Christian Billboard Pulled For Bible Being Too Offensive

It was only a few weeks ago that Franklin Graham's efforts to hold a crusade in the UK saw controversy over the right to advertise his event.  Graham saw his bus advertisements for the September event pulled in the city of Blackpool after he was branded a preacher of "hate" by several LGBT and Islamic groups.

Now well known evangelist Greg Laurie is encountering the same type of advertiser push back over his Harvest Crusade in Southern California.The Harvest Crusade outreach has drawn 90,000 to 100,000 Christian participants in previous years and will be held this year between August 17-19 at the Angel Stadium in Anaheim. 

Even more notable is that 2018 is slated to be the 29th consecutive year that the SoCal Harvest is held, which means it is the longest-running evangelistic event of its scale in the country. Event organizers estimate that as many as 10,000 people either accepted Christ as their Savior or recommitted themselves to JesusChristduring last year's SoCal Harvet. But none of that stopped anti-Christian groups from successfully threatening advertising companies to take down billboards inviting people to the event. 

Greg Laurie was told that his billboards must come down because of numerous complaints including several serious, credible threats made to the Irvine Company, the real estate company contracted to help in advertising the event. Objections to religious imagery caused Irvine Company to contact Mr. Laurie and ask him to change the imagery depicted on the signs. 

What offensive image could he have included? Was it non-believers burning in Hellfire? No, of course not. Was a Biblical verse included that offended a few viewers? Not that either. It was a picture of Greg Laurie holding an unlabeled book, assumed to be the Bible. The Bible, with neither a cross nor the word "Bible" showing was so offensive that Irvine Company received both complaints and threats over the sign.

The Executive Director of Harvest, John Collins, told CBN News, "Initially, the billboard had a picture of Pastor Greg holding up a Bible. It didn't say Bible on it just a book actually. So, it wasn't overtly religious or anything. It was just kind of a throwback, if you would, to how Billy Graham used to advertise. Apparently people saw that and took offense, assuming it was a Bible. And they [Irvine Company] asked if we would change the ad. 

We wanted to comply, so we submitted something that just simply said "Harvest" and had some of the musical artists that are going to be with us on the poster and banners and submitted that. But then we were told that they decided they didn't want to have any of the banners up in the mall and we were asked to take them down. And they refunded our money." The only text on the signs were the name of the event, the name Greg Laurie, the names of the musicians, the dates and the location of the event.

Irvine Company is owned by Episcopalian Howard Bren, believed to be one of the richest real estate developers in the country. The Irvine Company advertising contract specifies that "Management reserves the right not to display any materials that could be construed as vulgar or offensive." Is the mere sight of the Bible now vulgar or offensive? Collins said in his interview with CBN News, "There's many positive things that occur throughout the weekend and we're just mystified that we can't advertise this event." 

While not blaming Irvine Company for the refusal to advertise, they take the complaints and threats as another sign of the increasing hostility towards Christianity. This event isn't preaching hate, intolerance or even political action, and no one is forcing nonbelievers to go. It is an event centered around love, the Gospel of salvation and the Christian community coming together to help those in need.

Is this 29th annual gathering of Christians in Southern California so offensive to anti-religious zealots that they need to call in threats over a billboard? Are they so triggered by the sight of a book that may be a Bible that they need to protest a real estate company? Irvine Company refused to comment to news outlets, but it is easy to see how they could cave to the pressure by anonymous radicals threatening violence to enforce their views. 

The culture that allows anonymous anti-religion "protesters" to shut down free speech and censor Christian messages, no matter how benign, is where the Harvest organizers place the blame.

Too often now the concept of "offense" is used by the Left to silence or even punish those who hold dissenting views, no matter how inoffensive they may in reality be. Stripped to its core, as was the case when all that remained on this sign were names of musicians, dates, a location and the word "Harvest" and the truth is exposed: the mere 'thought'of Christianity is offensive to these radical elements and they will use any means necessary, even threats of violence, to stamp it out.