Street Preachers and Sandwich Boards

This is a picture that has been sitting on my hard drive for awhile, I grabbed it off msn.com or something during a protest against gay marriage. There were a few things that grabbed my attention and caused me to save it. First, the age of everyone involved; all the picketers are kids, which is so obviously wrong and makes the scene a bit surreal. The next thing is to consider the message biblically. On the one hand, scripture says that the world is indeed doomed and that God hates us (http://www.carm.org/does-god-hate-anyone: a quick refresher for those shocked at this). On the other, the saying, "there is that of God in everyone," is also true, as long as we don't take what it is to be "of God" too far. God made everyone in his image and everyone has an inherent value because of it. Both sides tell half the story, the irony is that they need each other to know the whole story.

When the protester's came out with signs saying, "God Hates You," they forget to mention that He hates them as well, He hates sin, and therefore all sinners. A better sign would be "God Hates Us," which brings up the real message behind the protester's. They are judging and condemning people outside the church, something that God explicitly says not to do it in Romans 2:1-4, which is a verse we will look at in a moment.

The students slogan, "there is that of God in everyone," is purposely vague. Its intended message is to say, "we are all the same so let's love each other." In context it seems to blur who or what exactly God is, in favor of equality among us. It is focused solely on love and ignores sin. The reality of the scene above is that God hates the sin of homosexuals, the same as He hates the sin of sex outside of marriage and perversion, the same as He hates the sin of the protester's on both sides of the street. At the same time He made each of us in His own image, though we have fallen, and He loves us enough to try and save us in spite of this sin He hates. The picture represents both sides of God as well as both errors people fall into, having love and not hating sin, or hating sin and not loving. These kids sure know their stuff!

So what about this "street preaching" in general? What good is it and is it biblical? I've seen two very different types of street preacher:

A) Hardcore Turn or Burn

The first category is the hardcore street preacher. These guys were all over the University of Washington campus and anywhere they can attract a crowd. The trouble with this type is they just might come across as judging a little harshly. The sign is true, but it is only telling half the story and comes across as ignorant and offensive to people more often than not. I must say that despite obvious questions, when I walk by these HXC clowns they do seem to be answering legitimate questions in between getting yelled at.

B) The Softy

The other guy you'll see is the softy. He gives you a limp handshake and a pamphlet. This is in some ways more pleasant to be around, but not all. 99.9% of all flyers handed out end up in the trashcan six feet behind him.

Romans 2:1-4

¹You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. ²Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. ³So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? ⁴Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?

The hardcore street preacher is stamping a fit along the line between informing and judging. That is just sin and is ignoring that it is God's kindness that leads us to repentance. He sent Jesus in love and kindness to be judged, not to judge, and we're supposed to follow his example. The softy is avoiding this and is showing kindness. Here is where I would add a thought to our verse. God's kindness and relationship leads us to repentance. What kind of relationship is offered in a pamphlet? Friends don't give friends pamphlets, that's anonymous weirdo territory. Why not spend time affecting someone's life rather than bugging them, getting to know rather than anonymously suggesting major life changes. Jesus went and ate with tax collectors, he didn't hand out tracts.