What Would Jesus or Moses Do?

Thanks to the business I am in, thoughts (some normal, some less so) about the impact of marketing and media constantly fill my mind. It is both a blessing and a curse.

For example, while trimming ornamental grasses in the yard this weekend, I had a rather unusual thought: If Moses or Jesus were here today, how would they make use of 21st century marketing and media?

Quite frankly, I think the answer is self-evident. Moses and Jesus both took to the streets and the mountains and the synagogues and anywhere else crowds were likely to gather for the express purpose of spreading the word. These guys liked to talk and they liked having lots of people to talk to.

But would Moses and Jesus blog? Would they hire a publicist to conduct media relations? Would they have their own Web sites? What about social networking pages (Facebook or MySpace)? Would they host special events, employ guerrilla marketing, develop videos and download them to YouTube, would they advertise, use direct mail, conduct research?

Yes, yes, yes, yes and yes. Moses was on a mission – to deliver the Hebrews from slavery and share the Ten (or 14 or 15) Commandments. Jesus was likewise on a mission – to spread the good word of love and to fulfill the promise of salvation and reconciliation.

In both cases, getting the word out was paramount. And neither of these religious leaders had any qualms about doing whatever was necessary to make their points.... from unleashing the ten plagues and parting the Red Sea... to turning water to wine and bringing the dead back to life, Moses and Jesus were all about getting results. They were focused and they were bold.

And if marketing and media could help their cause, they would not hesitate to put them to use. But whether marketing and media would help Moses and Jesus to achieve their missions is a whole other question.