Beware of Knockoffs!
Much to my chagrin, I’ve come to realize how much my spouse and I are creatures of habit. For example, for every new television show we watch, we also rewatch one or two of our go-to favorites. In recent years we have rewatched the entire series of The Office, Schitt’s Creek, and Friends. And once per year, we rewatch both of our favorite television show of all time, Mad Men. The way that this show offers somewhat of an overview of the evolution of advertising in the 20th century is just as fascinating as the characters, plot lines and 1960s nostalgia. In fact, for me, this show sparked an interest in learning more about the history of advertising in this country.
As we are now fully in the holiday season, the ads are everywhere – Black Friday is mere days away. The commercials and catalogs and online ads are all trying to grab our attention with the catchiest of catch words! Author Mark Twain famously noted that the difference between using the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning a lightning bug. Words really matter. This week I found myself reading about the most common words and the most powerful words used in advertising. I read articles about the potency of saying, “you,” to get the attention of customers. I read about how “safe” and “proven” are impactful messaging. “Easy,” “new” and “guarantee” are also potent ingredients in a successful ad campaign. As I read on, I was surprised that one word was not listed anywhere on the lists of words used in powerful ad campaigns today – “real.”
Now, there have been some notable ad campaigns over the years that incorporate the term “real.” One of the most powerful campaigns in recent history was the Real Beauty Campaign by Dove, which featured real women, challenging beauty standards and promoting self-esteem for women of all shapes, sizes, ethnicities, and ages. A few years back, Chipotle launched their ad campaign, “As Real as It Gets,” as a way to support the company’s commitment to only using real ingredients in their food. And of course, Coca-Cola has returned to their use of the term “real” over many decades, with such taglines as, “It’s the Real Thing,” “Can’t Beat the Real Thing,” “Make it Real,” and “Real Magic.”
Apart from these campaigns, I learned that the word “real” is largely missing from modern ad campaigns. Then, I came across a research study in the Journal of Marketing titled, “Does it Pay to Be Real? Understanding Authenticity in TV Advertising.” And the short answer of this study looking at whether being “real” works in advertising is – maybe. To quote the study, “While an ad congruent with the brand’s essence has a positive effect on sales in most cases, an overly honest advertising message can actually hurt performance.” So, perhaps it doesn’t always pay to be real.
In the early 2000s, I found myself for the first time walking down Canal Street in Chinatown in lower Manhattan. Around me were thousands of knockoff designer handbags, sunglasses, scarves and luggage. It was a bustling scene where you can buy replicas of items that sell for thousands of dollars for a couple hundred bucks or less. Many of these knockoffs were so similar in appearance to the real thing that only a trained eye could spot the difference, which led me to wonder – does the realness of a label actually matter, or is it merely the appearance that something is real that does the job for most folks? Does the mere appearance of reality communicate the prestige?
In our biblical text today from the Gospel of John, we find Pilate questioning Jesus about the title of king? As a reminder of the context for this exchange, Jesus has already been handed over, arrested, his hands are bound and he has been struck in the face, so think about that scene as you hear Pilate asking, “Are you the King of the Jews?” and reminding Jesus how the Jewish leaders are the ones who handed him over to the Roman authorities. There’s a jab in this question when you consider that context. Pilate is mocking Jesus in asking him to affirm his identity as King of the Jews.
Jesus doesn’t directly answer Pilate’s question about his title, but does reference his kingdom, and notes how his kingdom is not of this world. Pilate once again latches on to the title, to the label, of “king” and essentially remarks “Aha, so you are saying you are a king?!” Jesus responds saying, “You are saying that I am.” In other words, he is pointing out that Pilate is the one who is so hung up on this label of “king.” Let’s remember that Pilate as a leader in the Roman Empire would understand this label of “king” in a very narrow and traditional fashion – as one who is a ruler, with an army, and wealth and legions of loyal followers. It does not compute in his brain that Jesus would have this title ascribed to him, particularly in this powerless state.
