I'm not sure how I should feel about this video.

[T-Shirt Ninja]

A lawyer from Savannah, GA made a commercial for a local superbowl ad. Here it is:

Part of me says, "Yeah! That's cool! Be righteous and get the bad guys!" But then when I see the Orthodox Church's sanctuary I become a bit uneasy. Church is a place where sinners come to be forgiven and spiritual sickness is healed. That includes people who are complete scumbags. Also, I wonder just how truthful his story is and I feel like he probably isn't telling the whole context of it.

These are just my thoughts. What are yours?

[One Bad Pig]

The juxtaposition of the Orthodox nave (the sanctuary is behind the iconostasis) with the music and sledgehammer is jarring, to say the least. I also wonder if he got his priest's permission to use images of the church for commercial purposes. It's hard to tell a complete story in two minutes, but he's trying to use it for commercial gain - which is sending a mixed message at best.

[KingsGambit]

I'm not sure where I stand on the implication that defense lawyering is a bad thing. Everybody does deserve their day in court, and I've heard of defense lawyers who will not work for people who readily admit in private they are guilty unless they are plea bargaining.

However, if he's trying to play the "I'm a good Christian so I'll be an injury lawyer instead", he should care about how this makes Christianity looks, and relevant to this, injury lawyers tend to have reputations as ambulance chasers as well.

[Paprika]

The fact that this story is being told to gain commercial benefit turns me off. "I'm so morally awesome; hire me!" It really makes me question the veracity of the story.

[Sparko]

I call "bullcrap" on the whole thing. I work at a civil law firm and I see just as many crooks (on both sides) in "personal injury cases" - a lot of time you have people trying to scam the insurance companies or anyone else with deep pockets. And I have seen insurance companies do anything they can to discredit legitimate injury sufferers.

IF he really was a crooked defense lawyer, that was on him. Just because he is now an ambulance chaser doesn't make him good.

[Rushing Jaws]

The juxtaposition of the Orthodox nave (the sanctuary is behind the iconostasis) with the music and sledgehammer is jarring, to say the least. I also wonder if he got his priest's permission to use images of the church for commercial purposes. It's hard to tell a complete story in two minutes, but he's trying to use it for commercial gain - which is sending a mixed message at best.

## That is in essence what I think whenever I see churches being used for secular purposes, such as scenes in films. Churches are sacred buildings,and the rites and sacraments and "furniture" (in the broadest sense) of the Church are sacred. To use these things for worldly ends, however admirable, STM to demean them.

[KingsGambit]

## That is in essence what I think whenever I see churches being used for secular purposes, such as scenes in films. Churches are sacred buildings,and the rites and sacraments and "furniture" (in the broadest sense) of the Church are sacred. To use these things for worldly ends, however admirable, STM to demean them.

I disagree with this; I believe that is too modern of a view of churches. The church is the congregation, not the building, and the first churches met in houses. I believe we put too much stock/pour too much money into constructing beautiful buildings to house churches.

[One Bad Pig]

I disagree with this; I believe that is too modern of a view of churches. The church is the congregation, not the building, and the first churches met in houses.

Yes, the church is the congregation, but a building can also be consecrated for sacred use. The first church met in the Temple; churches only met in houses because there was little other option. Churches were being purpose-built as early as the third century where there was sufficient tolerance for that to be possible.

I believe we put too much stock/pour too much money into constructing beautiful buildings to house churches.

Churches are beautified in order to be reminiscent of heaven.