A local Christian College is running a new ad campaign that is all about 'busting' stereotypes of Christians. I've been sitting across from these ads on the bus quite a bit lately and I'm really not seeing the stereotype.

This is the first one. & I'm not sure what they mean by 'crutch' and I'm not sure why the blonde is confused. I really don't get this ad and I am an avid church goer and I have a degree in Religious Studies. I've stared at this picture for days now and I'm still no closer in understanding.


I looked up these ads on the Providence Website and this is what it tells me

“Think” shows a pretty blonde in a classroom setting who seems confused, with the headline, “Christians use their faith as a crutch.” This ad is meant to show the stereotype that many young Christians go on to secular university or even a good Christian school and still find themselves unable to clearly and intelligently converse about their faith with others.

Now, I would never have gotten from A to B on this one by myself...Am I alone here? I know that I can talk about what I believe quite well. However, I just don't think OTHERS need to hear me go on about my Faith and my Tenets... To me this is all very personal... So it's a stereotype that Christians can't express their faith because they are pretty and go on to post-secondary education?


This is the second ad. When I first saw this ad I was pleased because I at least understood it. Mind you I didn't agree with it, but I UNDERSTOOD what they were saying. I didn't need to consult the website but just for kicks here is what they have to say about this ad:

“Serve” shows a homeless person with the headline, “The end is near, so Christians don’t care,” to show the stereotype that some Christians think they aren’t going to be on earth very long so they don’t need to care about issues like homelessness, poverty, or even the environment.

Really? There's really Christians out there that act/think/live like this? Enough that this is a stereotype of Christianity? Really? This has really dumbfounded me and after thinking about this for a few days I have decided that this 'stereotype' is really not a stereotype but the exception to the rule...especially because we have successfully made it past Y2K.

The third ad is probably the most clear and accurate of stereotypes regarding Christians...however, have I seen this ad on the bus? Nope. Not even once and I take a lot of buses during the day. It's too bad because I think most people would/could understand this one the best.

God loves us all and we should all love one another. simple.