Church Sign - 9/27/2008

Church: Parkway Baptist Church (401 S Peters Rd; Knoxville, TN 37923)

Sign: "We are weak
But He is strong
Yes - Jesus loves me!”

Commentary: This sign features a portion of the familiar children’s song “Jesus Loves Me”. The lyrics first appeared as a poem in Susan Warner (1819-1885)’s best-selling novel Say and Seal (1860). In 1862, William Batchelder Bradbury (1816-1868) added the tune and his own chorus "Yes, Jesus loves me, Yes, Jesus Loves me..."

Though the song’s lyrics are simple, they are profound. In 1962, influential theologian Karl Barth (1886-1968) made his only visit to the Unites States He lectured at the University of Chicago Divinity School , in English, from his book Evangelical Theology: An Introduction. At the end of the lecture he was asked what he considered to be the greatest theological discovery of his life. He responded, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, NASB)