Posted on 10/22/2005 9:35:06 AM PDT by hiho hiho
Mainline Protestant denominations, whose numbers have plummeted in recent decades, are resorting to catchy ad campaigns and creating a brand identity to establish themselves in the public consciousness.
So far, they have been successful. The 1.3-million-member United Church of Christ, America's most liberal Protestant denomination, saw the amount of yearly hits on its Web site (www.ucc.org) quintuple from 950,000 to 5 million after a 30-second TV ad last year that showed two muscular male bouncers blocking a church entrance.
"Jesus didn't turn people away. Neither do we," flashed a text across the screen. Reaction to the $1.5 million campaign so pleased denominational officials that the UCC plans to premiere a second edgy ad on a similar theme: The UCC includes people who might be denied entrance to most other churches.
These include interracial couples, homosexuals, prisoners, and parents with autistic children, said Ron Buford, who oversees the "God is Still Speaking" campaign that produced both ads.
"What we didn't expect were the people who said, 'I didn't believe God's grace was available to me. Now it is,' " he said.
-s-
The Episcopal Diocese of Washington is spending $9,000 for the theater ads that appear several times before the start of a movie. Images direct viewers to WeWelcomeYou.org, a diocesan Web site that includes information on various churches, links to their sites, articles about worshipping in an Episcopal church and a short on-line movie about the diocese.
One ad shows a man wearing a dunce cap in a curled-up position atop a question mark beneath a headline: "Because Having Questions is not a Sin."
(Excerpt) Read more at washtimes.com ...
They could probably get even more hits on their website if they would show naked people copulating. No doubt some of the new members who are into "lifestyle diversity" would be more than willing to pose for such photos.
Am I missing something here? I live in the South and most churches here have no problem with those on the UCC's list of excluded persons, except for overt homosexuals.
Like all liberals, the UCC employs hyperbolic deception.
I guess I'm just stupid. What church denies entrance to anyone? I didn't realize there were churches where sinners were not allowed entrance...
For truthful information on the UCC, go to http://www.ucctruths.com/
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