I like radio as much as or more than the next guy. One thing that peeves me is dead air. That and when a DJ starts yapping and there’s no music bed behind him. If it’s talk radio, then by all means, I expect to hear just voices. But any self-respecting radio station should know better than just to talk without a little music dribbling through in the background.

But maybe it’s just a preference thing. I prefer the music in the background.

So today, I’m scanning through stations and happen upon a local Christian radio station. They are having a fund drive for supporters of the station. And the DJ’s are yapping, “we’ve just received a challenge – in the next hour Dr. So-n-So has pledged to match dollar for dollar up to $1000!”

They then interviewed him to ask why he supports local Christian Radio (which is mostly satellite feed from Nashville anyway, but I digress). His reasoning? “When a patient walks through my reception area and comments they heard me on the radio, that’s when I know it’s working.”

Notice the rationale here. He is being noticed. His practice is being noticed. Nothing about whether religious radio is actually helping anyone. No talk about pitching in so the poor can pay rent. Not even lip service for housing for the homeless. No, in the real world, this is called advertising. But in Christendom, it’s re-packaged as “support or contribution.” May I be the one to cry, “8u11 $h1t!” on this?

This man is an advertiser just like all the other “sponsors” or "contributors" who donate to various endeavors just so their name will be seen or heard. Their company is being promoted. Their cause for supporting is justified in their own eyes.

Isn’t this just a load of rhetoric crap? The Religious world is pawning off “contributions” as a way to help our community, as in, “we are reaching” our listeners. Helping with what? Leveraging flawed belief systems? Unfortunately, the scheme plays into hapless lemming propaganda – they march off embracing the radio station (or whatever the religious flavor of the day is) and parading all of its benefits!

I’m sorry, but I can’t stomach it.

Here me on this, readers – The way of Jesus’ teaching had nothing to do with Marketing, Branding, Product Placement, Advertising, or Corporate Imaging. Nothing was mentioned in the, “giving to get” department. He abhorred public recognition – there are instances where he requested of those he helped not to tell anyone.

Can we look at this for what it is?

Whenever we are contributing to something in the hopes of receiving recognition or endorsement, we are dead wrong. The Christ-like believers are charged with giving our lives away. The right hand is never to know what our left hand is giving. Our “giving” is to be made for God’s eyes only, with a priority for the Lost, the Last and the Least of society – yet our Christian marketplace caters to the wealthy, the camera-friendly, and morally astute.

It’s as if Jesus were a bought and paid for Republican. He is not. Nor is He a Democrat for that matter. He stood for justice, equality, integrity, selflessness, authenticity and compassion, but strayed from political affiliations.

Remember this little snippet, “bless those that persecute you or despitefully use you?”

“Love your neighbor as much, or more than you love yourself?”

Or another timeless classic, “take care of the fatherless and the poor.”

That’s the music we should be playing in the background. They will know us by our love for one another, not for the packaging of lifeless, hollow words.