Members of the Meissen Commission worked hard on educational and musical matters all this morning before going up to the Wartburg this afternoon. This is the castle where Martin Luther spent many months being protected after his excommunication by the Pope. Not only did we do the tour, but we also joined in worship in the Kapelle and heard a superb sermon – pointed, brave, sharp, engaging – by the pastor, Martina Berlich. (I hope to get a text and will say more about one particular story, if I get it.)
You can't help but be impressed by the courage of Martin Luther, even if you don't agree with his theology or way of expressing it. To stand out and risk everything is not something we all do every day. Over dinner we were talking about how the churches in this part of Germany handled the Nazizeit…
When I got back after the visit to the Wartburg, with Telemann's cantata and Luther's courage playing around my mind, I discovered a load of emails and tweets about a story I knew nothing about – my 'enthusiastic support' for the churchads.net Christmas advert campaign.
For the record, I don't like it. And I said that when asked about the original concept. But, what I like isn't the point. The advert is aimed at getting people to notice it and talk about it. It is aimed not at those already in the club, but those outside. If it upsets Christians, we have to ask if this is, in fact, what the Jesus of the Gospels did, too. It was the religious people who nailed Jesus because they thought he was 'tacky' and 'blasphemous'. Christians get upset regularly by anything that pushes the implications of God truly becoming human – and, therefore, doing human things.
As I said in my quote, this advert will upset some people. So what? Everyone gets upset by something, and upsetting the Daily Mail is not exactly hard. I couldn't see the Daily Mail in Jerusalem of the first century defending the Jesus of the Gospels. This is just posturing.
I feel a bit cut off from the discussion because here in Germany there are more important things to think about than an ad campaign upsetting people. Also, I just heard on Twitter that Malcolm Wicks MP (Croydon North) has died: a great man, a great MP, great company, and a great servant of his constituency. Very sad and I wish I had known he was so ill.
Just to conclude with some Lutheran perspective: I picked up the following Martin Luther quotes on cards at the Wartburg:
Das ist der Teufel in uns, dass niemand genug hat! (The devil in us is that no one ever has enough!)
Für die Toten Wein, Wasser für die Lebenden – das ist eine Vorschrift für Fische. (Wine for the dead, water for the living – that is a recipe for fish.)
And perhaps the briefest and best wisdom at times of pressure:
Lang ist nicht ewig. (Long time is not eternity.)
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Nick Baines's Blog 
September 30, 2012 at 1:36 pm
Just picked up a copy of See Round, the St Albans Diocesan rag. Here’s what they say, p.3:
Either somebody’s not been doing their homework or the ChurchAds spin doctors have been doing overtime; most likely both, methinks: at a guess that’s taken direct from a ChurchAds press release?
September 30, 2012 at 1:57 pm
[…] Bishop of Bradford Nick Baines explains his not quite so enthusiastic support for the ad. […]
September 30, 2012 at 2:11 pm
Some of us dislike this not because they think it is blasphemous or tacky, but because they think it gives out the wrong messages about who Jesus really was and is – not a cuddly doll, but someone who really challenged people, which a doll doesn’t do.
And because the title ‘GodBaby’ raises all sorts of theological questions about how Jesus was divine and gives the wrong idea about how he saved the world.
We also object to it because it doesn’t seem to be doing what it is intended to do, which is to get people outside the church thinking about the real meaning of Christmas, and, perhaps, attending church at Christmas. An unscientific straw poll of relatives via Facebook brought 2 comments: “Weird” and “Does nothing for me and I think it is a bit creepy to look at. If it is aiming to get me to go to church it certainly fails.”
October 1, 2012 at 2:37 pm
” Christians get upset regularly by anything that pushes the implications of God truly becoming human – and, therefore, doing human things.”
Actually I’m more bothered by God being presented as a plastic toy than by the concept of God being human.
But if the advert is aimed at getting people to notice it and talk about it, perhaps it bears thinking about who exactly will notice, who will talk about it, what they will say and what that might look like to those who feel they are not “already in the club”. I think Archdruid Eileen got it right this time.
October 3, 2012 at 1:05 pm
Heck you guys, it’s IRONIC. How can a plastic toy save the world? It can’t. It’s a pop at the must-have gizmos that are pushed at consumers every Christmas. What would Jesus look like if he were marketed like that? Like Godbaby. It’s not designed to get bums on seats, it’s designed to tell people that the Christmas which they see as a 21st Century retail festival actually has something to do with Jesus.
October 3, 2012 at 5:31 pm
But, biblejohn, what some of us are saying is that we don’t think it will tell people that Christmas is really about Jesus. So it fails as communication in our view.
October 11, 2012 at 11:51 am
I read the article in the Mail on 29th Sept. and have taken the time to see who is on the Executive Committe and it appears that all main strean denominations are represented. I understand the Rev. Baines has not given his enthusiastic support, as reported the Keith Gladdis. If this is not a true record, then perhaps he should have the record put straight.
I have spoken to 2 people who are on the Executive Committee and niether appear to like the advert. I wonder how many others on the Executive will say the same!
We have just seen how upset some Muslims have been when they thought some one had ridiculed Mohammued and the Quran, but the Christian Church appear to have people inside the Church (not the club), debasing and ridiculing God.
We need to remind oursleves that God is a Holy God, He will not be mocked and this advert certainly does just that.
No one denies that God was fully human as well as Divine, but this poster is just a gimmick and will do nothing for the ‘bringing in of the Kingdom’
I wonder if it will even pass the ‘Advertising Agency Standards’. The statement, ‘not available in shops’, – the doll is not available at all.
It was reported in the press that the Campiagn is to cost £100,000 – I am finding it difficult to find out who is actually funding the advert and in which areas it will be displayed. In this time of austerity, when people in the pews are beng asked to increase their giving, perhaps it is time that we asked a few searching questions.
If men and women who are called by God and trained, supported financially by the local congregations, to Preach His word faithfully, why is it we need to resort to tastless advertising? If advertising is the in thing, to get people to talk about Christmas, why are we keeping churches open and paying clergy? It is stated that the advert is, ‘ to get people talking’ about the real meaning of Christmas, in the pub and toddler groups – perhaps, but will certainly not give them the powerful message of God’s love for mankind. There has not be a significant number of people rushing into church from last year’s campaign.
The advert does not upset me, it saddens me that people who are Christians can ridicule the Faith and leaders of main stream demonimations support it, then expect people outside of the Faith to take the Christian Faith seriously. It also saddens me, that just because someone speaks against the advert, they are deemed to be ‘out of their comfit zone’; i am not.
2 Chron. 7 v 14