, IT MAKES THE LORD OF THE UNIVERSE SOUND LIKE A WEENIE!”
3. Just read this excerpt from the JesusWeen website on how this got started:
Pastor Paul requested 300 copies of New Testament pocket size Bibles from the Bible Society to use for personal evangelism. A few days before Halloween, a word came to him to give out bibles to everyone knocking at his door expecting candy. On that day over 40 bibles were given out without him stepping out of his house. All it took was putting a bible into every bag as they opened each bag with a smile. It was much easier than expected …
So 40 kids can be disappointed upon learning that their candy is actually a Bible. Of course it’s still the Word of God, and God can use the situation in spite of the foolishness inherent in this plan, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that it is a bad plan. Tricking people into taking a Bible does more to turn them away than to draw them near. The cross of Christ is already an offense to the world; there is no need for us to further stack the deck.
If you choose to put a Bible in a kids’ bag along with a Snicker bar, that’s one thing. But don’t make the mistake of thinking that this supplants the hard work of evangelism, of investing in the lives of coworkers and neighbors, of showing love to those who think Christ is a myth.
I’d rather hear someone say “God used me in bringing one friend to Christ, after lots of conversation, and crying together over a tragedy, and sharing meals, and helping them out in a period of stress,” than to hear “I snuck Bibles into a bunch of kids’ bags when they were expecting candy.”
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