This Blood’s For You

By Justin McRoberts • Mar 5th, 2009 • Category: Artists in Residence

Jesus prayed that it would be by our love that people would recognize us as belonging to him. In light of this, I think it’s quite a bold move to wear a shirt that advertises your faith in Him. Because by doing so, you are claiming to be the most helpful, most ready to listen, the most selfless and most dependable person in the room. Wearing a Christian shirt says aloud “I am here to represent the King of the world and to act on His behalf. How can I be of assistance?” That’s quite a bit to live up to. So before we go putting on our Christian apparel, we need to ask ourselves if we are fully willing and capable of living up to the expectation that shirt (or hat or bracelet) comes along with.

That’s why I created the shirt slogan “They Will Know We Are Christians By Our T-Shirts” in 1999. It was a tongue-in-cheek way to say that I hoped we were known for far more than that. A way to hopefully paint a picture of our silliness in thinking that we could ever be funny enough or clever enough or cool enough or even successful enough in our Christian marketing ventures to earn the respect of our neighbor. Even should we do so, that was never the plan laid out for us. Whether or not we are a people who market well should be entirely secondary to whether or not we are a people who love well. That was the intended plan.

I remember the first time I saw a Christian t-shirt. My mother had dropped me off at a movie theatre where I was planning on meeting a few of my friends. Of course, I had her drop me off around the corner in order to make appear as if I had gotten to the theatre on my own somehow. As is true of any pre-vehicular adolescent, the illusion of automotive independence was essential to the general illusion of that I was “cool.” Any time I got a ride, I was dropped off a short distance from my actual destination. There was no consideration of weather with regards to this principle, since the desire to look “cool” was the law by which all other of my life’s principles was defined. So, even if it was pouring outside, it was far better to deal with being a soggy teen, than break the illusion and be revealed as someone who actually had parents and even needed their help to get places.

This particular theatre was the centerpiece of an outdoor mall and located about 5 shops down from the theatre entrance was the local Christian retailer. I had walked by the place before (having been dropped off in the same secret place by my mother more than once) and had been intrigued by the idea that the Christians had their own store. I had never taken much of a look inside to see what kinds of things they sold since the store was usually closed in the evenings. Bibles, I was sure, but what else? There was a life-sized cardboard cutout of someone I didn’t recognize in the window. I found this odd. Usually, people who merit life-sized cardboard cutouts are extremely popular and easily recognized. “Maybe,” I thought to myself, “This guy made his own for fun.”

Having been drawn in by Anonymous Cardboard Man, I started browsing the store with my eyeballs and seeing t-shirts hung on the wall. “So,” I said “the Christians have their own clothes.” There were dozens of them in all sizes and each of them with a different slogan. The shirt I remember most vividly was a shirt roughly modeled after the most current Budweiser adds which, at the time used the phrase “This Bud’s for You.” The Christian shirt used a similar font to the Budweiser add but re-worded the popular beer slogan to say instead “This Blood’s For You.” The letters were written to make it look as if blood had been splattered on the shirt, miraculously spelling out the slogan. I recognized that the shirt design was somewhat clever, but more than that I found it pretty gross. A lot of this has to do with the particular aversion I have to seeing blood splattered all over a t-shirt, but maybe that’s just me.

Since then, of course, I have seen a pretty full range of Christian products and t-shirts. Shirts saying things like “My Father Made Your Mother” and “Everyone’s Handicapped Without Jesus.” While I think creating clever (or not so clever) slogans to wear on our shirts can be fun, it concerns me that many of us really believe that these shirts are an effective way to communicate the reality of God. Ultimately it concerns me that our products and the marketing those products may be speaking louder than our love and mercy.

↓ 9 comments

#1 Michael Patterson on March 5th, 2009 at 9:18 pm

Well said Justin. I like your t-shirt idea better than any I’ve ever seen!. We should try to clothe ourselves in the love of our Father. If we strive to love our neighbor, we don’t need a billboard. I however, may need a t-shirt, because I fall short of the mark so often.

#2 Ryan Medrano on March 5th, 2009 at 10:00 pm

Hey Justin, thanks for the post. I too always found the marketing of our faith to be a bit mislead, especially since I have been flipped off by more than one driver with a fish on the back of their car. Most shirts professing faith tend to be corney, un original ideas, and sometimes offensive, like the guy at my church who wears the “Turn to Jesus or Burn in Hell” tee.

