I am recently in an airport and I am sitting in the waiting area for boarding. From the corner of my eye I see a young fellow wearing a black t-shirt with letters on it that says "INTOLERANT" and I saw the name Jesus on there too. I walked up to take a closer look and the shirt had the verse John 14:6 about Jesus being the way, the truth and the life on it. I see it and I agree that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life - but I wasn't comfortable with the large INTOLERANT letters used as it kind of looked like it was putting that word in the verse itself. I sort of was indicating that Jesus would be shouting out "INTOLERANT" by the way it looked. (you can click on the shirt image for a larger look at it).
Then I saw the back of the shirt. It had the large all caps words "HOMOSEXUALITY IS SIN" "ISLAM IS A LIE" "ABORTION IS MURDER" and in smaller letters it said "some issues are just black and white". I was taken back when I first saw the back of the shirt and how large the words it used were. I sat down looking at the young guy wearing the shirt. He was probably around 25 years old. Athletic looking type. He eventually stood up to get in the line as they called everyone to get on board. The shirt was blatantly obvious and everyone was looking at it who was in the line behind him. I saw a little kid looking at it. Men, women, of different races looking at it. Jesus' name on the front, and these large statements on the back clearly designed for people to read and easily see it.
As we stood and slowly moved in the corridor getting into the plane, I was wondering if someone who was Islam was in the line reading it. Or someone gay. Or a woman who had an abortion.
I was wondering what messages this would say to people reading it about Christians to the two dozen or so people I saw looking at it in the line.
I wondered where the guy got the shirt (since then I did a search and found the organization who makes them). People in a neutral airport minding their own business now having this shirt in front of them having to read it. I understand the underlying motive in what he believed about what the shirt said. But even if he believes that, I wondered how effective the method in what he was doing by wearing the shirt was.
I wondered what Jesus (whose name was on the front of the shirt) thinks of this?
I wondered how we would feel if we saw a t-shirt in an aiport saying CHRISTIANITY IS A LIE. It is a free country. I kept going back and forth in my mind about wanting to say something and ask him something. I finally did go say something to him and had a brief conversation.
I am curious however, before I say what I asked him - what would you think about this shirt? What do you think Jesus would think of this? Approval? Disapproval? Is this effective in representing a voice of Jesus, as shown on the front of the shirt, to the people in the airport?
What would you have said to this person? Or not say anything at all?
I am not asking this for maybe what seems an obvious answer. But what are the serious reasons and even biblical principles for whatever we may think of this shirt? Not just an emotional reaction, but what would the argument be to wear or not wear this shirt as a follower of Jesus. And if you could ask or say something to the guy wearing it, what would that be?
