“We don’t want your kind of people on the street – hateful people”. A neo-Nazi demonstration? Ku Klux Klan? Drug dealers, perhaps? No, Christians having an open-air service:
Toronto — A member of a church group that has been accused of targeting the home of a gay couple in Leslieville with its street preaching says the media and area residents have jumped to faulty conclusions.
Members of the Highfield Road Gospel Hall have never targeted specific houses, let alone individuals for their sexual orientation, said the man, who asked that his name not be used over fears the furor that has erupted could continue to grow and threaten his employment.
“You know, we’re very sorry that this has happened. We’re hurt that this has been misconstrued,” he said. “If they feel they’re being targeted, we feel sad about that. They’re not being targeted.
“We’re there for everyone to hear the gospel. We’re not there to preach to just one house. That would be discrimination.”
The dispute began on Sunday evening on Highfield Road during one of the church group’s weekly “open-air meetings,” 20-minute services during which the fundamentalist Christian congregants sing hymns such as Amazing Grace and listen to fiery sermons from a rotating roster of ministers.
This church’s approach doesn’t seem to me to be a particularly effective way to reach the lost for Christ – it certainly isn’t working in this street, judging by the cries of, “get the hell out of our neighbourhood, you’re not welcome”.
The outbreak of neighbourliness is ostensibly a show of support for a homosexual couple in the street – although there is no mention that the preaching referred explicitly to homosexuality. Perhaps Christianity is in the process of becoming the anti-homosexual religion in the eyes of the masses; still, not to worry, early Christians were accused of cannibalism. The street’s inhabitants don’t appear too keen on showing the kind of tolerance to the itinerant Christians that they wish to receive from them or that one has come to expect from a society that cherishes religious freedom. Perhaps tolerance has run a little thin, having all been lavished on Islam.
Unlike “Islamophobia”, “Christophobia” hasn’t been dignified by a dictionary appearance yet – and probably never will be. It isn’t an appealing word, but, it captures a reality that is absent in “Islamophobia”: phobias are irrational fears; fear of Christianity is irrational whereas a fear of Islam is entirely rational.
Would you be satisified to have a preacher delivering a “sermon” at full volume on the street in front of your house? Would you defend the rights of that person before your neighbours?
Personally, I don’t want any open-air preachers – of any religion – railing away on my street. For that matter, I wouldn’t want someone railing away on a non-religious topic either. I guess I have a preach-at-loud-volume-on-a-residential-street phobia. I’ve encountered street preachers before, and have even delivered flyers inviting people to attend my church door to door, but I’ve never heard of street preaching on a residential street. I doubt that Wesley or Whitefield conducted themselves in this manner.
Do you think I’m being ashamed of the gospel?
Do you think I’m being ashamed of the gospel?
No, just practical.
No residents would dare have objected if the street preachers had been Muslims, or right now, they’d be packing for the gulag. Yes, I saw a street preacher once, and a bystander asking a nearby policeman if he couldn’t arrest the preacher. No, many people really don’t want to leave in a free society, they’ll actually be happier under some kind of fascist one (not long to wait).
They would object on my street.
But to say that “you don’t know what love is”? I would prefer if they did not engage in this sort of gospel promotion, but what sort of society have we become where we bear false witness on our neighbour and use hateful language. Where it not for the early disciples doing precisely the same thing – and persevering – I doubt we’d be having this conversation. We’d all be pagans instead.
In our society today we are becoming so hypersensitive to any criticism relating to our behaviour, anyone who suggests a standard is going to be labeled as being judgemental,and unloving.
The idea that we are sinners in need of a saviour and that the only Saviour is Jesus Christ is not just politically incorrect it will soon be openly considered hateful and offensive and will have to be stopped.
The Liberal Church is already adjusting the gospel message
to please the ears of the those that consider the Gospel to be foolishness. Sadly, they will lead the way when the persecution of the church begins.
I thought that I would not see it happening in North America in my life time. I was wrong.
So, who here has (a) been part of a street preaching ministry that preached on resedential streets; (b) been part of a church that has done so; or (c) intends to recommend to their pastor that such a ministry be started in their church?
