Viral Pandemic

It's every copywriter's dream to create an ad that goes viral. That their design is iconic, a beacon, a siren's call to customers of all shapes and sizes is the hope.

I was one of those kids who could spot the Golden Arches a mile (or ten, if my parents are to be believed) away. It was a design and an ad that was viral to the extreme- this ploy worked on countless young eyes and minds. But there was another ad that always caught my eye, and stuck with me for all these years. And it was in no way intended for pre-pubescent eyes to be caught up in:

There was something about the image of the world covered in paint (it may have been the red, making it look like blood, that got me) that grabbed my attention and would not let it go. It spoke a simple message: Cover the Earth. Dig deeper and what it said was that Sherwin Williams paint should be used to paint everything- it's that good. Every painted thing you see should be colored in the hues of Sherwin Williams. That was the company goal, that was the hope they strove toward.

Jesus tells us to "Cover the Earth" as well. We don't use the paint brush, but we do spread His message over the whole planet. But I gotta say, it was ambitious to the point of absurdity for Sherwin Williams to say it could "Cover the Earth" with it's paint- it's downright crazy for us to say we Christians can "Cover the Earth" with the message of Christ. But then:

If we are “out of our mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.

-2 Corinthians 5:13

Still, it's crazy, and daunting. I cannot in anyway spread Jesus message over the whole earth by myself. Even with Facebook, and Twitter, and blogs, and the internet at large- it's not possible. And I don't feel called to live in Africa or China or Russia- this does not make me less of a Christian. Though, sometimes, I feel that's the impression people get from Christian leaders. Even if I had the money, I could never "Cover the Earth" as one person. But I can "Cover my World."

Earth is the planet I live on. But it is not my world. My world is the area I exist in. My family, my work, my street, my online presence, the people I encounter from day to day in passing- this is my world. This is who I can reach, who I can "Cover." If I feel that I must reach all 7 billion-ish people, I'm being crazy- and a little bit bloated with my own self-importance. But I can reach the dozen or so neighbors around me, my church, the people I work with, the workers at the stores I frequent and the people who read what I blurt out online.

That's doable.

That's my mission field.

Perhaps, it can be yours. Look around you: see the people you invest in, the things you love, the hobbies you spend time in, the things that make you come alive. This is your world. This is the world Christ is calling you to share Him with. Maybe you'll do it down the street, or maybe half a world away. No matter what, live full out for Christ in the place you are.

It's your world.

Cover it.

This is as close as I'll get to "Tebowing"

To be honest, I'm not sure what to make of Tim Tebow.

First of all, I think he is 100% genuine and real in his faith, and I hope he succeeds greatly. But he's a little too happy, "sunshine and rainbows" to me. This is a minor quibble, and I've found myself rooting for him after all.

The difficult thing for me is that his escapades have made me call into question a belief I've long held about sports- should we pray for victory for 'our' sports team?

I'll come back to that in a minute. In the meantime, Tim Tebow as a person is worth looking at.

Last week, I was talking about "Viral" Christianity, and mentioned there was a person who was about as Viral as a Christian can get these days. That person, is Tim Tebow. He's got over a million followers on Twitter; when he tweets, they spread like wildfire; was recently named by ESPN as America's most popular athlete; he started the phenomenon of 'tebowing' (unintentionally); thanks to him, John 3:16 was a top search result a few weeks back; and everywhere you turn someone is writing an article about the boy.

Or, they are trying to tear him down.

Wanda Sykes ripped into him on Jay Leno. Saturday Night Live had Jesus telling him to "tone it down" a bit. SNL was kinda funny- Sykes came off as bitter. His fellow athletes either respect him, hate him, or just don't know what to do with- but they can't stop talking about him.

If this were Terrell Owens, or Deion Sanders back in his heyday (yep, dating myself- he is fact the football fairy on those DirecTV ads. Not so much a star these days)- then I'd chalk it up to shameless self promotion. But Tebow seems honestly humble, and somewhat surprised by all the hubbub. Even if his handlers are master marketers, he's coming off as a nice guy, who is sincere in his faith. He stands for what he believes, he respects others of differing opinions, and he seems to have a heart to serve others.

So it was that I found myself slowly starting to watch the Broncos and hoping for a win. Apparently, a lot of speculators began wondering if God was in fact fighting for Tebow and his team. I've always thought it ridiculous (and a little bit offensive) that some people thought God cared at all about sports. They are nothing when compared to the suffering and plights of so many. If God chose to pick favorites with a sports team and let people continue to go hungry, then I'd have a problem with God.

Then, as the showdown with the Patriots last week loomed, something dawned on me. A seminary professor once imparted this wisdom on me- "God meets people where they are." He said that the Old Testament is full of God being warlike- sending Israel to fight and kill and destroy their enemies, seemingly under not just God's blessing, but His power. The reason: the people of that time assumed that the most powerful army had the most powerful god. You win a battle, your god is better than the other guys. And people would see this and seek the winning god. God killing and destroying seems the antithesis of a loving God we want to talk about today, but really, His warlike nature was an extension of His love. He was trying to win people by speaking their language. Fluently.

