Hello again, Martin!
Thank you for accepting as an answer the comments I made in response
to your earlier question:
http://www.answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=286507
I have reposted the material below.
"The name of Jesus gets used like a brand name, like Coca Cola or
Kleenex or Compaq - it doesn't tell you a whole lot what's actually in
the product - it just sounds good. The name of Jesus gets used to
punctuate a touchdown, raise big bucks, stop abortions, stomp on gay
and lesbian folk, justify war, burn books, and make bad art. Jesus has
become in our franchised world sort of a Starbucks - seems like he's
got a store on every street corner and inside you can find a prejudice
or fear to fit every taste. You got your mild latte sort of Jesus in
whose name is made a whole lot of really corny music. And then you got
your high octane espresso Jesus pumping out judgment against abortion,
homosexuality, atheists, liberals and uppity women. I don't know about
you, but my heart yearns to get Jesus out of the store and back on to
the street corner itself where people actually live."
South Congregational Church
http://www.sococh.org/srm1.htm
From a page about the history of the Salvation Army:
"To win widespread public support, the [Salvation] Army had to tamp
down its sectarian strain. It needed to enlist Protestants across the
board and also Jews and Catholics, and even atheists - the very people
whom it wanted to evangelize. The Army succeeded at focusing its
public mission on helping the poor. It became a religion of action
whose theology was expressed through non-sectarian outreach. In that
sense the Army's material identity functioned like a brand name, and,
in time, it became known more for its good works than its distinctive
Holiness theology. The Army did this because of its mission but also
to ensure its survival."
Material History of American Religion Project
http://www.materialreligion.org/journal/army.html
Here's an article that compares denominational identity to brand identity:
" ?Protestants Look to Their Roots: After Decades of Ecumenism,
Denominations Emphasize Sectarian Brand Identity? is the title of an
article by Barbara Carton published in the Wall Street Journal
(October 19, 2000: B1,B4). This article describes some actions
mainline Protestant denominations are presently taking to better
publicize to the general public what is unique about their tradition,
as well as be considerably more intentional about teaching their
distinctive history, polity, and other facets of their faith and
practice not only to new members, but to long-time members, and those
seeking ordination in their denomination. By establishing a stronger
'brand' identity, Protestant denominations hope to: 1) re-involve the
marginal members in congregations; 2) induce their congregation and
members to demonstrate commitment to the wider denomination in
practices and in financial contributions; 3) attract new members who
are not presently identifiers with the denominational label. "
Hartford Institute for Religion Research
http://hirr.hartsem.edu/bookshelf/lummis_article1.html
This article discusses the jettisoning of denominational "brand names"
in favor of "generic" church names which may have more youth appeal:
"Protestant churches hope to attract younger adherents by name
dropping -- that is, dropping 'brand names' like Baptist in favor of
generic labels that seem more 'user-friendly.'
It's a Baptist congregation, but the word Baptist appears nowhere to
identify the fast-growing Fellowship of Forest Creek church outside
Austin, Texas. 'Name-brand' denominations still dominate America's
religious landscape, but more and more 'generic' churches are reaching
out to a younger, unchurched population that often harbors stereotypes
about Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans and others -- or cannot tell
them apart."
LookSmart: Non-Doms in Name Only
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m1571/7_15/53924470/p1/article.jhtml
Another article on the trend toward jettisoning denominational "brand names":
Detroit Free Press
http://www.freep.com/news/religion/god3_20000403.htm
This comes from an article on "brand conditioning" as applied to churches:
"The denominational churches have long conditioned people to think of
religion in terms of brand names. Being 'just a Christian' is like
being 'just a cola' - if you have no trademark name on your label,
your faith can't possibly be as good as one of the popular brands.
The existence of brands, however, necessitates differentiation.
There's no value in the Coca-Cola name if every other soda tastes
exactly like Coke. In religion, differentiation leads to conflicting
creeds ? each church needs its own document (or set of documents) to
explain why it is different (and, by implication, better) than other
churches. So Roman Catholicism must have its catechism, Methodism its
Discipline, the Baptist church its Manual. Here again, we have no such
unique document. We have the Bible, and nothing else, to define our
faith. We are, in the eyes of our religious neighbors, 'generic,' 'no
name, 'off-brand.'
But so it was, in the beginning. Read the entire book of Acts, and you
will find neither brand nor denomination of church."
Penngrove Church of Christ
http://www.penngrovechurchofchrist.org/Articles/111603_brand.html
This comes from a page of ideas for children's worship services:
"Explain the significance of the broken bread and the wine. Explain
that just like the golden arches from McDonalds remind us of food, the
last Supper reminds us that Jesus' body was broken and his blood was
shed s that we might have forgivenes from our sins. Finally take out
the cross and tell them that just as the cross has become a symbol of
churches (you find them on top of most church buildings to advertise
that it is a church) the Lord's supper is supposed to advertise the
death of Christ for our sins."
Kay Poh Road Baptist Church: Children's Worship Ideas
http://www.kprbc.org.sg/cw/CW_Aug6_2000.html
A thought-provoking article about the use of Christian symbols in pop
culture and advertising:
Shoot the Messenger: Christian Symbols, the Ghosts Which Walk Through Pop Culture
http://www.shootthemessenger.com.au/u_sep_98/infowism/symbols.htm
From the same site, an article about Volvo's controversial "Save Your
Soul" ad campaign:
Shoot the Messenger: Material Indulgences with Volvo
http://www.shootthemessenger.com.au/u_mar_98/life/l_volvo.htm
This is a fascinating project, and I'm honored to have been a part of
it. Best of luck with BRANDsense when it is released!
Best regards,
pinkfreud |
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