Praying for a race car takes a whole new meaning
Parishoners of the
non-denominational Bayside Community church were greeted yesterday by an interesting proposition: a chance to be
photographed next to the late Dale Earnhardt's No. 3 Chevrolet Monte Carlo NASCAR racer. Church officials, however,
informed their flock that those interested in getting a snap with the great one's ride would require sitting through a
sermon first and then sit through another one next week to pick up the photo. The pastor stated that use of the race
car in such a manner was one of the church's "fresh ways to communicate the ageless gospel." Wonder what
Junior thinks about it?[Source: Herald Tribune]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Howard Kerr 9:14PM (4/17/2006)
I wonder what the AFA and CRAC would think about this?
Gee, having to bribe folks to sit through a sermon...I wonder how many takers there were?
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Nat 9:29PM (4/17/2006)
Wouldn't this fall under the category of 'worshiping false idols?'
Oh wait it's the holy-trinity of Dale's number "3". My bad, carry on then.
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Stoneman 9:34PM (4/17/2006)
What would Jesus drive....?
I think a 1979 Ford Pinto. Not because he has to, but because he can.
Hey, dare to be different.
Cheerio.
http://www.stonemanautoreview.com
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Bryan 9:53PM (4/17/2006)
Jesus and NASCAR go together like... well, I don't know, but I was behind a team semi for this car the other day:
http://www.morganshepherd.com/
Racing with Jesus #89!
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Kimball 10:59PM (4/17/2006)
Churches should sponsor race cars just like Home Depot and Goodwrench do. Imagine... Jesus on wheels. Mosques and Synagogues could also sponsor race cars, just to make things fair.
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J.D. 11:16PM (4/17/2006)
Our Dale
Who Art in Heaven
Hallowed Be Thy Name...
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chairman 2:51AM (4/18/2006)
Some of the crazies perform heinous acts in God's name, so maybe The Almighty himself will be relieved when the abortion clinic bombers and white supremicists start to use the 'The Black 3 told me to do it' defense instead of pointing the finger at him.
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Chris 8:50AM (4/18/2006)
They aren't worshipping the car or Earnhardt jeez! It's a promotional stunt like a free air freshener with your car wash or a free oil change if you by a new car from a certain dealership. THEY ARE NOT WORSHIPPING THE CAR OR EARNHARDT!! Read the article. It's seems only post one gets it.
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Dave J 9:15AM (4/18/2006)
Heard a special on the radio about Dale Earnhardt, he was a very strong Christian as at least a number of the NASCAR drivers are.
Kind of seems like a cheap gimick to get people into Church though.
It's more relavant just to say that all humans are sinners, "...the wages of sin is death..." (headed for hell) unless each one of us repents and turns from our sin and accepts Jesus Christ as our personal savior!
You don't need some race car to teach about the good news of God our creator, but if it works as a good prop and you're not worshiping it, go for it!
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cowboy bob 9:34AM (4/18/2006)
I find most of this idolty of Dale Earnhardt simply amazing. This man was the poster boy of rough riding. He started the "bump and run" tactic that sent many a competitor into a crash. In the time of the old Grand National before Winston cup, there was a respect for drivers who raced clean. There is no denying his success, but others were also just as good behind the wheel, and a lot cleaner. He died doing what he did best, making reckless moves with other drivers. Now, he's a martyr. Fans- find a worthy hero, there are many who are more deserving.
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chairman 1:06PM (4/18/2006)
Chris, I think (or at least I hope) that everyone understands that the people in the article are not worshiping Dale Earnhardt. It's just the concept of making 'payments' in the way of church attendance just to stand next to a car gives D.E. an aura of cult of personality. Given the dubious reputation of cults, it's only natural for us to parody those that actually go for it. Call me old school, but religion shouldn't resort to vacation timeshare saleman tactics to get people in the door.
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salguod 1:12PM (4/18/2006)
My 2 cents:
If the church was transforming lives they wouldn't need gimicks to bring folks in. Jesus changed lives and He couldn't stop people from talking about it (even when He told them not to), thus the crowds that followed him. It seems that too many churches are more interested in filling the seats than the harder work of changing individual lives. If the members were transformed, they couldn't help but talking about it and the seats would be filled.
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Frank 3:11PM (4/18/2006)
#11 and #12
I couldn't have said it better myself. Well done.
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