Recently, there have been suggestions that the Pentecostal Movement needs to be rebranded. This assumes that the Pentecostal movement of the twentieth century has lost its appeal for a 21st century audience. As I have written before, there is a distinction between Pentecostal culture and Pentecostal theology. As any Pentecostal will testify, the Spirit moves; so as the Spirit moves into the 21st century the Pentecostal culture will be transformed by a revisioned Pentecostal theology. Theology informs practice; and practice reflects theology. Theology that is not practiced is a dead faith. Practice that does not reflect biblical theology is “form without power.”
“Christian” is an ancient brand that identified the followers of Jesus (Acts 11:26). In the ancient world the “Christian” brand was often defamatory, employed by antagonist of the Faith. But, it was also a badge of honor for those who loved the Faith. I recently read an article in which a prominent business person refused to be self-identified as a “Christian.” This person does business throughout the world and he explained that the word “Christian” is bad for business. In his view, “Christian” has become associated with church, culture, and politics; so to do business in the global village one must be careful with branding. This provokes a question: “In rebranding are we disassociating ourselves from our heritage?” Should “Christian” be rebranded?
I’m reminded of the rebranding of Kentucky Fried Chicken, now popularly known as KFC. When fried food became notorious for weight gain and high cholesterol, the word “fried” was dropped from their advertising. There former slogan – “Finger lickin’ good” – has be replaced with “So good.” The branding has changed; the slogan has changed; but, they still serve fried chicken. It would be corporate suicide for their rebranding to change their product. Further, their attempts at rebranding maintained continuity with their product and market.
Branding needs to identify the product and appeal to the market audience. The branding of the Gospel must keep in mind two audiences: the unbelieving audience and the believing audience. The unbelieving audience includes the non-religious (secular) audience and the religious (pluralistic) audience. Pope Francis has offered some helpful insight. Whereas, within the Christian community we display many brands – Catholic, Baptist, Pentecostal, and many others; the non-Christian community sees only one brand – Christian. So, as we seek to proclaim the message of the Gospel to the unbelieving world, our primary brand should be “Christian.” Unbelievers care little about the theological brands within the Christian movement.
But, we also teach the message to the believing audience – the world Christian movement. Within this audience of two billion souls, theological brands matter. Our theological brands are family names by which we know ourselves and are known by others. Within the family of Faith, the Pentecostal brand is identified with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit which has transformed the Christian faith across the various Christian brands. The Pentecostal brand is also associated with other brands – Charismatic, Third Wave, and Renewal. To be branded Pentecostal is to embrace a theology that has powerfully affected the world Christian movement.
So, is the Pentecostal brand worth saving? Well, when I’m hungry for Kentucky Fried Chicken I look for the KFC brand. I enjoy fried chicken, but I’ll drive by many stores that advertise “Fried Chicken” because I want Colonel Sanders Original Recipe. Likewise, I love the various Christian traditions; but I joyfully embrace Pentecostalism because it is my family and it has enriched the world Christian movement. The Pentecostal movement needs to be revisioned for a new century of mission. But it’s branding must maintain continuity with its heritage and reflect its message lest we lose our audience. Yes, the Pentecostal brand is worth saving because the brand promotes the message that in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the Father has reconciled the world to God’s self.
