You would expect that the American Bible Society to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ in New York City, the headquarters for this 194-year-old organization.

But, how the ABS gets that message across in today’s high tech and largely post-Christian society is another matter — the society is using CBS’s jumbo screen located in the heart of Times Square to remind people that they matter to God — so much so that it was “worth the trip” for Him to come to earth.

The 30-second spot in airing up to 18 times daily with some 1.5 million people exposed to the message each day.

The Good News

“The message of the ad is the message of Christmas,” said American Bible Society’s Communications Director Geof Morin. “God came to earth because He loves us too much to stay away.”

The ad follows on the heels of research recently released by the Barna Group which indicates that Christianity’s impact on America is at an all-time low. Analyzing data from more than 5,000 Barna-conducted interviews in 2010, George Barna drew six “mega-themes” about the state of faith in America. Barna concluded that “new ways of relating to Americans and exposing the heart and soul of the Christian faith are required.”[1]

Those results presented a challenge to the American Bible Society one that they are meeting with the Times Square ad. At the end of the message a website address is shared — UnCoverChristmas.com — with related scripture offered.

Web Resources

The website includes numerous resources including a quiz about the Christmas Story; Christmas activities; devotional readings; the 12 days of Christmas, Bible style; and much more. The site is meant to introduce or remind visitors of what Christmas is all about and, perhaps, helping people find forgiveness in Jesus Christ.

Said Morin, “The message of the Bible is unchanging, but how we deliver that message is constantly changing. We chose to do an ad in Times Square because we want to take the message of the Bible to people where they are in a way that is relevant to them.”

References

[1] The Barna Group: Six Megathemes Emerge from Barna Group Research in 2010

Resources

The Winn Group and The American Bible Society – together on the Times Square Jumbotron!

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