Debbie wrote: > David, do you think I was saying any of > the following? > 1. All cultural norms are right and supersede > biblical norms. > 2. The message of the Good News will never > conflict with cultural norms. > 3. We should not expect the acceptance of the > Good News to change cultural norms.
No, I did not understand you to be saying any of these things. Debbie wrote: > What I meant to say: Sometimes the very medium > will conflict with cultural norms (e.g. Jesus conversing > with the woman at the well), but if we have a choice > of violating or respecting a cultural norm while still > communicating the Good News, we should choose > the latter and expect it to be more effective. Should > I go through the phone book and call people at 11 > p.m. to witness to them? Why not? I am saying that > a lot of street preaching probably feels like that to > many people. That's all. The primary complainers about public preachers are Christians who do not preach publicly, and non-Christians in powerful positions (politicians, successful businessmen, etc.). In fact, if you go down to your lowest, most impoverished person, the homeless guy or the ones who live in the projects, they like the excitement that a public preacher adds to his otherwise rather mundane life. Of course, he also likes some of the issues being raised. When I preach downtown, some poor black woman might walk up and hand me two dollars and ask me to keep preaching, but the average successful rich businessmen might holler in disgust, "go get a real job!" Few of the rich and powerful are very supportive of public preaching. Then again, I also can tell you stories of many who came under conviction. Now I hope you understand that I have never and would never telephone people at 11 pm to witness to them. Such an illustration, when given in contrast to public preaching, would suggest that there is no distinction being made between public venues and private venues. This distinction often is blurred when people complain or criticize public preaching. Freedom of speech exists in public areas, like streets, sidewalks, and parks. It is not allowed inside public buildings, and certainly not in private homes. Now I have done some door to door witnessing before, but I have not done that in years. Why? Because I would feel that I am intruding upon someone's privacy. A person should be able to go home and expect privacy. Of course, I recognize that the person at home can refuse to open his door, or shut it once he finds out what the knocker wants, so I'm not saying that the door to door approach is wrong. I'm just trying to say that if I have a choice of preaching in public on a street corner, sidewalk, or park, versus going door to door to the homes of people, I will choose the public preaching. Why? Because it is the least intrusive into a person's privacy and personal space. People who complain that it intrudes upon their personal rights do not understand the concept of public venues versus private venues. The restaurant owner might think that his tables outside have a right to peace and quiet, but they do not. If they are in public, they are in areas where the public has a right to speak. So when he fights for his right not to have a street preacher within ear shot of his restaurant, he is really the one who is imposing his private rights upon the rest of the public. Our Constitution gives the preacher the right to preach there. We as wise Christians should make use of that right. This is the same problem that the Mormons have spent millions of dollars fighting. They want to make public areas in Salt Lake City private so that they can control what kind of speech takes place near their Temple. Rather than allowing the fair exchange of views, they want to suppress the speech of those who would criticize their church. With regard to cultural norms, it sounds like we probably agree. We should try to live peaceably with everyone. However, if a cultural norm is contrary to what God desires, we must please and obey God rather than the cultural norm. Example. Once I had two preacher friends in jail, one of them had been there 60 days already awaiting trial. I called up some friends to go to the courthouse with me and preach outside of it. I had a mission here, to call out the judges names and declare to the public the injustice of holding these men for all this time. I brought amplification, with the plan of being loud during the lunch hour when court was not in session. A woman came up to me when I was packing up to leave, and she hollered angrily in my face, "I hope you know that you ruined my perfectly good lunch!" Well, I'm sure this woman had lunch outside before and did not have to hear the kinds of things I was saying that day. Her "cultural norm" was disturbed so to speak. However, what about the two men in jail? How does her desire for a quiet lunch outside compare to these poor men having been incarcerated for so long? Sorry, but I don't consider cultural norm too important in this case. I consider that woman to be extremely selfish to make such a comment to me. By the way, the result of this was that one of the judges excused himself from the case, and both preachers were released from jail the very next day. I suppose someone here might say, "well, if God wanted them out, why didn't he just send an angel to open the jail doors like he did with Peter." My response? Why should God do that when all he has to do is move upon me to preach about the problem here? :-) God can use whatever means HE wants to use. We need to be careful that we don't make excuses why we cannot do what is right in our society. Peace be with you. David Miller. ---------- "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org If you do not want to receive posts from this list, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and you will be unsubscribed. If you have a friend who wants to join, tell him to send an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and he will be subscribed.
