There were seven Good News Tour (GNT) conferences that were held from 2006-2009. The first GNT stated the purpose:

“The Good News Tour is a conference that is entirely about God. The message about God’s kindness is open to everyone who desires to listen. The Creator of The Universe has revealed Himself in many ways, but most clearly in the life of Jesus – God in the flesh. Despite Jesus’ revelation, God’s character has been tainted and misunderstood by many throughout the last 2000 years. We desire to make Him known and make public the beauty of His Person – His kindness, His humility, His never-ending forgiveness. The Good News is entirely about God – that He is just like Jesus in character. This Good News has the power to transform those who are willing to listen. His kindness is the power that can change human beings into a people who are free to experience unity – a people who have God’s law of love and liberty written on their hearts.”

Lars Justinen was commissioned to paint both pictures that were used for the conferences. The purpose of these pictures was to show that in a room of the world’s most power individuals, the one with all the power is God – yet he is the one who is serving. The point was meant to highlight the role of the Christian in the world which is to serve, even to sacrifice if necessary, and to follow the command of Christ to love others – even our enemies. As Greg Boyd has said, “towel power” is the power of Christianity, not coercive “power over” which is the hallmark of all the kingdoms of the world.

These pictures have generated a fair amount of discussion. Here are some of the most interesting links:

Greg Boyd’s experience with the Good News Tour: http://reknew.org/2009/03/the-good-news-tour/