Piety Hill Musings

The ramblings of the 43 year old Rector of St. John's Episcopal Church of Detroit. Piety Hill refers to the old name for our neighborhood. The neighborhood has changed a great deal in 150 years (but not our traditional biblical theology) and it is now known for the neighboring theatres and the new pro baseball and football stadiums behind our 1859 Chapel and 1861 Church.

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Name: StJohnsPriest
Location: Detroit, Michigan, United States

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

An overdue post on "The Billboard"


I promised my email list last week that I would post an picture of the offensive billboard put up by the diocese near St. John's. But on Thursday when I tried the blogger site was down, and then I was out of town Friday and Saturday. So today is the first chance I am getting. In addition to the sign going up, I have now been informed that there are ads on the the busses as well, including the "My God is Dog spelled backways" ad. Any yes, more and more questions are rising about it being paid for by the diocese which in effect is where a portion of our pledge is going. Some of the billboards are quite clever, and I particularly like the one with "My God is Forever" with a couple embracing and wedding ring graphics, and "My God is Merciful" with a man holding a rosary through a jail cell door. Both theologically sound. But there is one particular one on the diocesan flash play intro that I pray will not appear on busses or billboards since it contains a graphic in the picture that endorses a position contrary to biblical christianity concerning marital relations.

Here are two billboards - the first being the theologically unsound one with God as Mother. The second, although the statement in true, leaves one asking "what are they advertising?" Is this a church for especially for the blind (assuming the reader notices the braille dots)? What are we trying to advertise as a denomination?