Sunday, June 04, 2006

Places I Never Thought I'd Find Myself: Lynchburg, VA

As we headed down US-29 en route to High Point, NC for some serious furniture buying (see also: here), my lovely bride and I stopped off in Lynchburg, Virginia to eat. As we pulled into town, I remembered why it was I had heard of Lynchburg. It is Jerry Falwell's hometown, and Liberty University figures prominently, and I noticed a sign for Jerry Falwell Airport, as well, though we apparently didn't pass it.

As we pulled into the area close to Liberty for reasonably-priced eats, the kids walking around looked pretty much like any other college crowd. I'm not sure if I expected everyone to wear choir robes or what. Maybe it isn't all that different...but then, there it was, parked next to us outside a Mexican restaurant next to a big movie theater: a minivan covered with Bible verses and small, pictorial vignettes. I tried to get my camera phone ready, but sadly it was too dark, and the minivan was pulling away.

Now, I'm all for encouraging bold evangelism, but I've got to say, an over-the-top decoration of one's vehicle doesn't strike me as a good way to go. To paraphrase Hank Hill: You aren't making Christianity better, your just making your van look ridiculous. Too harsh?

No comments: