Fighting Fire with Faith

Arkansas bus ad that has caused quite a stir

In the spring, a coalition of "nontheistic" groups in Arkansas tried to rent advertising space on buses run by the Central Arkansas Transit System (CATA) for ads that read "Good without God?  Millions Are."  The ads were to run during a Memorial Day weekend arts and music festival in Little Rock.  CATA and its advertising agency were willing to rent the space, but they wanted a large deposit and then insurance because they feared vandals might attack the atheist ads.  The United Coalition of Reason, the national parent organization of the state group, took CATA and the ad agency to court for violating their group's constitutional right to free speech; and Reuters reports (here) that a federal judge has ruled in their favor. The local group must post a $15,000 bond again possible vandalism, but it cannot be prevented from renting ad space, which is its First Amendment right under the Constitution.  And that's that.

Well, not exactly, in its report on this story (here), the online conservative website, Christian Post, added that Christian churches and groups in Arkansas intend to counter the ads by running their own bus ads. The Russian Orthodox Church, for example, has rented space on CATA buses to run an ad that reads, "There IS a God, BELIEVE. Don't worry and enjoy your life."  The Christian Post article also quotes a local Little Rock Christian leader as saying, "Any bus that has these ads running across them will be picketed...We are planning to create a newsletter and start gathering our resources to fight ads that create chaos in our society. These ads have nothing to do with free speech. It has to do with corruption and pure evil. We will stand tall for our Lord and fight against this decision."  These comments are troubling, to say the least.

First, the issue does have to do with free speech, and the "nontheist" group in Arkansas has a right to equal access to advertising with other social and religious groups.  Second, picketing and making a fuss only calls further attention to the ads while making these "Christian groups" appear small-minded and unwilling to honor the marketplace of ideas that is an important part of our national life.  Third, and especially troubling, is this leader's assertion that the ads are chaotic, corrupt, and "pure evil."  These sentiments are so over the top that we have to assume that something else is going on here.  The deeper issue is that many Christian groups are having trouble adjusting to the increasingly pluralistic nature of American society.  Tolerance of view points not their own comes very hard for they are convinced that they have a corner on the truth market.  Finally, this leader's statement that "we" are going to "stand tall for our Lord and fight" has nothing to do with Jesus' teachings as described in the gospels.  Jesus enjoined his disciples to turn the other check and walk the second mile.  As Christians, we are not supposed to fight fire with fire—but to fight it with faith, which is a very different thing.