On Good Friday, when many people were in church, some listening to sermons on the Seven Last Words of Jesus, I was standing on a street corner holding my sign, LESS TRUMP, MORE JESUS.
I had never done anything like this before, not ever, not even close. But I did it for three days: Friday, Saturday, and Easter Sunday. One hour each day on a main intersection in our small town in South Carolina. I want to tell you about it.
But first, why did I do this? Because a woman made a TikTok video with this message; “I am an 83-year-old woman. The salvation of our country is up to us old women. I made a sign, found a street corner, and took a stand.” Or something like that–I don’t know her name or how to access again that video. But it struck a nerve with me, and I started constructing my own protest sign.
LESS TRUMP, MORE JESUS on one side and NO MUSK, YES JESUS on the other. It expresses my conviction that our democracy is endangered and our religion is distorted. Plus, it preaches my sermon in shorthand, that the antidote to both is a focus on the life and words of Jesus of Nazareth.
I stood across from the Post Office in Travelers Rest, South Carolina. It was the intersection of Roe Road and Main Street. It featured one of the three stop lights on Main Street in our little down, just north of Greenville.
I did not know what to expect; but when it was all over, I was both surprised and pleased. I started just after noon on Good Friday. I resolved to count both the positive responses and the negative responses. It is not always easy to discern responses: dark window tints hide some responses, horn honks are indecisive, even some hand gestures are confusing. So, I discounted all such things, noting only those responses that were clear to me.
That first day, 28 people gave me some version of the thumbs up, and only 8 gave me a thumbs down. Some rolled down a window and shouted their message, others smiled and waved or yelled and frowned. But when it was all over, I was shocked that more than 3/4 of the respondents approved of my protest message.
I went back the next day, Saturday, and it was a very busy traffic day. Same corner. Same sign. Same time. Same result only more so: 41 positive and only 4 negative. Who would have thought here in deep red South Carolina.
Then came Easter Sunday.
Surprisingly, it was a very slow traffic day during the noon hour. This time the count was 43 and 9. The first one was a gruff old man yelling out his disgust. I waved, said to myself, “0 to 1” and turned to watch for other travelers.
The best was the last of the day. A car stopped at the light across the intersection honked repeatedly, then the passenger door opened, and a lady leaned out and said, “I love you!” I waved, recorded their response in my head, and turned away. The light changed and that car full of people rolled to my curb and stopped, that woman jumped out and handed me a bottle of water. “We love what you are doing. God bless you. Happy Easter.” She had a big smile on her face.
That encounter was a fitting conclusion to my experiment, my inaugural street corner protest, my weekend witness for democracy and Jesus. By far, most travelers passing my corner made no response; some never even saw me. But of the 133 who did register their opinion (in some way I could discern), 112 (84%) were positive and supportive, many even energetic in conveying their endorsement for my solo stance.
What impact will it have? and will I do it again? I don’t know the answer to either question, but this much I do know: it will take millions of us, alone and in groups, to generate the civic uprising that is needed to push back against the ugly authoritarianism and the ungodly religion that have combined to make this awful episode of American history.
I challenge you to make your own sign, post it and carry it and display it where you can. Join this mighty movement to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. And, if you have a moment, send me a word about what you are doing.
God bless you, and God bless the USA.
Dwight A. Moody
On Good Friday, when many people were in church, some listening to sermons on the Seven Last Words of Jesus, I was standing on a street corner holding my sign, LESS TRUMP, MORE JESUS.
I had never done anything like this before, not ever, not even close. But I did it for three days: Friday, Saturday, and Easter Sunday. One hour each day on a main intersection in our small town in South Carolina. I want to tell you about it.
But first, why did I do this? Because a woman made a TikTok video with this message; “I am an 83-year-old woman. The salvation of our country is up to us old women. I made a sign, found a street corner, and took a stand.” Or something like that–I don’t know her name or how to access again that video. But it struck a nerve with me, and I started constructing my own protest sign.
LESS TRUMP, MORE JESUS on one side and NO MUSK, YES JESUS on the other. It expresses my conviction that our democracy is endangered and our religion is distorted. Plus, it preaches my sermon in shorthand, that the antidote to both is a focus on the life and words of Jesus of Nazareth.
I stood across from the Post Office in Travelers Rest, South Carolina. It was the intersection of Roe Road and Main Street. It featured one of the three stop lights on Main Street in our little down, just north of Greenville.
I did not know what to expect; but when it was all over, I was both surprised and pleased. I started just after noon on Good Friday. I resolved to count both the positive responses and the negative responses. It is not always easy to discern responses: dark window tints hide some responses, horn honks are indecisive, even some hand gestures are confusing. So, I discounted all such things, noting only those responses that were clear to me.
That first day, 28 people gave me some version of the thumbs up, and only 8 gave me a thumbs down. Some rolled down a window and shouted their message, others smiled and waved or yelled and frowned. But when it was all over, I was shocked that more than 3/4 of the respondents approved of my protest message.
I went back the next day, Saturday, and it was a very busy traffic day. Same corner. Same sign. Same time. Same result only more so: 41 positive and only 4 negative. Who would have thought here in deep red South Carolina.
Then came Easter Sunday.
Surprisingly, it was a very slow traffic day during the noon hour. This time the count was 43 and 9. The first one was a gruff old man yelling out his disgust. I waved, said to myself, “0 to 1” and turned to watch for other travelers.
The best was the last of the day. A car stopped at the light across the intersection honked repeatedly, then the passenger door opened, and a lady leaned out and said, “I love you!” I waved, recorded their response in my head, and turned away. The light changed and that car full of people rolled to my curb and stopped, that woman jumped out and handed me a bottle of water. “We love what you are doing. God bless you. Happy Easter.” She had a big smile on her face.
That encounter was a fitting conclusion to my experiment, my inaugural street corner protest, my weekend witness for democracy and Jesus. By far, most travelers passing my corner made no response; some never even saw me. But of the 133 who did register their opinion (in some way I could discern), 112 (84%) were positive and supportive, many even energetic in conveying their endorsement for my solo stance.
What impact will it have? and will I do it again? I don’t know the answer to either question, but this much I do know: it will take millions of us, alone and in groups, to generate the civic uprising that is needed to push back against the ugly authoritarianism and the ungodly religion that have combined to make this awful episode of American history.
I challenge you to make your own sign, post it and carry it and display it where you can. Join this mighty movement to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. And, if you have a moment, send me a word about what you are doing.
God bless you, and God bless the USA.
Dwight A. Moody
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