My wife and I took our kids to Dollywood a couple of weeks ago. I had read about a lawsuit filed against Dollywood because one partner of a lesbian couple had wanted to wear a “Marriage is so gay” shirt into the park with her “wife” on a recent visit. The park had asked her to turn the shirt inside out, which she found offensive, and so she later filed a lawsuit. Well, Dolly had released a public apology and stated that she supports the gay community.
So I had purposed in my heart to wear my own radical shirt into the park:
Checkmate, false religions!
Actually, it wasn’t some big invasion plan like I was gonna start a rally or anything. I just like the shirt and decided to wear it that day. But throughout the day, I noticed people staring at my shirt; on more than one occasion, I turned to make eye contact with someone who was staring at my shirt and they immediately looked away as if they didn’t want to be seen reading it. A hijab-wearing Muslim woman was among them.
I kept thinking about whether a tee shirt could really do anything for evangelism, and (perhaps I turn everything into a problem that needs solving 
) I started looking at other shirts that people were wearing. People advertise all sorts of stuff that they probably don’t really care about (like Oakley or Ford or whatever). I saw several “Christian” tee shirts and while standing in long lines for rides, I had lots of time to think about the whole Christian tee shirt idea.
I like the “coexist” shirt pictured above because in a very concise way, it communicates several things. It pronounces judgment on all the false gods of the world and states that all religions and their “prophets” are subject to the judgment of Jesus Christ. It has Scripture, and communicates a simple message that even the most thick-headed person can get. It presents Truth; I like it! You don’t have to wonder what it’s talking about, and it has enough information that someone can realize their own salvation or damnation from this one verse of Scripture.
There are lots of good evangelistic shirts out there. The ones from Voice of the Martyrs have some great truth on them and often point to the horrors of Christian persecution going on in the world. There’s really no reason to wear “church art”.
If a Christian is wearing a Christian tee shirt, you would think that they are attempting to do some evangelism. That’s what you’d think. But there are some real head scratchers out there. I saw this one that day:
So….what’s this about? I know, I know, salvation is through Christ, right? Or is that the message at all? This might seem trendy and cool, but it’s not conveying a lot of truth. Furthermore, are false converts and pagans going to get anything out of that? Isn’t that who evangelism is for? If the only people that “get” your shirt are your church buddies, you should pass on that purchase. Buy something that will witness to the people who don’t want you to know they’re reading your shirt and who are still in denial about their condemned state.
Saw this one too:
I can’t even begin to figure this one out. Jesus is sweet like chocolate and peanut butter? I love Jesus like I love candy? Is this one even blasphemous? I guess they threw in “King of Kings” to church it up a bit, but boy I couldn’t do this.
What about this one:
This seems to say “pick Jesus ’cause He’s a good choice.” Really? Jesus isn’t cool. He’s our Judge. He’s God. The Hebrews wouldn’t even speak God’s Name. The high priest would be smitten dead on the Day of Atonement if he came unclean into the Holy of Holies because THIS GOD was present there. And this is the height of our respect for Him? I’ve seen other shirts like “Jesus is my home boy” and “God’s got my back.” Wow.
Please, brothers and sisters in Christ! Let’s wear something that will compel people to come to Christ because He is the Son of God who bled and died on our behalf. Call them to repentance and let them know that without Christ, they have no hope on the Day of Judgment when God’s wrath is revealed against all lawlessness. Let them know that many will say to Him, “Lord, Lord,” but few there will be that find the narrow road that leads to life. We wouldn’t witness to someone by saying “Jesus is way cooler than Mohammed.” Why in the world would we wear a shirt like that?
You might think I’m overboard with this. Maybe I am, but one thing I learned that day at Dollywood: people do read shirts. And for every person that read mine, they got a dose of Truth that might mean the difference in their eternity. Just like Gospel tracts, God’s Word on a shirt won’t return void, but it has to be His Word!!
But the absolute worst thing I saw the whole time was this:
Translation: One front row seat for Hell, please.
I can’t imagine the theology behind this, except perhaps for a false convert or maybe an atheist or a Catholic that thinks Fat Tuesday is all in good fun. Yuck. If you call yourself a Christian and think this shirt is funny, please email me.
Anyway, I decided that by the end of the day, hundreds of people had thought about Jesus and their state before Him, if only for a second, because of the shirt that I was wearing. Perhaps seeds were planted, but I have decided that if people are meditating on God’s Word, there’s nothing better they could be doing! Look for more radical shirts from yours truly.
