You want some major free publicity for your cause? Just predict the end of the world. The strategy appears to work well for Harold Camping.
After failed date setting attempts in 1994 and now May 21, 2011, Camping remains undaunted with new mathematical calculations leading to October 21, 2011. His corresponding news coverage now competes with Lady Gaga‘s latest release for attention.
My question for the media world is, “Why?” People of faith are doing a lot of good on the toughest social and spiritual issues of our day. But for some bizarre reason, the Apocalypse gets better ratings than Samaritan’s Purse, World Vision, or a local church serving those devastated by a tornado or my friends at Compassion International helping over one million children escape poverty.
So here’s my plea to the Activist Faith community: Whenever you hear someone at the office or elsewhere mention that weird date-setting guy, choose a real story of God at work in our world to share instead. You can choose one of your own or tell people about some of what you’ve read on Activist Faith.
If that’s not enough, the list of organizations on the Activist Faith blog offers more stories of changed lives than you could read in your lifetime.
Plus, if you can’t think of a positive story, it might be time to get out there and create some stories of Christ-followers changing the world–starting with your own life.
If you share a story of God’s people doing good work and I do and your friends do and everyone reading this post around the world does, maybe tomorrow’s headlines would look a bit better.
And even if they don’t, someone will see your good deeds. As Jesus taught in Matthew 5:16: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Sounds like a plan.
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DILLON BURROUGHS is an author, activist, and co-founder of Activist Faith. Dillon served in Haiti following the epic 2010 earthquake and has investigated modern slavery in the US and internationally. His books include Undefending Christianity, Not in My Town (with Charles J. Powell), and Thirst No More (October). Discover more at ActivistFaith.org.
posted May 24, 2011 at 11:54 am
Thanks for those sharing and commenting on Facebook. To dialogue there, see http://www.facebook.com/readdB.
posted May 24, 2011 at 12:38 pm
Very well said. I’ve shared this with my twitter and facebook friends. It’s bad enough, the mockery the Christian faith has become because of this man. Christians need to, instead of advertising this man’s mistakes, advertise where God truly works; in places like you said, Compassion, tornado victims (or forest fires that are burning down towns where I live). That is where our focus should be and our words should be about.