Bait and switch Christianity

Written by Hope CoC.

 

"Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not deceive one another” (NIV) Leviticus 19:11

I spent several years in sales. It is a tough job. It is even tougher to keep your integrity. I admire sales people who can remain honest and sincere in their efforts. The temptations can be great at times.

A popular sales gimmick that we have seen many times is the old “bait and switch” routine. That is, you bait a customer to come into your store by offering some special sale or other incentive. Upon arrival, the sales people try to coerce the customer into something different that is more expensive or has a higher profit margin. Sometimes they gladly give the incentive to the customer but subject that customer to endless high pressure sales pitches.

I was good at that. A friend of mine was better. We would compete. One Saturday my friend said, “See that man? He’s going to buy a computer today.” The man was there to buy a transistor. He walked away with a transistor and a computer. My friend did it many times. Let’s not do the same thing spiritually.

Let’s avoid tricking people into Bible studies. For example, it is unethical to offer (in the name of “outreach”) a service to others with a hidden agenda of coercing them into a study. If you are going to do that, be open about it and tell them in advance, “We want to offer this. If you are willing to sit and go through a Bible study first, it is yours.” Anything else is too much like bait and switch and is beneath the dignity of the Gospel.

Truth is … || More

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