Kieffe and Sons, a California Ford dealership, decided for some reason to launch a radio ad attacking non-Christians and people who believe that prayer shouldn’t be in public schools. Audio and transcript of the ad, inside.
The ad reads:Did you know that there are people in this country who want prayer out of schools, “Under God” out of the Pledge, and “In God We Trust” to be taken off our money?
But did you know that 86% of Americans say they believe in God? Now, since we all know that 86 out of every 100 of us are Christians who believe in God, we at Kieffe & Sons Ford wonder why we don’t just tell the other 14% to sit down and shut up. I guess maybe I just offended 14% of the people who are listening to this message. Well, if that is the case, then I say that’s tough, this is America folks, it’s called free speech. And none of us at Kieffe & Sons Ford are afraid to speak up. Kieffe & Sons Ford on Sierra Highway in Mojave and Rosamond: if we don’t see you today, by the grace of God, we’ll be here tomorrow.
The ad has been running on radio stations in southern California since at least February, according to one blogger. She wrote to Ford headquarters, but received a reply that because the dealerships are independently owned and operated, she should get in touch with the management at the dealership.
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19 Comments(+Add)
Utter lack of grace and compasion…
I still find myself falling in to this trap sometimes too. God have mercy, I mean, we need to be as Christ is, if we’re in Christ. Is this how Jesus handled Himself?
I mean…I believe the children should be allowed to pray in school if they want to, but even I’m offended by that add. I don’t believe it’s right to be that callous about the situation. Especially since I’m betting those statitics don’t accurately effect how everyone believes in reality.
How can we represent Jesus by being like that towards others, and our own brothers and sisters to boot? But I know I’m a big hypocrite for saying that…
God’s working on it. =)
Joe
I think the way these Christians handled themselves has a lot to do with their Conservative American Christian worldview and slight ignorance that comes from it. What I mean by that is that a lot of people believe the USA is apparently a Christian country (it never was). A couple of our forefathers were Christians and the Constitution has some biblical stuff in it, so that apparently makes us a Christian country. That’s why so many Christians jump into politics full force (Republican, of course) because our country needs to “get back to its roots” and so forth. They seem to see other religions somehow “invading” or “pushing out” Christianity, and they would readily have Christians push out all other religions.
The worldview of the Conservatice American Christian needs some adjustments, and the first one I’d make is to have everyone understand that America is NOT a Christian country.
BTW, 86% is not at all accurate. While a lot of people CLAIM to be of the Christian faith, not a lot really are. I’d guess the percentage of active Christians would be under 40%, probably less.
Yep, this is what some people think when they hear “American”
:p
“Now, since we all know that 86 out of every 100 of us are Christians who believe in God, we at Kieffe & Sons Ford wonder why we don’t just tell the other 14% to sit down and shut up”
Christianity: Join up now so YOU TOO can tell people to sit down and shut up!
What I think is funny is that in reporting that 86% of Americans believe in God, they then use that figure to represent Christians…um, newsflash, Redneck Ford of California, some of them are Jews and Buddhists and Hindus and Agnostics and….even “Moose-lims,” as they say it on Christian teevee.
BOO!
Morons.
Part of the problem, also, Merry, is that a plurality of these politically involved Conservative Christian folk (the loudest ones, anyway) lack a basic understanding of civics and the Constitution which they profess to love so much they only want “strict constructionists” as judges. Basically, they vomit talking points and think they’ve said something.
* The Pledge of Allegience is idolatry and should be avoided, especially since the phrase “under God” is a lie.
* Perfunctory prayer in schools is useless and desensitizes children to true prayer.
* “In God we trust” is a huge lie.
And the winner of the Golden Calf Award is……(drum roll)
America.
Bow down…
Haha, well, Rick, you’ll be happy to know that, when given the opportunity, I don’t tend to say the Pledge, not because I really hate it, but because it’s kind of mindless indoctrination into “Amurka’s the best, woo-eeeeee, bubba!”
There is nothing wrong with the pledge of allegiance.
I’m old enough to know what indoctrination is, therefore, my willingness to pledge allegiance is not a response to being indoctrinated. Nor is it a response to wanting to worship America instead of God. And If I’m under God, and the whole universe is ‘under God’, how is America not?
Letting children have a moment to pray in school, if they so choose, does nothing to desensitize or take away from prayer. For some, seeing their friends pray might very well make them give thought to the practice for once, and perhaps open their minds to knew things.
I pledge allegiance to America because I’m thankful for her, and her people. Why not?
Joe
Well, I’m not saying that anyone who does pledge allegiance to the flag is automatically apostate or anything, but I think we all need to examine our motives for doing so. A few years ago, I probably wouldn’t have thought twice about. Right now, I feel convicted about doing it.
I don’t know that we are allowed to have dual allegiances while serving Christ. First century Christians were killed for refusing to bow to Caesar. To be a Christian was to reject the Roman Empire to a large extent. In America, we have blended the two to such an extent, that it’s hard to untangle them.
Was that satire Phil?
I mean…friend, you have to be kidding me? America is not the Roman Empire, we can hardly make a comparison of Christian killing Rome to America.
The reason you can’t untangle Christianity from America because while we’re not a Christian nation, it’s embedded in our culture. This I think further illustrates the difference between the Roman Empire and America. Different situations, we need to approach the situation differently.
