Kevin Eckstrom of Religion News Service does a brilliant job this week of contrasting the United Church of Christ’s “God is Still Speaking” ad blitz with its historic image:
The glitzy “God is Still Speaking” ad campaign by the United Church of Christ features a giant black comma with a quote from comedian Gracie Allen — “Never place a period where God has placed a comma.”
Some conservatives, however, worry that a punctuation mark has pushed aside the UCC’s traditional logo — with its prominent cross and crown of Jesus Christ — and with it, the church’s Christian identity.
As UCC delegates gathered in Atlanta last weekend (July 1-5) for the church’s General Synod meeting, they considered a resolution to reassert the UCC’s 1957 “Cross Triumphant” logo as the “central symbol” for its 1.3 million members.
Eckstrom teases out that clash of images by interviewing the Rev. David Runnion-Bareford, leader of the UCC reform group called Biblical Witness Fellowship, and Diana Butler Bass of Virginia Theological Seminary, who’s leading The Project on Congregations of Intentional Practice, a two-year study of vital mainline churches.
One angle that does not become explicit in Eckstrom’s story is the larger theological debate embodied by the comma versus cross debate: Is there a continuing revelation that contradicts what churches have historically held is God’s definitive self-revelation in Scripture?
Just where this could lead, both theologically and grammatically, is evident in a column (16-page PDF; see p. 2) by Herb Gunn, editor of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan’s newspaper, The Record:
The idea that God’s message is not finished yet but the real risk is that Christians have stopped listening is the strongest reason I can give for why I was drawn into the Episcopal Church from the Church of my youth, Presbyterian.
The UCC advertisement touches on precisely what I value in a church community and the “comma campaign” is
… well, a stroke of genius. Not only does the comma suggest more is coming, but move it around.God is still, speaking
God is, still speaking
God, is still speaking
If the UCC campaign continues attracting this kind of cutting-edge thinking, perhaps The Wittenburg Door might consider choosing Gracie Allen as its first posthumous Theologian of the Year.
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Comments (14) |
July 8, 2005, at 4:02 pm
Reminds me of an old column in “First Things” by Fr. Richard John Neuhaus, which includes an anecdote about his friend Avery Cardinal Dulles walking into a church, seeing a banner that read “God is other people,” and wishing he had a black magic marker to insert a prominent comma between “other” and “people.”
Anecdote by Neuhaus at:
http://www.firstthings.com/ftissues/ft0401/public.html
Original by Dulles at:
http://www.firstthings.com/ftissues/ft9803/articles/dulles.html
July 8, 2005, at 4:04 pm
[…] A nice post from GetReligion talks about a denomination, a marketing campaign, and a punctuation mark, and scores bonus points by mentioning the Door. […]
July 8, 2005, at 5:55 pm
I called a UCC friend to ask for an update yesterday:
The Israeli divestment resolution was kind of still passed. The word divestment was scrubbed from the resolution, but it still advocates withdrawing economic support of companies that “profit from the illegal occupation of Palestine” (approx). The resolution also added some words of condemnation for suicide bombings to try and balance it out, and a call to invest in businesses that promote peace (for an investment standpoint, I don’t understand how that will work out, since you cannot “invest” in a peace group).
The full support of gay marriage was passed.
The “Jesus is Lord” resolution was passed after it excised any requirements for clergy to believe it, and acknowledged other paths to God. (The second half, I’m not fully sure on, but that’s what I was told.)
A resolution was passed condemning Israel for the separation wall, and calling for them to tear it down.
A resolution was passed urging the President to not privitize social security. (Why a church is involved in this, I have no idea. Apparently the resolution, like all other resolutions, marshalls Bible verses to support it. After searching though the entire Bible I cannot find a single word on government pensions no matter how hard I look. I must not have the right translation.)
Another resolution was passed urging a moderate Supreme Court judge to be appointed.
I’m forgetting one or two, but that’s the general idea.
July 8, 2005, at 6:39 pm
Your Bible clearly is deficient then!
I’m sure you also wouldn’t find in the Bible any references to how “‘Jesus is Lord,’ but it’s not really that important to believe it and, anyway, who needs him when there are ‘other paths?’”
Brad
July 8, 2005, at 11:22 pm
Major resolution texts are on the official site at http://www.ucc.org .
The idea of a “compromise” on the one acknowledging “Jesus as Lord and Savior” — besides removing the doctrinal “test” language, and the reference to “Unitarians Considering Christ” — was to merge it with the one announcing that they are keeping to cross-crown-and-orb logo. There is nothing about “other paths”. (Why not just look for yourself, when we have all this available on the Web?)
July 8, 2005, at 11:50 pm
There is a warning that none of these can be considered “official” until they are reviewed by the Executive Council in October.
July 10, 2005, at 8:54 pm
Well, if I did believe “God is still speaking” (infallibly and with authority to repeal His previous words), the United Church of Christ is not the first place I would think of as His mouthpiece on earth.
It’s an interesting U-turn from the Spong-ian position that “God never really spoke at all”.
July 11, 2005, at 1:15 pm
Liberal, denominations are still shrinking.
Liberal denominations, are still shrinking.
Liberal denominations are, still shrinking.
Liberal denominations are still, shrinking.
(I think the first and last ones just about nail it. Let’s draw up a resolution.)
July 11, 2005, at 5:43 pm
Liberal denominations are shrill, stinking
July 12, 2005, at 10:33 am
Shrill, definitely. “Stinking”? Ouch! That’s too cold, even for me!
July 12, 2005, at 11:52 am
Gracie Allen was clearly calling folks to read the Bible as written, not as they’d wish it to be. So it sounds like the UCC is engaging in false advertising.
It should also be noted that Gracie Allen was a Catholic….
July 19, 2005, at 12:32 am
Precisely the point! God is still speaking and of all the other paths beyond the UCC corridors, my guess is that Catholicism is but one.
Has anyone suggested you guys are having too much fun? Perhaps the subtly of the reminder that God is still speaking suggests we humans really spend too much time casting our own voices (for amusement)rather than spending the energy to listen!
July 19, 2005, at 10:08 am
[…] - GET RELIGION: For the love of God, place a period… (getreligion.org) […]
July 20, 2005, at 11:29 am
God is still speaking invites everyone to the table of Christ,who remains at the head of all things. All are welcome.God should be embraced as should ALL THE PEOPLE. Diversity should not be feared. God Bless the UCC. God Bless us all.