Wanted: Dead and Alive

God is after us, and what he wants seems impossible! We are wanted dead to sin and alive to God.

If you caught what you think is a typo in the title, you are either an astute observer of cultural references and knew that this one was off just a bit, or you are a proofreader. Or you’re both.

“Wanted: Dead or Alive” is a uniquely American idiom we’re well aware of, weaned (as many of us were) on television westerns and the occasional western movie that has popped up persistently on the silver screen in the past 30 years. The 1990s alone included memorable movies such as Unforgiven, The Quick and the Dead, Tombstone, Dances with Wolves, 3:10 to Yuma, Wyatt Earp and Wild Bill. And fans of 1980s music will remember Bon Jovi’s Top 10 rock ballad “Wanted Dead or Alive,” later featured in television shows including The Sopranos and Deadliest Catch.

In the early days of television, Steve McQueen was the star of “Wanted: Dead or Alive,” a show that ran for three years, 1958-1961. It was a breakout role for McQueen, who jumped from...