Thoughts From the Turnpike – Part 1

Note:  My name is Tim Ghali and I am a happily married husband, a father, a student ministry pastor, a Biblical Seminary student and I infrequently blog at www.blackcoffeereflections.com.  Please know that my words do not reflect Thomas in any way, he uses better grammar and less sarcasm.

A couple weeks ago, I was entering Pennsylvania on the Turnpike and headed to seminary.  Radiohead was in my ears, my trusty spill-proof mug was in my right hand and a backseat full of books that should have been read were sleeping like a pew full of Baptists.  As I was speeding and tailgating my way through the morning traffic, I saw that they had a changed a particular billboard and this caught my attention.

Flashback to the last time I drove through.  The previous billboard was about Islam and how you could learn the truth about it.  It was warm, friendly and implied that you, the driver, have probably been misinformed.  Solution – check out our website.  They probably wanted me to understand more but I would only glance because, well, I drive too fast.

Back to the present – the billboard had changed and now it was a … you guessed I …t a billboard promoting Jesus as the only way.  Pardon me for forgetting the exact wording for again, I was speeding but this glance got me chuckling and then it saddened me.  As sure as the Lord lives, let me tell you what happened.  Mind you, I have no evidence, I have no insider information, nor have I ever bought/sold billboard space before but I do  know what happened.  We know by now that you can’t argue with experience.  I’ve been a Christian for all 32 years of my life and if you are a Calvinist, please factor in all the years that I was pre-destined to be one.

What happened was this.  The day the billboard featured Islam, a collection was taken by well-intentioned Christians who needed to “take back the ground lost to the enemy!”. Add to the fact that this billboard is right before a beautiful large church that can easily be seen from the highway and whether they were the new buyer or not, I know how we Christians think.

The rationale is very corporate, advertising sells.  We already lost the kids to smoking, drinking, pre-marital who knows what; we’re drawing the line somewhere and it’s here!  Unfortunately, the rationale does not take into account actual people.  Do you know anyone that has ever been saved by a Christian billboard?  I believe the Holy Spirit can speak through asses and Christian bumper stickers but I have yet to hear that testimony firsthand (“Well, I was driving on the turnpike and saw this billboard and said, ‘I am sinner in need of grace.  And I pulled over and prayed …”)

If we are serious about reaching the lost, let’s love them and show our love to all, including the Muslim.  Let’s leave the billboard space for car dealerships and upcoming movies and pour our energies and resources into our communities and build relationships with our neighbors.