haha, I knew that would get your attention. Today is one of those days you're gonna have to put up with a little griping from me. Me being a college student at a large university in the South, I frequently have the pleasure of seeing street preachers, ati-abortionists, and other interesting people of the like. Apparently, we (meaning college students) are much more subject to sin than the rest of the world, and these people feel have felt called to spend a lifetime informing us of that. Let me clarify here, I'm not talking about college ministers, or counselors of any kind. They spend time helping students. The people I'm talking about do nothing but yell, wave hateful signs in the air, and wear really bad and unbiblical t-shirts.
As many people may know, Gay Pride Week took place about a month ago, and that's when these people really showed up. Every day that week, a preacher would gather in the middle of campus with a megaphone, and inform all gay people on campus that they are going to hell (which doesn't agree with the bible he holds in his hand on many different levels, but stay with me.) Every day, this guy would acquire a gathering around him, mostly made up of the hell-goers he speaks of, doing nothing but yelling back at him. I can't help but wonder what either side of this argument thinks they are accomplishing by this.
But more than anything--more than the hate he is spreading, more than the despise of anything "Christian" is he encouraging in the hearts of the surrounding people, more than the embarrassment he is causing me as a believer--what bothers me most is the hypocrisy of it all. He holds a bible that teaches that one of the greatest gifts given to us is the ability to love, and he shows none of it. I would encourage this guy to read 1 Cor. 13, to see just how many times he is butting heads exactly with what God says. Secondly, he wears a t-shirt that says, in big block letters, "If you have sinned, you WILL go to hell." (Kind of clever on his part for not including the scripture reference to that, seeing that there isn't one.) How could you wear a shirt so blatantly untrue, much less one that forecasts such a dreary future on yourself?? Thirdly, a sign rests behind him reading "God hates homo sex and baby killers." I'm not even gonna begin to describe just how incorrect that is. And lastly, on his wrists are three different colored bracelets, all containing the letters "WWJD". All I can come up with is that this guy must be talking about a different Jesus, seeing as how my Jesus hung out with tax collectors and prostitutes, who from what I understand, were frowned upon much more back then then homosexuals and people who have had an abortion are now.
To me, I find it a little amusing that street preachers like this are called "conservative," or maybe "ultra-conservative." Pardon me while I borrow loosely from Donald Miller, but as far as Christianity goes, wouldn't a "conservative" be someone who sticks to the Word in the strictest sense? Believing and acting on just what it says, rather than letting his/her prejudices get the best of them? From what I understand, this guy seems like he's on the other side. Taking what you like about the bible, and leaving out what doesn't align with your feelings, to me, is the definition of a "liberal." Gross--I don't even like those two words, it's just something I'm a little confused about.
Anyway, I want to say that in no way am I trying to convey a holier-than-thou attitude by writing this, nor am I saying that me posting this will necessarily help anything. But if you are out there reading this, and you have been on the receiving end of a person like the street preacher or the sign waver, please know that none of that has anything to do with Jesus, and I would love to tell you about what does.
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2 comments:
i love this post.
street preachers = dumber pharisees of today.
Yep. And it's amazing to me that they feel like they're accomplishing something by doing this.
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