A Nova Scotia teenager generated no small controversy a couple of weeks ago when he showed up at his high school wearing a T-shirt that boldly declared: “Life is wasted without Jesus.”
Initially suspended by the school, Grade 12 student William Swinimer was quickly permitted to return to classes by administrators. By then, the story had gone “viral.”
Some of Swinimer’s schoolmates were apparently offended by his “in your face” approach to publicizing his religious beliefs thereby prompting school officials to suspend the teenager from attending classes. He returned to school the following Monday wearing the offending garment only to have his father appear, Bible in hand, to make some kind of curious “statement” that his son wouldn’t be returning to a school apparently concerned about matters other than “readin’, writin’, and ‘rithmetic.”
Responses to the story have ranged from outright condemnation of Swinimer for his crass insensitivity to the realities of living in a multi-cultural society to emboldened defenses of his right to freedom of speech. To be sure, short of personally knowing Mr. Swinimer, it is difficult to determine his exact motivation for his actions.
Did Swinimer wear the shirt several days in a row in a calculated attempt to provoke controversy, or not?
In any event, the incident prompted further musing on my part regarding what I have long perceived to be the randomness with which Jesus is often co-opted to serve purposes via what strikes me as a somewhat less-than-stellar thought process. For instance, with all due respect to athletes like Tim Tebow, would such public figures truly want to communicate that Jesus or God or any other perceived deity is truly or overly concerned about the outcome of a sporting event being carried out by overpaid icons in an environment that boldly features rabid abuse of Budweiser?
We live in a world where thousands of children are starving to death every day, and you want me to believe that God is tuned in to the outcome of an NFL or NHL game?
Puh-leez! Or, as it relates to Mr. Swinimer, this Jesus is so meaningful to you that he rates association on the level of Hollister, Abercrombie or Banff National Park?
Sorry, my friend, but I have some major reservations that this kind of nonsense is really what the Christ had in mind when he directed his followers to be his “witnesses” as communicated in scripture.
Whether or not we care to admit it, whether or not we even know it, reducing Jesus to a T-shirt logo or a touchdown-enabler comes perilously close to creating God in our own image. That’s troubling - and I, for one, am uncomfortable with it.
Tim Callaway is pastor of Faith Community Baptist Church in Airdrie. He can be reached at [email protected]
