When I was 12 I made an intentional choice to surrender my life to following Jesus. It's not that I wasn't a Christian before, more that I realized this was something I needed to take seriously, and not just go through life thinking I was doing it right.
One thing that was really big in my Pentecostal life at this time was Christian tracts. These are little cartoon booklets that are meant to be given to non-Christians as a method of evangelism. I REALLY loved tracts and I gave them to all my friends. One time I even slipped one in someone's binder at school (I was too afraid to give it to him in person). I remember him finding it and yelling, "What the *#$% is this???" Don't know if he ever read it, but whatever, I was trying ok???
Well, I came across a website that still produces tracts, and even a couple of them I recognize from when I was a teen. But here's the thing, I am not very happy with what I've just read. In fact, I am completely pissed off! The tracts that I've found are for the most part, completely un-Christian in their spirit and message. I understand the passion and desire behind these tracts, but the ignorance of the gospel and God's character is so appalling. I'd even say many of these tracts are damaging to Christ's reputation and even anti-evangelistic.
So I would like to present some of these tracts and point out where they have missed the point. This one I read as a teen and it even helped influence my theology.
Starts off good. God walking with Adam and Eve in the garden.
Oh, but they're not allowed to eat from the one tree! Yet they stay looking at it longingly.
Eve is the first one to go for it annnnnd, SIN SHOWER!!!!!! Turns out the fruit was poisoned!
Oh wait, if I recall correctly the fruit is actually not poisonous. But anyways, they have sinned and are now sinners.
Sin is represented here by smelly stains all over their body and clothes. God rejects them!!!
I don't like that they're wearing animal skins. You might think I'm being nit-picky, but after they ate the fruit they made clothing from fig leaves. It actually is important...
Oh no!!! God cannot be around sin, so unfortunately he has to build a big wall to keep them away. Adam and Eve try to scrub off their sin, but to no avail!
Back to the fig leaves...you see, God was the one who made them animal clothes. And why did he make them? Cause he LOVED them. Yes, there was a consequence for their action, but God didn't stop loving them. In fact, God is immediately making plans to save them. He doesn't build a wall! He begins paving the way for their restoration. The very first prophecy of a Messiah comes at this point. And then God makes them new clothes, better clothes! And he protects them from living eternally in their sin by preventing them from eating from the tree of life. Sounds like he's kicking them out, when really he is protecting them.
Here we have the effects of original sin passed down through generations.
I personally don't believe in original sin, but I could be wrong.
Now the whole world is affected, yuck!!! (Notice the wall)
Oh boy, everyone is trudging through life, where is this path taking them?!?
I realize this is just an analogy but in this whole mass there are no "clean" Christians affecting their lives.
Now we see the hint of flames suggesting imminent damnation! But wait...what is that little door with the welcome mat?!?
This is the gospel right here. There's a little tiny door with a dinky sign telling you about a love gift inside? Reminds me of a XXX shop. I would think God's method for saving the world would be slightly more brilliant. And, oh yeah, it's like 5 steps before you die and go to hell. Good luck getting through the whole rest of your horrible life without God, cause after all he is on the other side of that huge wall, and not the least bit active on any personal level.
I sure hope they can read.
Some kids are checking it out.
The story of Jesus is told to them.
More pictures.
And they get to the end and there's Jesus, dying on the cross for them!!!
Here's the free love gift, a half-naked man hanging from a horrible device of torture! I have a feeling many Christians don't really realize why Jesus died on the cross. "He died for my sins!" But what does that mean? And is that the only reason? Why did he even have to die? I don't think he was obligated to. I think it was much more profound.
The one boy isn't too into it, but the other two have fallen in love.
The guy who wrote this tract, Jack Chick, has written a ton of tracts bashing Catholics. One thing he trashes them for is having Jesus always on the cross, and not resurrected. Yet....that clearly is Jesus still hanging on the cross 2000 years after the fact.
Jesus' blood showers down and washes away their sin!!!
So what does that mean for them? Are they now perfect? Will they continue to sin? If they sin again, will they get dirty again? Good thing Jesus is still hanging from that cross (thanks to the Catholics). Is that the main truth of Christianity - "Jesus wants to cleanse you from original sin"? Cause I think that's missing something major.
Now that they've been cleansed they want others to be clean too, but little Johnny won't accept it...
Little Johnny walks away from God's free love gift.
I can't wait to hear the stories of Jimmy and Lisa telling others about Christ...
oh, they've left everyone behind and gone to heaven.
The main message of this tract is - "If you accept Jesus, when you die you go to heaven. If you reject him, you will die and go to hell." Well, here's the thing, I kinda need Jesus to change my life RIGHT NOW!!! Doesn't a tract like this promote the message that the goal of Christianity is to party in the afterlife? What about TODAY??? I need a God that will show me love today. We need a God that is walking alongside us in our struggles here on earth.
For God so loved the world that he made a little door and a shower of blood so you could finally hang out with him in heaven.
At the end here Jack acknowledges what to do now that you've become a Christian...but I'm just not a fan of pushing God on people out of fear. I think God tends to emphasize the love more.
I can't wait to go through more of these wonderful stories!!! oh, here's the website by the way - www.chick.com
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