The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint against a church billboard reading “Jesus Heals Cancer”.
The billboard was erected by the Equippers’ Church in Napier. As well as the primary statement, it also claimed six of the church’s parishioners had been cured of cancer by Jesus.
It instantly drew criticism from cancer survivors and members of the community, and sparked numerous complaints to the ASA. Although the wording of the billboard was changed in March, the ASA still investigated.
The Complaints Board agreed that while the church is a not-for-profit organisation, the billboard – which provided information about church service times – fit the definition of an advertisement.
As a result, the billboard was found to be in breach of Rules 2, 5 and 11 and Basic Principle 4 of the ASA Code of Ethics.
Basic Principle 4 states that advertisements “should be prepared with a due sense of social responsibility to consumers and to society”.
Rule 2: Truthful Presentation, says advertisements should not be “likely to deceive or mislead the consumer [or] make false and misleading representation”.
Rule 5: Offensiveness, says advertisements “should not contain anything which in the light of generally prevailing community standards is likely to cause serious or widespread offence”.
Rule 11: Advocacy Advertising, says opinions in advocacy advertising “may be robust, [but] opinion should be clearly distinguishable from factual information”.
Complainants said the advertisement was “disrespectful and hurtful” to people who knew, or had known, someone suffering from cancer.
Source: 3news.co.nz
My comment:
I am no longer sure that New Zealand will permit people to advertise that Jesus saves. Simply because this kind of advertisement might be offensive to people who do not believe there is a need for salvation.
That Jesus can cure cancer is a well documented fact. There are tens of thousands of testimonies globally, where people have given Jesus honor and glory for curing their cancer.
The Bible is crystal clear that all power in heaven and on earth is with Jesus.
Matthew 28:18
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
So why should it be difficult for Him to cure a person from cancer?
The problem will be why not all people are cured from cancer.
That is a question that a cancer sick person should ask Jesus. The Messiah has promised to reply to our prayers.
Written by Ivar
ivarfjeld.com 
In response to any who ‘question’ who and when God will heal….people still get just as angry & it’s easier for them to deny God’s healing, and the ‘gifts of healing’….when they don’t receive or their loved ones don’t receive…
Luke 4:25 But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;
Luke 4:26 But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, [a city] of Sidon, unto a woman [that was] a widow.
Luke 4:27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.
Luke 4:28 And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,
Ivar, you sound like you are saying that if someone isn’t healed, it is becuase Jesus isn’t hearing their prayers because of something lacking in them. Please tell me this is not what you’re saying. Let’s not forget Paul who pleaded 3 times with the Lord to remove his “thorn” and the Lord said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
God’s reply is not always healing now.
Bridget
Reblogged this on Midnight Hour Ministries.