A church near me has a lighted sign that every week has some cutesy saying. This week, it's "The Magi saw Jesus. Will You?'

I presume the  intention is to attract new congregants. It won't. Anyone who's dumb enough to take such a sign seriously must already be a member of that congregation. Worse,  that won't attract new members, such a sign announces the church to every passerby as trivial, perhaps even silly And the disease appears to be spreading.

Some good observations on church marketing efforts from "Church Marketing Sucks."

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Does your church have a telephone listing in the Yellow Pages? In the White Pages in your local phone direcory? And does your church have a web site?

Yellowpages.ca has mobile apps now

http://mobile.yp.ca/applications/

As Christmas draws near, we hear more and more ads featuring Christmas carols. There is one, in particular, that I have heard on the radio that I find quite offensive. It is for Virgin Mobile and it is a rewrite of Joy to the World. It basically has the character singing it stalking someone.

So I'm wondering how you react when you here a traditional carol like this reworked for an advertising campaign.

 Is it just me, or has the term 'boosts the immune system' been thrown around a lot more in the past year or two on commercials (tv, radio and internet)?

Or am I just watching too much tv?

A brief look at three interesting stories in religion news, including Progressive Christian advertising, a Christian argument for "assisted dying," and the atheist movements' source of morality.

"In Political Ads, Christian Left Mounts Sermonic Campaigns"

The Wall Street Journal isn't known as one of the most progressive publications out there. Of course that doesn't mean their particular slant on the news isn't interesting, or that they have nothing worthwhile to report. Take, for example, their recent article on an ad campaign by evangelicals supporting legislation curbing greenhouse gas emissions.

The campaign, which is comprised of radio ads running on Christian and country music stations across 10 states in the U.S. Ads speak about God's creation crying out for relief, and refer to the Gospel of John, speak against energy interests, and say "Please join the faithful in speaking out against the powerful." Needless to say, not everyone is crazy about these ads.

Read about the reaction to this campaign in the full article.

Is there a Christian argument for "assisted dying"?

"There is no reason from Christianity why the law should prevent assisted dying, at least so far as those wanting to die are self-aware and sane. The presence of such law would allow a dignified end to those wanting to have one, without requiring others to die against their wishes."

The above statement is sure to provoke discussion, at the very least. "Assisted dying" or "assisted suicide" or euthanasia - whatever you call it, it is far from being an uncontroversial topic. John Cartwright, writing for the Guardian Online, makes a case for "assisted dying" from a Christian perspective. Cartwright's argument centres around being allowed to make one's own moral choices, and prevention of the needless extension of suffering.

A recent episode of the CBC's "The Age of Persuasion," (an excellent show dealing with the world of advertising, hosted by advertising guru Terry O'Reilly) had a look at the intersection of church and marketing.

The episode, "Selling God," examines current statistics on faith, the recent atheist bus ads, churches' ability to respond to changing market demands and the idea of advertising churches rather than God.

From the site: "Terry O’Reilly marches you boldly where the angels of marketing fear to tread: he looks at the delicate, always-controversial relationship between faith and advertising. He’ll look into the controversy surrounding recent bus ads, which read 'There Probably Is No God. So Stop Worrying and Enjoy Your Life.' And he’ll explain why not all people of faith embrace the marketing tactics popular in some of today’s churches."

Take a listen here.

(h/t churchmarketingsucks.com)

http://generationjones.com/2009latest.html