Engaging Culture
Sharing a Message the Audience Doesn’t Want to Hear
With all our talk about “marketing” and “branding,” we can’t overlook the central challenge that as Christian communicators, we’re delivering a message most people aren’t interested in hearing – at least at first.
Our message isn’t promoting Coke, Apple computers, or BMW automobiles. It’s not about immediate desirability. The truth is, Christianity isn’t a message most people want to hear at all. In fact, in today’s culture there isn’t just push-back, sometimes there’s open hostility.
So the question becomes “How do we overcome that initial hesitation and to get them to listen long enough to be interested?”
Let me know your thoughts….
God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason. We must listen twice as much as we speak. Then we can tailor our message to the unbelievers’ needs.
The only thing I’ve ever known to do is to share my story. I was not taught Christ through my natural family, but Christ showed up in my life one day and saved me from all my fears. There is power in telling what God has done for you personally.
Through entertainment, i.e. films and television in direct and parable methods.
Like the man said, do it like Jesus. Build a relationship ala Zaccheus or the Samarian woman at the well and bring down the kingdom of God into their lives. People may want to hear about religion but they want to know where, what, who of being haoppy and solving their immediate problems. Just my 2 cents
You have to make your story desirably enough by showing the results the message made on impact. The world wants honesty and transparency without hype, so do reporters for that matter. Their interpretation of faith messages is tainted by scandal. So you have to go the opposite direction by showing the life of an average JOE being rescued.
There is no getting past the offence of the cross. In the time of Rome, the cross was a sign of defeat. It meant that Rome had won, and the crucified had lost. To be crucified meant that you were a defeated foe. To come to the cross, we are to admit that we are defeated foes before an Almighty God. This is not the popular self-help message that we hear often, but it’s the gospel. It can’t be candy coated in any way! However we need to make sure that it’s the offence of the cross, and not our lack of skill in delivering the message that causes some to be offended. Thank you Phil for challenging the status quo of Christian Broadcasting.