We know longer think that the biggest army has the biggest god. Wars don't change the religion of people. OK, well in some places yes, but its because the new government forces a change, not because people choose it. But in America, Sunday afternoons are the modern day equivalent of Jericho, Megiddo and all the Old Testament battlefields.

Suddenly, I wondered: What if God is using Tim Tebow to win the hearts of a nation by granting (or allowing) miraculous victories? Would it be wrong for us to pray for the victory of a man and his team if that victory results in more people hearing of Christ, seeking out a Bible verse, or maybe, just maybe, starting to think Tebow is blessed and used by God and that God is real?

I know what you're thinking, that lots of people say that "God likes Tebow" and it's sarcasm. Yep, that's right. But when Yahoo and Google and all sorts of search engines show that John 3:16 is trending because Tim Tebow threw for 316 yards, averaging 31.6 yards a pass- oh and John 3:16 is his favorite verse- well, it's hard to deny God is using Tebow to get His Word out.

I'll admit, the yardage and passing average thing is kinda cheesy- but then, who am I to question how God does things?

In the end, I don't think I'll make it a habit of praying for my team to have victory every time. But, if I know that the message of Christ will not only be spoken of, but in some small way even validated, by the victories of a team, then, yeah, I'm gonna pray for that.

I think Tebow is a good guy- I wish him well, and that he stands firm in his faith. But I caution, and I think he would as well, don't idolize him. Don't deify him. He is not God, nor is he the Second Coming. He's a football player. He is a Christian. He will fail, he will mess up, he will sin. When that happens, let us pray for him, and not drop him as a "fine, young Christian role model."

But please, please, don't let him do another Denver Mattress commercial.

Viral

We are living in a viral world, yet our faith seems to have been cured of this threat. There is very little “viral” about modern Christianity- except that it seems to be like the “viral” of old, in that many people want to avoid it at all costs.

The irony is that Christianity at its core is made to be viral. Spread from person to person in and increasingly contagious manner until it reaches pandemic status. There have been books about becoming a “contagious” Christian, and the faith has been called the good infection. But a more common term today for Christianity is ‘plague,’ at least among non-believers and nominal Christians. But these are areas I will get to over the next few weeks, today I want to look at the phenomenon that is “viral,” and the fact that Christianity was once viral, and must be again.

Defining Viral
First, we need to define what makes something ‘viral.’ I hold that there are four things that are key to something catching on and going crazy.

1. It connects. I don’t know how it happens, but viral things connect with people. Something about the music in the video, the plot of the story, the oddball-ness of the idiot trying something dangerous- something connects with you. You see yourself in them, or someone you know; it makes you laugh hysterically or groan deeply; it wakes you up to something new and fresh and challenging. Whatever it is, you are hooked.

2. It’s low budget or low effort. Some things have high production values, but they are not marketed with tons of money. They catch on and take a life of their own- they need no promotion. Some of the better viral videos are of people just catching themselves doing life. Hilariously. Viral comes not (always) from careful planning, but from dumb luck.

3. It’s pervasive. Once it’s viral, you can’t escape it. It’s on TV, every website, in the conversations of your friends. Once it hits your parents and grandparents- forget about it.

4. It’s addictive. Some things you just keep going back to. Movie trailers you watch over and over, phrases you can’t stop saying, tunes you can’t get out of your head. You want more, and more, and more.

Viral Bible
Jesus was viral.

He told stories that connected with people, that were not flashily promoted, that got spread all over the world- and they left people wanting, no, needing, more. Same for the healings, the teachings and the man Himself.

His followers were viral, too. They would hear His words and spread them. People would believe without meeting Jesus personally, because the account of the believer was so powerful and connective.

Three thousand people believed at one time during Pentecost- in large part because the Holy Spirit let every understand the Gospel in their own language, and the Gospel was powerful.

Paul’s letters were really the first chain letters. “Read this, apply it to your life, and pass it on to five of the closest churches.” This action shaped the early church and the theology of the rest of church history.

We Must be Viral
It’s in the blood of those who choose Christ to be viral. He wants to spread Himself to others, and He does it through you and me. But in order for us to be viral, we must remember that Christ connects with us- we must find our heartbeat.

We must have something worthy of saying.

Too many of us think we take Christianity viral by using scripture for EVERY. SINGLE. STATUS. UPDATE.

Something else about viral: it bring something new or at least something relevant.

I realize I will be lynched by many for this, but Scripture is not new, nor is it relevant to a lost world. They have heard it before, and never seen it lived out by those spouting it- it is irrelevant.
Scripture is, I believe, totally true and relevant- but I’m a believer. Those that are not, see the world for what it is that they can touch- what they can verify. If we want to reach them, we have to reach them on their ground, on their turf. Scripture can and must come into play at some point, but in the lead up, what people need to see is something in our lives, our character, worthy of sharing with the world- worthy of connecting with.

Next week, we’ll look at Patient Zero- how to start the viral movement with yourself. Later on this week, I hope to post something regarding a particular person who is about as viral as any Christian I know- and talk a bit about what is good and bad about that.