I doubt you'd be comfortable with an open Satanist preaching his views in the public square. Or, how about a fundamentalist Muslim? That might bother most Christians more, ironically enough.
Sorry, I'm not trying to bait you. I'm all for free speech, but there are forms of street preaching, however, that amount to verbal abuse or harassment.
People shouldn't have to endure being called sinners for walking down the street. I don't care if it's a 15 year old in miniskirt, a gay couple, or whatever.
Giving them a piece of your mind right back doesn't help, it just reinforces their perception of themselves as misunderstood martyrs in a degraded society.
How does that kind of preaching not violate the admonition not to judge others lest ye be judged, or to let the innocent cast the first stone, or not to look to the speck in another's eye but the log in your own? I'd include the admonition to love thy neighbor, but these kinds of preachers tend to insist their message is 'love' as it brings the hope of salvation. I doubt the people they attack feel very loved by God while the crazed preacher is screaming at them.
I have to agree with you here, yes it would make me uncomfortable...but that does not give me the right to try and stop them. I also love and protect our constitution. It is the same law that enables me to preach, hand out Gospel tracts, and talk openly about God. So in this sense I have no right to keep others from stating their views. As for people being called sinners, according to Scripture, we are ALL sinners...even me. I am not a good person, I just have faith in the Redeemer. I struggle with my sins daily, just like the disciple Paul. I see myself as no better than the next man. I am just as capable of such atrocities as any mass murderer etc. Can anyone honestly say they have never had an evil thought..."I want to kill so and so"...or "what I would do to you if I got you in bed"....God says He will hold even our thought life accountable on Judgment Day. The Bible says that the hearts of men lay open before God. So, lets look at the best open-air preacher/evangelist that ever walked the earth...Jesus Christ Himself. How did He preach? Using the Ten Commandments? Yes! Did He tell people that they would go to Hell if they did not repent of their sins, deny themselves, take up their cross and follow Him? Yes! He had a slightly different tactic than most preachers of today though. He was very gentile when could be, and very stern with people when He had to be. Look at the way He talked to the Pharisees. "Hypocrites!" and "Brood of vipers" and one of my favorites "Even tax collectors and prostitutes will make it into the gates of Heaven before you!" He was saying this to the religious leaders of Israel! I know this sounds odd, but it is not I who judges you when I tell you something is sin in the eyes of God. It is God's Law that judges ALL. You, me, my wife, my grandmother, Hitler, and everyone else. By no means did I write God's Law, I just pass it along to the next person. If someone said to you "You shouldn't do that," when your about to break into a home...is that person judging you? Or are they making you aware of what it is you have in your heart? I know that most things that are called "sin" seem very small in the eyes of today's society, but God does not see it that way. He kicked Adam and Eve out of Eden for sinning once! He kicked Lucifer and a third of the angels out of Heaven when they sinned, God does not spare even His most beautiful angel of His wrath. There is a saying I and many have used, but I never realized the absolute profoundness and truth of it until lately; "The Truth shall set you free, but first it will piss you off." I agree that love is detrimental when preaching, Christ is the standard for preaching and evangelism. As for giving them a piece of my mind...I try to just stick with what Jesus has taught...if I get into what I think of another and their actions...I am judging them. It does not matter what I think. Scripture says to hate sin and not the sinner. Oh and as for your Monk friend...I know what you mean, not many have the wisdom to keep their mouth shut. Scripture pretty much states that as well. The wise man knows when to keep his mouth closed. Sadly, far too many people who claim to be Christian look for ways to come down on the rest of humanity when most of the time their silence would be more effective. They want to exalt themselves as holier-than-thou. Which is a strict violation of God's Law in it's own. Anyways, I hope I am making sense here. I have a tendency to get lost in all of this. I also apologize if this seems to come off strongly. I am not trying to defend myself...I can be very judgmental...and I am aware of it. In no way am I perfect. I don't have all the answers either. Well my friend, I do enjoy these types of conversations, and from what I can tell...so do you. Thank you for your honest views, and for being so understanding of mine. I hope that we continue in these conversations and I pray that we can remain of humble demeanor's. It is only through trying to understand another's view that we can make any kind of progress in our own understanding, be it we agree with one's views or not. I think the best way a Christian should witness to someone else is with tears in their eyes, not with screaming and yelling.....
