Jesus Saves, Just Not at the Mall of America

You can do all sorts of things at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn. On the mall’s website, there is a myriad of dining, drinking and shopping options, not to mention the Nickelodeon Universe®, an M&M’s® attraction, an aquarium, climbing walls, escape rooms, games, a novelty photography studio, and so much more. You can do just about anything at the Mall of America, as long as you don’t mention Jesus. Well, it is in Minnesota — what did you expect?

On January 7, a man wearing a t-shirt that read “Jesus Saves” entered the mall. The back of the shirt read “Jesus is the Only Way” with the famous “Coexist” symbol crossed out. He was approached by a trio of mall cops. According to Alpha News, the man was given the choice of removing his shirt and going about his business or leaving the premises.

I automatically assumed this was overseas, but it's right here in America. pic.twitter.com/Q79eUCG7xh

— John Mason (@LivingGodsTruth) January 12, 2023

It could be that the guards were just letting their authoritarian freak flags fly, since very few, if any people fear mall security to any degree. By way of background, the man was ejected from the mall on a previous day for preaching to mall patrons. That is a violation of the mall’s policy, which prohibits “Loitering, engaging in soliciting, blocking storefronts, hallways, skyways, fire exits or escalators, or walking in groups in such a way as to inconvenience others.”

I can understand why some people may be put off by street preaching. It was never something that I was interested in doing. I have seen street preachers become abrasive and combative and on occasion insulting in the name of spreading the love of Christ. Evangelists need to keep in mind that it is possible to harden the hearts you are trying to save. Living in Utah, I’ve seen street evangelists interact with Mormons during the LDS Church’s General Conference and have seen videos of people demonstrating and handing out tracts at the now-defunct Mormon Miracle Pageant in Manti. The confrontations often produced results opposite of those that were intended. But in this case, the unidentified man was simply walking through the mall and he maintained that he was not preaching. Apparently, the message “Jesus Saves” was deemed to be a solicitation. And according to the guards, people were offended.

Granted, the shirt in the video is neon yellow and probably designed to attract attention. But I am curious: Would people have been offended and would have mall security intervened if the shirt had read “Black Lives Matter” or “Love is Love”? What if the shirt had an image of Che Guevara or a pro-abortion slogan? Suppose it had a message supporting Islam? What if the shirt simply featured the “Coexist” symbol or a Satanic one? My guess is that the man would have been left alone. Those messages and slogans enjoy favored status in America right now, while people have been conditioned to be triggered by Christianity. It is, after all, considered to be the product and a tool of privilege, patriarchy, and oppression. Never mind that a majority of the world’s Christians live outside of the United States and that many of them cannot be identified as “white.”

First, it was MAGA hats; now it is “Jesus Saves.” A person in America should be free to wear a t-shirt promoting Islam, the BLM movement, or even bearing a pro-LGBTQ message if they wish. And so should people who wear shirts that say “Jesus Saves.” As Robert Spencer pointed out earlier today, the Left would love to make the First Amendment a thing of the past. If we aren’t careful, we won’t only have to watch what we say, but what we wear.