Cultural Rhetoric

A couple years ago, I discovered a short sermon of David Wilkerson speaking about the state of the church today. Ever since, it has never been erased from my mind; it will always be imprinted on my heart. As I watched, conviction of the state of my own spiritual life was revived in me. Wilkerson’s passionate voice broke through my walls. As his voice rang out, I wept over the state of the church and of my own life. Not only was I convicted, a regret of my lack of passion for God started to emerge; a burden for the church and for God Himself started to awaken within.  Wilkerson stresses the problem in the church. He describes the church as the spiritual Jerusalem comparing it to the Jerusalem in Nehemiah’s days. In his time, Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians; it was obliterated, burnt with fire, and in utter ruin. Wilkerson points out that the church has become a place of lukewarmness. The church has replaced God with the “inventions and ministries of man and...

While watching commercials on YouTube, I saw an advertisement for Aflac that instantly caught my attention. In the commercial, a man about to have an operation to remove his gallbladder was told by the surgeon that since he wasn’t paying for the surgery with cash he would have to sell his Corvette to pay for it. The commercial promoted Aflac as the insurance he should have had instead of having to sell his “sweet little muscle machine.” Although the advertisement is saturated with humor from the surgeon playing with the man’s lips to having a duck screaming “Aflac,” it portrays the startling reality Americans face today. Sadly, many don’t have an insurance that helps cover their expenses which causes them to go into debt. By having Aflac, not only does it help with the cost of payments, but it also provides financial comfort and protection (logos). I believe many people would be benefited if they used Aflac as their supplemental insurance company.  What keeps the commercial e...