In the closing passages of this encounter, Jesus tells Pilate that he was born to come into the world and testify to the truth, and that all who belong to the truth listen to his voice. Those who hear the truth and know it to be the truth proclaim him king, and not king of any earthly nation or group. Pilate doesn’t understand that this title of “king” is something altogether different that what he envisions, and so he gives up on this exchange. Of course, all of us with the gift of knowing the fuller arc of this story understand that Jesus us speaking of an entirely different kingdom – the Kingdom of God, which is so drastically different than the images of power-hoarding rulers, military prowess and submissive subjects, which accompany the idea of a kingdom in the world of Pilate. Jesus is talking about a heavenly kingdom, while Pilate is focused on the world around him on earth.
This Sunday is Christ the King Sunday, and Christ the King Sunday is a fairly recent addition to the liturgical year. This is not a celebration from the days of the early church or a product of the medieval years. With its origins in the Catholic tradition, Pope Pius XI established Christ the King Sunday in 1925 with his encyclical Quas Primas, a Latin phrase meaning, “In the first,” and is intended to be celebrated on the last Sunday of the liturgical year. (The church year begins anew with the first Sunday of Advent next week!)
Christ the King Sunday has been a part of our annual traditions for less than 100 years! Pope Pius XI added this celebration to the church because on the heels of The Great War, World War I, as he wanted to remind Christians that Christ is the ruler of all, not any earthly king or leader. He wanted to combat the rise in nationalism that was leading citizens all over the world to worship their countries over Christ. Much like Pilate in the Gospel of John, much of the world had become fixated on earthly kingdoms and labels. Nationalism was masquerading as religion during this time, and the goal of this new liturgical holiday was to remind Christians of what is true, and what is real – that Jesus Christ is King, and he alone is worthy or our worship, our obedience and our devotion.
We are presently living in another rise in nationalism in this world and in our home country. Now, I have had a few folks say to me, “What’s wrong with nationalism? Don’t we want everyone to be patriots?” I try to remind them that patriotism and Nationalism are two very different things. Patriotism denotes pride in one’s homeland, and support of its military, government and people. Nationalism is patriotism on steroids – the belief that one’s own country is the only country that really matters, and presently, in the United States, nationalism is often infused with a preference for whiteness and Christianity. What is happening right now in the United States is that we are seeing a nationalist movement pushing Christianity forward, and it should make all of us concerned.
You may be thinking, “Now, why would the advancement of Christianity in our country ever be a bad thing?” The answer to that question is found in looking at the life of Jesus, who did not utilize kingdoms, or nations, or governments to advance his message and to begin the bringing about of the Kingdom of God. Jesus operated outside of these human-made constructs of nations, borders, rulers and empires. He expanded his reach beyond the Jewish people during his earthly ministry and commissioned his disciples to do the same. All of that was intentional.
Christ never tried to gain our attention or our allegiance through the institutions and powers here on earth. Christ began a movement that starts with the conversion or our hearts – no matter our nationality, ethnicity or citizenship. Jesus didn’t try to get the Roman Empire or the Sanhedrin to care about feeding the poor, welcoming the stranger, praying for those who persecute you and loving our neighbors as ourselves. Jesus appealed directly to the people, and intended the spread of Christianity to happen among the people through relationships - powerful and transformative relationships.
It seems important right now to resurrect (pun intended) the importance of Christ the King Sunday to remind ourselves that as Christians, as followers of the religion given to us by Jesus Christ, our allegiance is to him and him alone. Many an evil has been done in this world by nations and governments and empires operating under the banner of Christianity. Unjust wars, the Crusades, slavery, land theft, and genocides – all of these have taken place under the banner of Christ. So we must be careful in assuming that any nation, or government or collective that bears his name is the real deal.
There are a lot of knockoffs out there. A lot of things masquerading as Christian that just like a fake designer handbag, bear the “correct” name and logo on the outside, but aren’t the real thing. Christ the King Sunday reminds us of the One who holds our allegiance above any other, and reminds us that part of our duty as followers is to be thoughtful in how we use his name in this world. Beware of knockoffs. Look beyond the label and make sure that what you see around you is the real and true essence of Jesus Christ. Christ who greeted people with an invitation to follow him, not a mandate. Christ who cared more about how we treat the least of these than how many crosses we wear or Bible verses we quote. If it is “real” Christianity, you will see the hallmarks of Jesus’ ministry and teachings on the inside as well as the outside.
Beware of the knockoffs. Look for the real deal. Christ is our king, then, now and always. Amen.
Image via wilrocka/Flickr
