When Faith Becomes a PR Stunt

If it walks like power and talks like control, it ain’t Jesus.

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“Empires always want to use religion to legitimize their power. Jesus never plays along. He’s not the chaplain of empire — he’s the challenger of it.” — Brian Zahnd

In a comment I recently read by Jane Isley, I’d like to expand a bit upon her thoughts:

Way back when, kings ruled with crosses in one hand and a sword in the other. They didn’t lead like Jesus. They ruled like Caesar.

And that’s what it feels like again.

They didn’t lead like Jesus. They ruled like Caesar.

They slapped religion on their thrones, not because they loved God, but because it kept the people in line. Faith became their favorite leash. And sadly, America is still repeating it.

As a marketing brand and campaign slogan

Look around. You’ll see Christianity being marketed like a brand. Used like a campaign slogan. Wielded like a badge of purity while the lives behind it? They reek of corruption, greed, and power-hunger.

Some politician slaps a Bible on the table or holds it upside down in a photo op and then pushes policies that stomp on the faces of the poor, the immigrant, and the marginalized.

Jesus talked about setting captives free. These folks seem more interested in locking people up.

Leading by example?

And let’s be real. They’re not even leading by example. They’re not living the Sermon on the Mount while at the same time enforcing posting the Ten Commandments on classroom walls.

They’re not turning the other cheek. They’re not loving their enemies. They’re not serving the least of these. They’re just repeating the name of Jesus like it’s a magic password.

And hoping you won’t notice what’s actually going on.

Here’s the thing that bothers me most. It’s not just the misuse of faith. It’s what gets lost in the shuffle.

The actual stories. The context. The grace. The struggle. The real people. The sweat and tears that fill the pages of the Bible.

All brushed under the rug.

Gone.

Because they don’t serve the PR narrative.

Because they might make you think.Might make you ask questions.Might wake something up in you that doesn’t fall in line.

Religion as control

When you use religion to control people, you have to kill curiosity. You have to flatten the text. You have to simplify Jesus into a bumper sticker. A campaign poster. A corporate logo.

But Jesus wasn’t controllable. He didn’t play nice with power. He didn’t kiss up to the religious elite. What did He do?

He flipped tables and spoke in riddles. He told the truth with his whole body. Even when it got him killed.

I keep thinking… what would Jesus do if he walked into one of these rallies where faith and politics are tangled up like a bad extension cord? Would he sit quietly and smile? Or would he make another whip?

I don’t know.

But I do know this: Jesus never needed a PR team. He wasn’t worried about appearances. He never built a platform. He poured himself out. He loved people with nothing to offer him in return.

It’s not just about “getting back to God.” It’s about getting back to the way of God.

Dirt under the fingernails living it

Back to living it.Not selling it.

Back to serving.Not spinning.

Back to wrestling with Scripture, instead of cherry-picking it to win an argument or justify some crooked agenda.

I feel it in my gut. An ache. This frustration. A burning disappointment when you hear Jesus’ name tossed around by people who don’t seem to care at all about what he actually said?

When Christianity becomes a performance, a press release, or a way to win elections and secure donors , then it’s no longer Christianity.

It’s marketing. It’s ugly empire. It’s power dressed in a Sunday goin’ to church suit.

And maybe that’s why some folks walk away. In fact, I’m sure of it. They’re not rejecting Jesus. Maybe they’re just exhausted by the fake versions of him. I know I am. That was the total reason I started down a path of (dare I say) deconstruction.

I didn’t begin my unique journey because I wanted to ‘sin it up’ or because this path was ‘sexy’ as we’re sometimes accused. I didn’t leave Christ. I found Him in ways more authentic than I could imagine.

So what do we do now?

We stop chasing image and start seeking truth.

We stop playing church and start being the church.

1. We open the Bible — not to find ammo — but to find healing. To remember the stories. The context. The heartbeat behind the commands.

2. We stop letting people at the top define our faith. They don’t get to. They never did.

3. We follow Jesus without wearing a costume or hide behind a mask. We can love like him without shouting his name on a megaphone.

   
   

As Jane said, we don’t need to turn Christianity into a PR stunt.We just need to live it.

Quietly. Boldly. Humbly.In our families and coworkers. On our streets. With our friends and neighbors. And yes, as hard as it may be, even with our enemies.

Because way back when, Jesus didn’t come to endorse a system.He came to set us free from one.

And I think many have forgotten that.

© Gary L Ellis