Comments on: Street-Preaching 101

By: Tiffany

Tiffany — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 13:54:39 +0000

I am no expert, but the first thing that popped into my mind was “casting pearls before swine” when yelling out scripture. At least when people walk over they are asking questions and want to hear an answer. Also, I think that the shouting gospel would tend to ward off more people just becasue of the interference into personal space…and one might not be as inclined to stop and ask questions.
Just my thoughts…at the moment

By: Davide

Davide — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 21:33:27 +0000

I think Tiffany has a good point about casting pearls before swine. After all, Christ told the disciples in the same passage, that if people did not receive them, to “shake the dust off their feet,” and leave the city. Obviously, we should never force the gospel down someone’s throat.

On the flip side, the apostle Paul was stoned at Lystra and actually went to Jerusalem with the intention of knowing that many would seek to kill him. Also, Stephen was stoned for giving the gospel to hardened hearts.

So where do we draw the line biblically between these two aspects?

By: Gordan

Gordan — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 14:17:53 +0000

Picking up on Tiffany’s/Davide’s thoughts: Paul did go where he knew it was dangerous, but that isn’t a statement of his method or demeanor once he got there. I see him in Acts hitting the synagogues first, and then places like Lydia’s lakeside, where he knew people would be gathered for “religious” reasons…or at Mars Hill where the custom was already established to gather and speak of religious/philosophical matters. All of this tells me (I think) that there was intention and purpose and even strategy involved in Paul’s choice of venue: he often went where he knew his general topic would be welcomed, or at least tolerated. I don’t see him shouting in the marketplace, y’know?

By: Nathan White

Nathan White — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 00:35:57 +0000

Gordan, I think you summarize a balance between the two options (shouting or dialogue), which Davide and Tiffany also hinted at as well.

I agree with you in that Paul didn’t just go to the marketplace, but he used a strategy. Too often we think that we gotta ‘let the Spirit lead’ and just let it all loose. But, I think there is a legitimate biblical case to be made that the Apostles used great strategy and sought the best avenues for reaching people with the gospel without offense and without dumbing down the message.

By: Jacob Douvier

Jacob Douvier — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 22:38:42 +0000

In the summer, I staff for Worldview Academy (www.worldview.org), a Christian leadership camp that teaches apologetics and worldviews studies. We teach the presuppositional method and show the students how to ask questions. Then, in the middle of the week, we take them to a state university and have the students approach various people and ask them “what happens when you die?” The students get some valuable experience interacting with different worldviews as well as the experience of responding to those ideas and (hopefully) present the Gospel. I don’t know if I would call this street preaching. Still, it’s not too different from what you were describing.