I’m amazed at the legs that Harold Camping’s campaign has. My children are talking about it with their friends in school. Three Hispanic women who are primarily Spanish speakers quizzed me about it yesterday and I just got a random call from a 17 year old girl on the church line wanting to know if it is going to happen. She was afraid.

I know I’ll write more about this as the days progress. I’ve got a http://thinkchristian.net piece coming out possibly Sunday AM or Saturday on the subject, but a couple of fast reflections.

1. Good old fashioned angst about death is alive and well. Some people are troubled by this regardless of the source.

2. The media has power in terms of what people believe. Media is a validator and if its on the TV or on a billboard people are culturally conditioned to give it credibility, again regardless of other ways of evaluating the source.

3. Will fear prove to be an enduring motivator? I shared a number of things on the phone with the 17 year old girl, I prayed with her and she clearly was comforted after we spoke for ten minutes or so, but my confidence that this fear will move her towards a more enduring relationship with Jesus isn’t great. Fear energizes us in the short term, other things, especially joy, are needed for enduring fruit. I’m not saying seeds can’t be planted, but we’ve seen this kind of thing with 9/11 and other media events that prompt people to look for fast fixes for their fear. I invited her to church on Sunday. We’ll see if she shows. pvk