Say it proud

A couple nights ago while watching the So You Think You Can Dance results show, I sent Jen the following text message: I'm going to become a Mormon. Not my typical deep thought during SYTYCD. But Jen didn't even have to ask me what I was talking about. She instantly knew that the Mormon's new ad campaign had won me over.

If you've watched even a single commercial break in the Twin Cities this week, you must've seen their new ads. (This one's my favorite.) These people talk about their jobs, families and hobbies—showing they're just like everyone else. And at the end, they subtly declare their faith.

And you know what? I think it works. The Mormon church won't say how much they've spent on the campaign, nor has it been around long enough for any measurable results. But people are talking about it in the media and at the water cooler. Even me—who has no intention of ever really becoming a Mormon. And that's the whole point right there.

Oh, we Christians get people to talk too. But how come the Mormons get a cool ad campaign and we Christians get Kirk Cameron, low-budget theme parks and Abreadcrumb & Fish evangi-tees?

But I suppose the Mormons "we’re just like everyone else" approach doesn’t really work for us. We're not nearly as extreme (or cheesy) as our faith is sometimes made out to be in the media. But we're not like everyone else either. We may be typical when it comes to our jobs, families or hobbies, but there's a reason for this hope we have, and that feels good.