Articles
Bumper Stickers
People use bumper stickers on their cars as a form of expression. It’s a way of advertising one’s philosophies to those who drive near them. I’ve seen funny ones worthy of a chuckle, confusing ones requiring an online search to decipher, and others that really made me think.
A while back, one car got me thinking. In the back window, there were two carefully placed, boldly-colored hats, one on each corner. They declared allegiance to a particular president. On the right-hand side of the trunk, there was a bumper sticker proudly declaring allegiance to that same president. The left-hand side of the bumper had another bumper sticker of a political nature consistent with the president they clearly adored. In the center of the trunk, there was the logo of the car manufacturer—in this case, the prestigious L of a Lexus. All of these things told me—and all the other drivers around—something about the owner of the car. You had a really good idea what the person would vote for and what they would vote against. You might also make assumptions about their character and even about their financial status.
There was one more bumper sticker. It was a little smaller than the others. Less bold. And it was located a few inches below the Lexus symbol. It read, “Christ: the way, the truth and the life.”
What do you think of this? On the one hand, it seems commendable that this individual would make their religion and faith a part of their outward confession. That’s good, right? But look at what their outward confession did. The Christian bumper sticker may have been at the center, but it was out numbered, out-sized, and out flashed by all of the other messages. Their faith was just one little message drowned out by many other statements.
This gets me to thinking about my example. Is this how others see me? Do they see me as a photographer, softball player, Transformer collector, author, golf player… oh, and he is also a Christian? Is my faith in God a small part of my life surrounded by other things which seem to take precedence?
What if your life was represented by the back of a car and it was up to your friends and neighbors to attach the bumper stickers they felt best represented you? What messages would they emphasize? What balance and what importance would they put on your faith?
Additionally, this car challenged my way of thinking when it comes to mixing religion and politics. I dare not say that Christians can’t be political. I don’t have grounds for such a statement. But I wonder if Christ was well served by such a mixing of one political party and religion. Would someone from a differing political party be likely to listen to this person? Would they have to look past the politics in order to inquire about Jesus or would they reject Jesus because they also reject the driver’s political stance?
Paul said, “I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it” (I Cor. 9:22b-23). Given that, would Paul have decorated the back of his car the same way? Would he have made divisive politics a predominant part of his life and an outspoken passion?
I doubt that anyone has been saved because of a bumper sticker. But I wonder if some bumper stickers from Christians have proven harmful to His cause.
I don’t put bumper stickers on my cars. But that one car got me thinking anyway. It made me reflect on my own life, my own passions, and my own influence. Perhaps it will give you cause to do some self-reflection as well.
