Christian Kitsch: Witnessing With Bible Tracts
When I came across this little jewel I knew not whether to laugh or cry. My friends, I introduce you to the humors and horros of Chick Publications.
A noble, God-fearing man has embarked on a quest to help well-intentioned, but far too meek Christian evangelicals spread the Good News of Jesus Christ. How? Through Christian tracts. Learn how to witness to all of your friends!
Shopping? Hand a tract to the chasier, leave a tract in the changing room or slip a tract into the pockets of unpurchased clothes! Want to witness from home? Leave tracts on the coffee table for guests or slip a tract into the envelope when you pay your bills!
Want to share your faith, but too mild mannered to do it? Just leave a tract. Learn how to witness to a Muslim*,
learn how to save your Catholic friends from the pits of hell,
and learn never to misunderestimate the power of a Holy Ghost Fire Filled Grandmother:
! Wowsa. Right now, I wish Gutenberg had never been born. Even as a Christian, I was often infuriated by the witnessing techniques of my fellow believers. Bible tracts? Are you serious? Since I turned sixteen, I have worked on and off at a local Resort & Conference Center. During the summers Christian groups would come through every week. As I waited on them during meals, there was never anything more frustrating than receiving from them Bible tracts. Many of them actually left a “Tip” tract in lieu of leaving a tip. Its so terribly ridiculous that it almost makes you want to cry. As an aside, the Smart Cards are by far my favorite:
As anyone who reads this blog regularly knows, I attend a small Christian university in rural Ohio. Less that ten minutes away is another small, liberal arts college (and if I may so, a much more prestigious and respectable institution it is). It is commonly held belief that the students there are heathens, and many a good Christian from my school have devised ways to witness to them.
I remember still with a not-so-slight degree of disgust a chapel two years ago in which a student speaking in chapel rallied some troops to journey with him to our neighbors during a weekend to witness to the partiers. For those who were not so bold as to crash parties and share Jesus, there was plenty an opportunity to leave Bible tracts on every single car on their campus.
Seriously, who thinks this is effective?
*Note: Do NOT attempt this in Saudi Arabia.
February 25, 2008 at 2:44 am
It certainly wouldn’t be effective on me. I imagine a combination of vulnerability to the message of hope being offered (perhaps the person is lonely or depressed) and lack of previous thought about faith/god/etc. would make someone more likely to find a tract convincing, but that’s just a guess.
I think you’re right on with the phrase “humors and horrors!” I had a quick browse of the Chick Publications site and couldn’t help grinning at this endorsement from a satisfied customer:
“I found a Chick tract in the restroom in high school. I was saved from reading it.”
February 25, 2008 at 3:40 am
Though the tract find may have been useful if there was a shortage of toilet paper.
Hey, what do you know .. god does save!
February 25, 2008 at 9:59 pm
You have to be a wuss to do this if you believe in evangelism. Last I heard, Jesus wanted PEOPLE, not THINGS (or TECHNOLOGY), to witness to people.
February 26, 2008 at 4:08 am
As much as I hate to admit it, years ago I once semi-anonymously left a tract where it could be found as a means to evangelize without taking any personal risk. It wasn’t a Chick tract, but those ‘Four Laws’ tracts aren’t any better.
Not one of my proudest moments.
Today, a very brief search can find you a number of parodies of Chick’s tracts all over the Internet. Humor can sometimes be the best weapon against unreasonable certainty.
February 26, 2008 at 6:24 am
For the record, non-believers like me also find Chick tracts hilarious and horrifying in equal measures!
February 26, 2008 at 10:43 am
Tracts have their place. I find some enjoyable, thought the Chick tracts are over the top. If I were Catholic and read one I’d be more insulted than enlightened. However, that being said, there is a place for a tract in the heart and mind of an unbeliever. We know that G-d’s word does not return without accomplishing that which it was sent to do, so why do you think that even a Chick tract (citing G-d’s word) will not work like a viral seed in someone’s mind? In their heart?
Have you really asked if someone started on a path to Yeshua Mashiac through a tract? Would be interesting to find out. Maybe one day I’ll try to find out. Google?
February 26, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Ramon,
Tracts have their place. I find some enjoyable, thought the Chick tracts are over the top.
I’m obviously speaking as an outsider, but from a marketing point of view… they’re terrible. Even as a Christian, would I would receive tracts while waiting tables, I became angry, annoyed or (on a good day) amused. It is a cheap substitute for ’sharing your faith’ in any meaningful way.
so why do you think that even a Chick tract (citing G-d’s word) will not work like a viral seed in someone’s mind? In their heart? i>
Well as a non Christian, I’m not really all that concerned with the best method of spreading the Gospel. Viral is probably the best word you could have chosen though. Less seed, more infection though.
December 22, 2008 at 11:58 pm
Billy Graham once said, “it takes 40 people to win a lost person. The first 39 think that they did not do anything; the 40th one thinks that he did it all!” Those who think that tracts do little or no good; please read: I have heard and read of many testimonies where tracts played a part. Personal experience…I gave a tract to a cashier at 8 AM before a round of golf and then at 2 PM after changing clothes, gave a different tract to the same cashier and as I left, he said “wait, you are the second person to give one of these to me today, I think God is trying to tell me something”. Merry Christmas and blessings to all. Eph 4
April 24, 2009 at 6:29 am
This topic is quite trendy in the net at the moment. What do you pay attention to when choosing what to write about?
April 29, 2009 at 12:46 am
I believe that the reason so many of you were offended is because, not only did the person wh left it not try to explain it to you but they also left you a tract that held only partial truth. If you read in Acts 2 you will see what all you have to do to be saved. Yes you have to repent, yes you have to confess to being a savior and ask Jesus to come into your heart. If you stop there you have not come to complete salvation. I Acts two, after Peter witnessed to the crowd that they must be saved, they asked him what did they have to do and he said: “Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission, ” or forgiveness, “of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” How do we know that this is how we are to be saved? Because Jesus said in Luke 24:49, “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” Endued is another word for endow. When you endow someone you are giving them something of great value. You can’t go to Romans for salvation when the Bible clearly states that they would receive the gift first in Jerusalem. The book of Romans is talking to the Church, read the whole book starting at chapter one and you will see this. Also the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues is for everyone: Acts 2 and 39 says so. I pray that this will help you all out in your quest for salvation.
September 6, 2009 at 5:51 am
When I didn’t even know my heart was searching for Jesus, I found 3 tracts at different locations. I took each one knowing GOD had left them there to get my attention. I got saved shortly after. You may not think they work but you don’t see the whole picture. GOD’s word never goes out and returns void. If you believe any measure used to spread GOD’s word is ineffective, then satan has deceived you and you are spreading his lies, not GOD’s word.