10 Christian T-Shirts That Undermine The Church’s Credibility

jaysondbradley.com ^ | 3-25-15

[InvisibleChurch]

I’ve always found American Christian culture’s diminishment of the sacred to be extremely troubling. In a manner foreign to other faiths, evangelicalism often obscures the holy in a cloud of kitsch.

Take, for instance, the Christian t-shirt. Now here’s a phenomenon that serves absolutely no purpose. Oh, I know that they’re sold as powerful tools for evangelism, but let’s be honest. Have you ever met someone who saw a “Lord’s Gym” t-shirt and fell to the ground crying, “WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED!?” Feel free to leave a comment if you have (unless you’re a marketer for Kerusso).

Reducing the beauty of the gospel to a witty—and occasionally aggressive—sandwich board doesn’t seem like a great way to draw people. In fact, it seems like a better tool for Christians to identify each other in a crowd.

I have a hard time not believing that this is what it means to take the Lord’s name in vain. Here’s 10 examples why:

[InvisibleChurch]

One popular t-shirt strategy is to take a well-known product’s slogan and create some kind of Christian spin on it. Walk through any Bible bookstore and you’ll see tons of these, and many of them are just as questionable as this one.

The intention: Obviously it’s a take on Mountain Dew’s “Do the Dew” tagline. The addition of the John 4:14 snippet is supposed to tie it together and give it some gospel gravity.

The reality: “Do the Jew!?” Seriously!? First of all, Jesus’ exchange with the woman at the well is incredibly profound and inspirational; to reduce it to this parody is beyond pathetic.

Imagine you know nothing about Jesus, and while you’re at the DMV you see some guy wearing this shirt. What are you going to assume “Do the Jew” means? I can’t figure out of the producers of this shirt are just incredibly naive or just intentionally tasteless.

[a fool in paradise]

I wanted to post a response unfortunately I couldn’t find a double facepalm pic of Adam and Eve.

[goodwithagun]

I felt the same about the WWJD bracelets that were all the rage years ago. A local mega church was handing them out like candy.

[Star Traveler]

Well ... “InvisibleChurch” ... I’m gonna wear my t-shirt so that I’m not INVISIBLE ... LOL ...

[NorthMountain]

“Do the Jew”

Sounds like a line from a mafia movie ...

In this sort of sentence, "do" usually means either "kill" or "have sexual intercourse with".

[the_daug]

Must say I never seen any of these shirts be for.

[NorthMountain]

From the article:

Like I said, QR codes never really took of

On what planet?

[tanstaafl44]

I like(from big bang theory)

ghod don’t take attendance

think about the last 100,000 years if all religions accepted this

(for the grammar Nazis, ghod is how sf fandom used to spell it and don’t is a statement and a request)

[bigbob]

if the credibility of the church is threatened by silly slogans on t-shirts, then it’s in trouble indeed

[Yashcheritsiy]

So pretty much, what he’s saying is essentially “Don’t be worldly.”

[stars & stripes forever]

T-Shirts are not undermining the church. The lukewarm church that has lost it's salt has undermined the church.

The slogans may be silly, but they are someones attempt to reach the last generation for Christ. If it isn't unbiblical, don't judge it.

[elcid1970]

“Do the Jew” sounds sinister, like something an ISIS sympathizer might wear.

The Jewishness of Jesus can & should be highlighted but there are better ways than this T-shirt.

Now...”My Boss is a Jewish Carpenter” is unmistakable.

[dangus]

Yes, I absolutely agree that none of these shirts will do much to save anyone's souls. But does someone expect that there is a T-shirt -- or a church sign -- or a tract leaflet -- that will? Can they be judged instead on amusing alternatives to offensive or empty T-shirt slogans? In which case, "Do the Jew" is an embarrassing failure.

On the other hand, the article's interpretation of "I <3 Church Boys" is simply way off. The author states, "We don’t need to encourage them to see our gatherings as a smorgasbord of safe, potential dates" Well, actually, we do need them to see the Christian community as where to meet the fulfillment of both genders' emotional and spiritual design to have companionship and be fruitful and multiply. The shirt isn't supposed to be what a parent makes their kid wear, but what a young woman might wear to say, "This is what I want!"

The author states, "I have a hard time not feeling that the church is still in the business of telling young women that their job is to marry a Christian man, have his children, and fulfill his wishes." But the T-shirt says, "This is how to fulfill MY wishes."

Frankly, my wife would love it.

[dangus]

I think the author wants the Church to stay invisible.

[MeshugeMikey]

Do The Jew...sounds like the New Jesse Jackson Movie!!

[Patriot777]

As a Christian, after viewing the pictures of the t-shirts I was definitely affronted; the Lord Jesus Christ is not a soft drink to be advertised.

But what would a person who has not accepted Jesus think when they see one of these t-shirts? Would it prompt a conversation with the wearer—based on frank curiosity—that might lead to salvation, or cause the unsaved individual to view the Lord Jesus as a joke and the wearer as a ridiculous idiot?

You have to go to the Word of God on this, where it tells us to make sure that what we do, say or anything else does not offend as to drive them away from salvation.

[Regal]

I just don’t see any that seem offensive. Anything that helps spread the message is a good thing.

[kosciusko51]

These shirts reminded me of the book Jesus Made in America: A Cultural History from the Puritans to "The Passion of the Christ", which is an interesting view of Christianity in the US.

[WKUHilltopper]

These shirts are truly pathetic.

[wardaddy]

Do The Jew is tasteless....way tasteless

And belies this new Kabbalah like Christian envy and obsession over a link or claim to The Chosen

Cultic

Jews and Judaism are part of the history and the story

Not personal solution