The most recent issue of Relevant Magazine features an ad on page 87 for Third Day’s current tour: the “Wherever You Are Tour”. I like Third Day. They are a solid band. The ad includes information about bands appearing with Third Day as well as tour days and cities they’ll be playing in. The last thing on the page, centered at the bottom, is a familiar “bowtie” logo followed by these words: “Chevrolet. The official vehicle of Third Day.”
Okay. Never mind the obvious question (What does it mean for a band to have an “official vehicle”?) and answer me this: What is Third Day doing selling out?
I asked my wife this question and she said maybe it’s not selling out. Maybe there was a good marketing deal in it for Third Day and maybe they’ll reach more people by pairing up with Chevy. Maybe she’s right, but it still rubs me the wrong way.
I start to worry that I’m going to show up for church one day and hear that the opening pray is brought to us by Cheetos or that the Lord’s Supper is being sponsored by Welch’s and Wonder Bread.
Bono once said something about God not needing our money, and I think he’s right about that. And I know that Third Day is a band and that selling music is their business and that they are not, in the strictest sense, a ministry, but they do what they do in the name of God. And in the name of Chevy, it would seem. And I don’t know that God is looking for corporate sponsorship, so it makes me uncomfortable.
What about you? Does this bother you? Do you think we’re headed in the right direction by attempting to harness the power of the American media machine, or do you think that somehow waters down the truth of the gospel and maybe even undermines the sovereignty of God?
Not my favorite decision in the world, though I admit I’m not heavily invested one way or the other since I haven’t listened to much Christian music lately.
How is that money being used? And under what conditions did they receive it? This isn’t a perfect analogy, but I think of some great sports stadiums around the U.S. that once had great names, including honoring those who gave great amounts of time, energy, and money to the cause of that team. When the sponsorship came in, the names, and in some sense, the history of those stadiums was gone. But the loyalty to the team remained.
I doubt accepting that sponsorship will force Third Day to compromise on what matters most. On the other hand, if they can spread their music without having to be married to our ad-driven appetite for marketing, why did they? Seems unnecessary, but I don’t all the circumstances, either.
left by Trey on 10.19.2006 at 4:10 pm