Beware of Marketing.

Faithful church marketing is a razors edge. The tactics of marketing generally appeal to the most base emotions we have—lust (I must have that), envy (I want to be that), pride (I deserve that), idolatry (it’s the best), etc.

This morning I realized this more than ever. Seth Godin, the super hero of marketers, wrote a recent post here. He explains three ‘marketing levers’—fear, hope, and love. And how they are used to win an audience. He has a great point. He almost always has a great point. However, using emotions that are to be used for God to sell Coca Cola, or even the entertainment components your church service is risky business.

We want to tell the whole world about the Gospel, and marketing experts have some great insight on how to do that well, but we must be discerning.

“So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13. Could he possibly be getting this thought from Paul? Or is this just a universal truth that even a good marketer can see without the Bible?

Three reasons why Christians have a much larger view of faith, hope, and fear.

1. This cheapens hope for the church. We hope in a great God who is gathering his people to Himself, and will one day rid the world of all sin. Not in a president, or a great laundry detergent.

2. This notion of love is self serving. It is a love by convenience for self-serving purposes. Advertising love isn’t love at all, it is the same thing as a guy buying drinks for many ladies at a bar—he has a goal.

3. Fear, the Bible says that we are to fear God. But this doesn’t mean that we are to buy God insurance, or go to war with God. The motivation of this is to have a right understanding of who you are before him. So that you will come to him in faith. Just like a son fears the power of his dad, and must have faith that his father will use his strength for good.

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