There is a middle-aged man who stands on the street corner in the financial district of downtown Birmingham during lunch several days a week holding a sign that reads, simply, "Trust in God". He's done this for years. He's quiet, respectful and gentle. Motorists passing by will honk their horns at him as a symbol of their agreement with his message, smiling and waving at him as they go about their business.
In stark contrast to his methods, there is another group of "evangelists" who have arrived at this same corner over the last week or so to "spread the Word". They have come bearing signs, some indicating that "Jesus Is The Way" and, my personal favorite, a hand-drawn banner on a white bed sheet held up by two sticks, stating that "Marriage is between a man and woman, with a hand-drawn picture of two men holding hands with a circle and a line drawn through them. In addition to their message through their signs, they are also handing out Gospel tracts.
The first day I passed these "new" evangelists, I politely took one of their tracts. When I crossed the street, yet another young man offered me yet another tract, which I politely refused. I couldn't help thinking about the message they are sending and the message they came to promote. Was this what Jesus meant when he issued "The Great Commission", admonishing us to go into all nations, proclaiming and baptizing..." or did he have something more subtle in mind?
Here's my confession: I know I am preaching to the proverbial choir here. The people who need to be reading this probably never will. Were I not already a Christian, I doubt that these "evangelistic methods" would persuade me to become one. I wonder if they realize that while their hearts may be genuine and their motives pure, their tactics are quite possibly turning more people away from Christ than they are actually bringing to Him. They offer a fundamental, literal and sometimes brain-washed interpretation of the Gospel. Is guilting someone into repentance true conversion? We live in a society that has been damaged by this approach. We live in a society that often views organized religion as inherently flawed. Street corner evangelists screaming "REPENT AND BE SAVED!" aren't helping to change this perception. We also are fortunate to live in a country where we are free to express our opinions and religion. So, I ask, What Would Jesus Do?
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The good news is that they are preaching to the choir, as well. They probably haven't attracted very many new evangelists to help them spread their word - oh wait, let me repeat that, THEIR word (I feel better.)
I used to pass by a group that would stand out on a corner with pictures of abortions gone really bad promoting the same message. It really pissed me off at first, but then I realized their methods aren't effective. From that moment on, I realized that bumper stickers, graffiti, street corner demonstrations have nothing to do with anyone but the people holding/posting them. I just smirk a little now at the poor fools thinking they can change hearts that way.
It saddens me that we can't seem to let each other have our own views. These people who intrude on my/our life/loves and feel this extreme need to hit us with their agenda-it's none of their business, yet they're absolutely compelled to try and change our minds, which only makes us hold on to our original thoughts more tightly. We're just not very evolved as people, I think...When will we learn some of this stuff?...
I see these same people all the time and they are neither militant nor intrusive. They are simply stating the Gospel of Jesus Christ as they feel they are called to do. Repent and be saved may only be offensive to the ones who do not wish to repent. I smile when I see that their are a remnant of faithful Christians who are still proud to take a stand for Christ instead of worrying about who's feelings they will hurt or what group of people they will offend. And if only one soul is saved from their efforts will Heaven rejoice any less? I think not.
What would Jesus do?
First, He would heal their leprosy to prove what an awesome dude He really is. Then, after eating some food out of their fridge, He would launch into a diatribe about how God wants them to give up their earthly possessions. Finally, after some foot washing and repentance, everybody would go their seperate ways and not once worry about what the afterlife holds or whether God will smite them for voting for Democrats.
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