Here is how the story goes:
When Pastor Jim Colerick wanted to reach out to young people in his community, he decided to do it through the one thing that almost all young people love: music. With the help of Brian Spinney, one of the men in his church, Pastor Colerick and his wife put together this little doozy of a number.
The resulting video has had over six million views and more than 21,000 comments on YouTube. Surprisingly, there are quite a few positive comments. That doesn’t change the fact that this is a highly inappropriate message. Watch it:
I can see the sincerity of this kind of effort. I really can.?I don’t believe (if this is real) that these people were trying to be offensive. What’s crazy-scary is that they really seem to think they’re doing a GOOD thing. And they’re not alone. I see way too much of this trend of Christians going overboard to “be hip” and reach out to youth. I know why they do it — many of them have good intentions. But this video is a good example of “trying too hard” and cementing the general opinion that Christians are just weirdos.
I interviewed my teen daughter and her friend — both are Christians — and asked them to watch the video with me. I genuinely wish I had filmed their reaction — it was sheer shock and disbelief. About halfway through the video, right after the pastor’s wife did her bit, they simply couldn’t watch anymore.
I asked them: “do you think this is an effective Christian outreach method for youth?”
No. They said that it may make people come to church, but for the “wrong reasons.” They found it offensive and just plain stupid. They said that the older people in the video are just “embarrassing themselves.”
The word on the web is that this video is a hoax that was dreamed up to help “Brian Spinney” pocket some ad revenue. Who knows? But let’s just nip this little “bring ’em to Jesus” recruitment method in the bud right here. This will motivate no kid — ever — to come to your church. It’s just another way to make Christians look even more out of touch than they already do. This completely smacks of pollyanna-ish racism. K? Thanks.
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Tiffany Willis is the founder and editor-in-chief of Liberal America. An unapologetic member of the Christian Left, she has spent most of her career actively working with ?the least of these? and disadvantaged and oppressed populations. She’s passionate about their struggles. To stay on top of topics she discusses,?like her?Facebook page,?follow her on Twitter, or?connect with her via LinkedIn. She also has?a?grossly neglected personal blog?and a?literary quotes blog that is a labor of love. Find her somewhere and join the discussion.