I have belonged to churches that have done street ministry – including preaching – and have been involved in outreaches in poorer residential areas that have taken on projects such as picking up garbage and presenting the gospel on an opportunity basis when people have engaged in conversation. I have never encoutered (or heard of) street preaching on residential streets. Before reading this story, have any of you?
Is what is at stake here the great commission and being a faithful servant and fisher of men, or is it more about insisting on a “legal right” to practise one’s religion as one sees fit – even if that means “in your face” behaviour? Why go on a residential street when there are a host of other locations where you can reach many more people in a shorter period of time? Would you recommend this as a missions strategy in another country? Should Christians rally behind any and all behaviour so long as it is the name of promoting the gospel?
Not quite what you are asking, but, for a number of years, I was part of an outreach of music and drama that presented the gospel outdoors (people were living in some of the places so I suppose they would qualify as residential) and in malls. I think it was moderately effective, but eventually we had to stop because of complaints – it was too “Christian”.
Its time has passed so now we are trying other approaches – Alpha, garage sales where things are free, free car washes and so on.
I do feel a sense of retreat in all this, though and, although the church has to use evangelistic techniques that work, there may come a point that we need to say “no more retreating”.
You are giving me the impression of “not enough retreating” – but perhaps I am misreading this.
It isn’t what I’m asking at all. My interest is residential streets. You can say “no retreat” right now – but there may be consequences. Paul accepted those consequences and took the lashings and jail time. I don’t think all are called to this.
You can say “no retreat” right now – but there may be consequences.
Well, yes – duh.
A number of years ago I was involved in a ministry called Evangelism Explosion. This ministry was designed to teach people how to share their faith. As part of this ministry we did go in groups of two door to door in the neighbourhood close to where our church resided. Before we went out considerable time was spent in prayer asking for divine guidance so we would be led to the people He wanted us to meet that night. We called them divine appointments. It was an exciting time. We ran it for five years. Several people came to Christ each session. Many seeds were planted during the home visits. How many came to Christ only he knows.
I was listening to a missionary that shared a story with me I will never forget. He had travelled all over the world and had spoken in literally hundreds of cities. It was his habit to sometimes ask people how they came to Christ. One day he met a person who told him that a little middle aged man in a small town in Australia had come up to them on the street and shared the Gospel. Later on in another city he met another person who had told him the same story. Over many years he had met several other people from different countries who all told him the same story. He decided that the next time he was in Australia he would track down this man and see if he was still alive because many years had gone by. He had no name to go by, only the name of the small town. When he got to this town he inquired about the old street evangelist. The person he spoke to knew exactly who he was talking about as the town folk considered him quite the nuisance. By this time the old man was in an nursing home. When he went to visit the old man he shared his story of how he had met so many different people who attributed their coming to faith to him, the old man wept. He said in all his years of sharing the faith on the street, he never knew if even one person had come to faith. The missionary felt his visit to the old man was the Father’s way of saying well done my faithful servant. So he might know that his efforts were not in vain. Seeds planted will not always bare fruit, but all the power of heaven is at work because He is faithful. “His word will never come back void.” Isaiah 55:11
David, I have no problem with the examples you have given. But they are in a completely different category from what is described in the original story. I have no problem with Mormon missionaries coming to my front door (I had a couple of nice young gentlemen drop by a week ago). If I’m in the mood, I may gently spar with them concerning inspiration and the proper interpretation of God’s Word. If they walked out onto the street in front of my house, pulled out a megaphone, and preached their “gospel” for 30 minuntes, I would view them in an entirely different light. If my neighbours egged them, I would probably quielty cheer them on.
Is there anything in EE that would encourage the sort of behaviour described in the orginal post.
No Warren, there is nothing in EE that would encourage such an approach. Their intentions were I’m sure to spread the Good News. However their methods were misguided
and they have left themselves open for others to see their actions as hateful. One church member proudly stated that they had been doing this for seven years. If they had been cutting people’s grass, painting the homes of the elderly, feeding the sick and comforting the broken,for seven years, few words would have been necessary to make the Gospel known. It would have been seen in the action of the church members. Then when the time came to speak their neighbours would most likely find no offence. I believe that even when we screw up and we do a lousy job of sharing our faith He can still somehow use it for good. Peace and good night