Bumper Sticker Theology

 [My wife has told me recently that I need to lighten up.  Here goes.]

…let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.  Matthew 5:16

I was once part of a small group of preachers who met weekly for sermonizing.  We shared our insights on the upcoming Sunday’s scripture passages and mined each other like 49’ers looking for nuggets - stories that might illustrate a particular theme.  Among the group, for a brief time, was a Southern Baptist who had, as a Ph. D. candidate, done a comprehensive study on the theology of bumper stickers one often sees plastered on the rear bumpers or windows of cars.  Bumper stickers cannot be particularly nuanced because in three to five words it is difficult to express much that is profound.  I wish I had a chance to read my colleague’s thesis but one can easily do one’s own musing on the spirituality of such messages.

“Catch the Spirit,” was popular among United Methodists back in the 70’s - a light-hearted encouragement to join in the fun of Wesleyanism.  No harm done, except the message failed to reckon with the reality that more often one is “caught up” by the Holy Spirit rather than catching (Him/Her) by one’s own initiative.  Catching the Spirit is likely to be as elusive as trying to harness the wind (I believe Jesus had something to say about that).

“Praise the Lord,” is another popular one which again seems rather harmless except that it conjures up memories of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker and their greedy bastardization of the gospel.  Their dream amusement park, Heritage USA, remains largely a ghost town as a reminder of how little the lordship of Jesus actually held sway in their thinking.

“WWJD?” or  “What Would Jesus Do?” is a prod to our conscience, asking us to consider the will of Jesus in our decision-making.  This sentiment has been critiqued by those who claim it is asking too much of us to act as perfectly as the Messiah.  Still, I see the value in it.  After all, the apostle Paul did encourage us in this way, “Let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus . . . ,” as he went on to commend servanthood to us.  We could do worse than consider WWJD.

“Jesus Is Coming, Look Busy,” is so terrible I don’t know where to begin to tear it apart.  On the positive side, if there is one, Jesus does encourage us to be at work in the vineyard at all times.  However, “looking busy” is not the point as that smacks of hypocrisy.  Also, there is this undertone that Jesus is coming with vengeance to smite those who are not busy - a far cry from the good news of the gospel.

Equally terrible but for different reasons we have “In case of rapture, this car will be unmanned” (sic).  While popular in some circles, the notion of rapture is a fantasy blown completely out of biblical proportion.  The idea that Christians will be snatched up into heaven like Elijah before an end-of-the-world tribulation was concocted with questionable biblical interpretation by a fringe element in the 1800’s (Darbyism).  Rational theology has long since discredited Darby.  Needless to say, self-piloted cars are more the workings of new technology than of spiritual transcendence.

Less fantastical, but inane, is “Honk if you love Jesus.”  I mean, what’s the point of that?  If everyone complied our roadways would constantly sound like a gaggle of geese to no one’s edification.  Someone obviously saw the opportunity and responded with a more helpful bumper sticker, “If you love Jesus, work for justice.”  While not as popular, it was more true to the essence of gospel.

I love the pervasive “COEXIST,” sticker that is made up of symbols from various world religions.  While each religion typically makes some claim to exclusivity on truth, there is no reason why we need to attack one another lest we, in biblical fashion, “devour one another.”  I suspect if we listen to each other’s grasp on the truth we may find more in common and have reason to not only coexist but also to cooperate for the good of us all.

I suppose the intent of any bumper sticker is to give a witness about what you believe or what’s important to you - like letting your light shine before others.  Of course, some stickers are simply whimsical, and that’s a kind of witness, too.  But I remember the words attributed to St. Francis that he’d rather see a sermon than hear one.  That might keep a few more stickers off our bumpers and generate more witness that actually testifies to the reign of God in our midst.  Peace.