Lastly, I’ll remind you I’m on Active Duty, and therefore have not only pledged allegiance to America, but to her Constitution, and to defend it and her people to my own death. I don’t have a choice like you do, so I’m forced to justify the situation I’m in. And I will justify it, because it’s the situation I find myself in. If I’m anyalyzing my motives for pledging allegiance, then it’s because I believe in putting everything on the line to defend what our country is supposed to be, and the people inside of her.
I’m not sure if that’s even worthy of consideration of apostasy or idolatry. Not even sure that thought should come in to our minds. I believe it’s possible to support America, pledge allegiance to her, and fight for her, and keep a proper perspective on it as to not become “Christomerican”.
Joe
Just to clarify Phil, I wasn’t trying to be arrogant with displaying my military service, but rather to illustrate we’re in different situations when it comes to ‘pledging allegiance’. And I don’t think the Roman soldiers leaving the army for Christ has any bearing on my situation as an American 20 centuries later.
Joe
Joe,
Well, I understand where you’re coming from, but it’s hard to really find a New Testament basis for killing one’s enemies. It seems that Jesus’ example was to die for them.
My dad and my grandfather were both in the military, so I certainly can see your perspective. Heck, when I was home this weekend my dad wore his uniform to church.
I am just becoming less and less and comfortable with thinking that America’s motives are somehow more pure than previous world powers. We have maybe not killed on the scale that Communists have, but certainly our hands are not clean.
Joe – I do not judge you and I understand and also admire someone who puts his/her life on the line for anything. But I have come to personally see America as a secular nation that has blurred the lines between allegience to Christ and allegience to a nation. It isn’t just America, it is any nation.
Our country, our home is not of this earth and the interconnection between the church and the nation is harmful We should be kind, loving, law abiding, tax paying, and overall good citizens. But our allegience is totally to Christ.
Something like the Amish only using the culture in ways that can help spread Christ.
Thanks for pleding allegiance =). Only difference is you won’t SAY it.
I don’t justify killing, directly. And I would die for many people, for my country and her people.
Well alright, I won’t try to start a discussion with what is okay and not okay. I mean…should I follow the orders of those over me, if it means killing the enemy to save my brothers? Not easy decisions, but I’m at peace about it. I know my actions don’t save me anyways.
I still pledge allegiance for the aforementioned reasions, and don’t believe it’s wrong to do so, in a proper way. Thanks for talking.
Did I fail to mention those who say the pledge will wind up in the lake of fire?
Sorry – Slander Day!
Joe,
This is only somewhat related, but Greg Boyd has been doing a series of posts on his blog recenty about God’s use of violence in the OT, and how that comports with Jesus’ teaching of non-violence in the Gospels. I find them quite interesting.
By the way, regarding the whole patriotism thing, I would highly recommend Boyd’s The Myth of a Christian Nation.
Exactly…that’s why I just don’t do it. I’d rather show that I care through my actions than by reciting a pledge by rote.
Oh, yes we can, can, can. The fact that we’re not killing Christians by the busload doesn’t change anything. It’s being reported that Dear President is, in fact, going to drop some bombs on Iran, against the will of the people and Congress, by the end of his term. Going into Iraq, making it look like we’re bumbling around without a plan, when in fact the actual plan, to establish a Middle East outpost so chaotic we can’t leave, thus giving us a geographical voice in the region? Sounds like empire to me.
I agree with that 100%. I wish more people understood that speaking out against the problems both within this country and in our dealings with the world is, in fact, more patriotic than pretending they don’t exist.
Our motives are NOT more pure. Our propaganda machine of “freedom for everyone!” is more pure, but that’s not our real motivation and it never has been.
It’s just like John McCain having the audacity on Memorial Day to make excuses in front of veterans for not supporting the updated GI Bill. John McCain sells himself (literally) as a war-hero with the troops’ best interests at heart, when the reality (his voting record) shows that, given a choice between protecting veterans and fattening rich peoples’ already fat pockets, he will choose the latter every time. This is why the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) gives McCain a “D” grade on veterans’ issues (and by default, this applies to current troops as well, not only because they, hopefully, will be veterans one day, but also because he’s committed to keeping them in a tenuous illegal war that isn’t worth the sacrifices they make).
It’s one thing to be committed to the people of this country, civilian and military alike, and to be committed to using this great nation as an agent of healing for the people of the greater world. It’s another, entirely, to throw a yellow magnetic ribbon on your gas-guzzling SUV, vote for flag pins, and mindlessly vomit a pledge to an abstract concept whilst detaching utterly from the implications of one’s own and this nation’s actions as a whole.
(And lest anyone skim this response and be tempted to vomit Michelle Malkin talking points at me, Joe can attest to the fact that I am decidedly NOT anti-military.)
Where do bad folks go when they die?
They don’t go to heaven where the angels fly
they go to a lake of fire and fry
don’t see ‘em again till the fourth of july.
I can pledge that Evan is completely NOT anti military.
But Evan, about the empire thing, I was drawing the comparison that Rome killed Christians, America doesn’t. And since that was the predication of Phil’s point, and Scripture’s as well, I thought it was a moot point.
America does have it’s imperial threads, otherwise.