Proving once again that most of what passes for Christianity is just an attempt to be like the world, but without the hard edges, I submit for you the following news article

Headline AP: Racetrack welcoming churches for evangelism

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. – The Summerville Speedway will feature another Faster Pastor race next month and won’t be selling beer to race fans this year so local churches feel comfortable using the track for evangelism.

“If we’re going to be involved with churches as much as we are this year, (selling beer) wouldn’t be practical,” owner Charles Powell said on Thursday.

As Paul put it, “Don’t drink, smoke or chew, or go with girls who do.”

Powell met earlier with local pastors planning Godspeed Week at the 6,500-seat NASCAR-sanctioned track….

About three dozen churches have signed up for Godspeed Week and organizers hope for 60, said the Rev. Carl Wiggins of Chapel of the Holy Spirit in Ladson.

The clergy will race in an event called the Faster Pastor 100. Wiggins himself drives a 1989 Nissan 240SX, with a No. 3 shaped like a white dove.

Nice touch, the white dove. Since this is an evangelistic outreach, I’ll bet someone has a fish on their car, too.

Only cars with unmodified four-cylinder engines are permitted in the race. All the drivers must be ordained ministers and none can be professional drivers.

Hey, my pastor’s got a pretty mean Subaru that would qualify.

As great as this sounds, what about the women? We wouldn’t want them to be left out.

Godspeed Week will also include a race between pastor’s spouses and church secretaries as well as golf-cart rides, chances for fans to ride around the track.

The event will also feature Christian music and messages.

But why call this evangelism? It just sounds like a day at the races to me.

“Everybody is already saved at church,” Powell told the local pastors Thursday. “Where are you going to get sinners from? We’re providing you the place.”…

“A church is not a building, it’s the people,” Powell said. “We’re breaking new ground here.”

Well it isn’t exactly puppets or mimes, so it is unique in that respect. As silly as it is to call this evangelism, we might as well end with a variation on the old joke.

Having pastors race in cars is entirely scriptural. Scripture tells us that on Pentecost, just before Peter preached his sermon that resulted in the conversion of three thousand souls , the apostles were all in “one accord” (Acts 2:1).