I recetnly received a couple NOTW (Not of This World) t-shirts for Christmas. The NOTW line has attempted to combine messages of faith with more “popular” designed clothing aimed at teens and young adults. I wear the shirts with great pride, one says Sinner on the front in big letters and the back says Saved, my second shirt is just a brown shirt with scribbled versus and a blended in lion and lamb. While wearing the shirts I have met lots of people. I’ve been approached to pray with someone, I’ve had small talk about music and how I’m chewing on this song Safe by a great songwritter and that the person should check out JMc. I’ve had people say cool shirt and ask questions about why I’m wearing it and what I’m trying to convey.

I guess for me, when it comes down to it, those conversations never happen if I’m wearing my Sharks jersey or a plain ringer tee. I’m here to represent the King of the World every day and act on his behalf as he directs me. I always try to be the most helpful, dependeble, giving person in the room, because I want to be like Jesus and more than anything I want to reach lost people. I’m still working on the fear I have of approaching people and talking faith and it has been awesome having people actually approach me =)!

You are a true inspriration to me my friend, look forward to catching a Nor Cal show soon!!! Ry

#3 Alan on March 6th, 2009 at 7:08 am

I fell into the trap of thinking those were super-cool when i was young, and a relatively ‘new’ Christian. now, for the most part, they make me turn my head and either ‘laugh’ or be disgusted. there are some that are good, but those are few, compared to the blatant rip-offs and cliches and corny puns. and even sadder is that people think that somehow they are fulfilling the Great Commission by wearing one of those and that’s enough. that’s sad, and it’s sad that shirts like that become what people think of when they think of Christians.

#4 John Umland on March 6th, 2009 at 5:45 pm

I think T-shirts function like tracts. Probably most tracts end up in the garbage with no effect. Yet, I’ve met people who gave their lives to Jesus because of a tract. In the same way, I think some shirts somewhere open a crack in someone’s heart. Just like the rainbow head guy at football games holding up John 3:16. When Tebow won the BCS championship, google got tons of hits of people searching for that verse after seeing it under his eyes. I don’t think anyone believes it fulfills the great commission. But can’t it contribute to the great commission.
God is good
jpu

#5 Jeff on March 7th, 2009 at 8:48 am

I’ve always loved your shirt idea Justin, just haven’t gotten around to ordering one =).

Have you ever read “The Mark of the Christian” by Francis Schaeffer? It really got me thinking about this topic a few years ago. In it he talks about how throughout history Christian groups have used different things to identify themselves, including hair cuts and clothing, but Jesus says they will know us by our love, and ultimately gives the world a right to judge us by that one thing. I don’t think Christian shirts are bad (although a lot are cheesy), but agree that the love we have is the ultimate spokesperson to our character and faith.

You should make a shirt with a big block of cheese on it and the words “Another Cheesy Christian Shirt”. =). I still love the “I sing in my car” shirt of yours though.

#6 Justin McRoberts on March 8th, 2009 at 4:04 am

Christian shirts aren’t bad. Well… some are.. but not particularly because they are “christian.” Sometimes it’s because they are teal.

Certainly, even poorly designed or poorly executed cultural devices can be “useful” (hell, my own music is useful somehow and I’m no John Lennon) but at a point when the respect level for our religious tradition is as low as it is, it might be a good thing to see far less of a dependency on such devices; that a neighbor or a coworker would be drawn to conversation by our kindness, generosity, peacefulness, dependability etc… nothing revolutionary here, really. I’m saying the same thing many of us have said a thousand times over.. I’m just saying again, because we forget.

#7 Jeff on March 9th, 2009 at 2:11 am

sorry… it was supposed to be “Aren’t bad”… typo… yay for technology

#8 Ryan Medrano on March 10th, 2009 at 7:27 pm

HAHA, you got it JMC, teal should only be worn if you are expressing your love for Los Tiburones De San Jose, not if you are expressing your love for the Saviour. I’m sure Jesus didn’t own any teal garb. Speaking of shirts, your site needs a replenishing of the “I Sing in my Car” tee!!!

#9 David Buckham on March 23rd, 2009 at 3:53 pm

Justin I met you back around 99 when you came to Cincinnati Bible College for a concert. You intrigued me when you went looking for the treadmills there. At any rate. I loved the shirt that said They Will Know We Are Christians By Our T-Shirts. I enjoyed your music too. At that time I had the choice of the shirt or the CD. I choose the shirt . I still wear it and I still get a huge reaction…One guy came up to me in Wal-Mart wearing a He’s Wiser Shirt (Budwiser frog days) and said “I love your shirt man, look I got a Christian shirt on too, we’re brothers!” I thought you totally missed the point.

Thank you for your ministry and music and the example you set.

all about Christ,
David

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