Local celebraty makes public stance against gay marriage

[m_crane]

Hi,

In our city we have a fellow who has be quite popular in the local media and around the city for his style of preaching the gospel. I’m not going to go into the detail about how he does this because I would like to protect his identity.

He has been preaching the gospel in a way, basically to love and not judge, that the gay community has embraced. Well some time last week , he changed his mind about the message, (he claims the Holy Spirit convicted him), and decided to preach though social media that gay marriage and homosexual practices are wrong. he used some strong graphic sand some pretty scary bible quotes to send this message out. on social media. Now his followers are reeling against him .

My personal interest is because I know this person and have occasionally hung out with him. The day before this happened, he gave me a short spiel about not judging and I just gave him a look and started to pray for him.
I feel I should say something to support or guide him but I don’t know what to do. I avoid most social media and prefer to meet people face to face. I believe that he is truly sincere about giving his life to Christ but because of his past drama filled and sinful life, he is having a hard time being a Christian without creating drama. He is entrenched in the celebrity that this style of preaching has brought him and now he is receiving a lot of backlash for his controversial style.

What would you say to him if he was your friend?

 

[Memaw]

Hi,

In our city we have a fellow who has be quite popular in the local media and around the city for his style of preaching the gospel. I’m not going to go into the detail about how he does this because I would like to protect his identity.

He has been preaching the gospel in a way, basically to love and not judge, that the gay community has embraced. Well some time last week , he changed his mind about the message, (he claims the Holy Spirit convicted him), and decided to preach though social media that gay marriage and homosexual practices are wrong. he used some strong graphic sand some pretty scary bible quotes to send this message out. on social media. Now his followers are reeling against him .

My personal interest is because I know this person and have occasionally hung out with him. The day before this happened, he gave me a short spiel about not judging and I just gave him a look and started to pray for him.
I feel I should say something to support or guide him but I don’t know what to do. I avoid most social media and prefer to meet people face to face. I believe that he is truly sincere about giving his life to Christ but because of his past drama filled and sinful life, he is having a hard time being a Christian without creating drama. He is entrenched in the celebrity that this style of preaching has brought him and now he is receiving a lot of backlash for his controversial style.

What would you say to him if he was your friend?

He’s right, they are wrong. Pray for him. God Bless, Memaw

 

[Allegra]

I would tell him that the teaching the truth and loving and not judging are not mutually exclusive.

 

[Joe_5859]

I would probably point out that even the right message can be articulated poorly. So we need to take care to craft the message in words that will not be unduly off-putting.

That some people will get upset when preaching the truth on this particular subject is unavoidable. But tossing gasoline on the fire is not helpful nor beneficial. If we can be charitable and reasonable in our presentation, that will go a long way towards getting people to lower their defenses and at least admit that the Christian view is reasonable and not hate-filled. Playing in to their stereotypes of us will only make them double down.

 

[Memaw]

I would probably point out that even the right message can be articulated poorly. So we need to take care to craft the message in words that will not be unduly off-putting.

That some people will get upset when preaching the truth on this particular subject is unavoidable. But tossing gasoline on the fire is not helpful nor beneficial. If we can be charitable and reasonable in our presentation, that will go a long way towards getting people to lower their defenses and at least admit that the Christian view is reasonable and not hate-filled. Playing in to their stereotypes of us will only make them double down.

Since when do we have to guard every single word we say and how we say it just so we don’t “offend someone” Seems anything we say, however we say it, will offend those that don’t agree with us. Maybe we need to come up with a new language that doesn’t contain any words someone won’t like. Good grief, do we ever listen to how politically correct we are starting to sound !!! Whatever happened to free speech we so treasured at one time. God Bless, Memaw

 

[Joe_5859]

Since when do we have to guard every single word we say and how we say it just so we don’t “offend someone” Seems anything we say, however we say it, will offend those that don’t agree with us. Maybe we need to come up with a new language that doesn’t contain any words someone won’t like. Good grief, do we ever listen to how politically correct we are starting to sound !!! Whatever happened to free speech we so treasured at one time. God Bless, Memaw

Certainly, people can take it too far, but aiming to speak charitably in a way that listeners are likely to be more receptive to is not being “PC” but simply being attentive to one’s audience. Spouting off in a confrontational manner may make one feel good, but is not necessarily the best approach if the goal is converting hearts.

 

[808Catholic]

I believe that he is truly sincere about giving his life to Christ but because of his past drama filled and sinful life, he is having a hard time being a Christian without creating drama. He is entrenched in the celebrity that this style of preaching has brought him and now he is receiving a lot of backlash for his controversial style.

What would you say to him if he was your friend?

I’m reading a book on St. Paul’s life and your friend sounds a lot like him! St. Paul was also very well known to the Jews and the emerging Christians; not always in ways he would have liked. St. Paul went out evangelizing much like your friend. One thing that your friend may want to consider from St. Paul’s life is St. Paul didn’t seek celebrity status or popularity.

As a friend, I would tell him “God Bless you for your faithful evangelization and know that I pray for you.” Whether he is successful or not, whether his message is received or not, whether he delivers the Gospel in a way that people will listen and follow or not, it’s up to the Holy Spirit. We’re just asked to plant the seed and let God do the rest.

 

[ComplineSanFran]

Certainly, people can take it too far, but aiming to speak charitably in a way that listeners are likely to be more receptive to is not being “PC” but simply being attentive to one’s audience. Spouting off in a confrontational manner may make one feel good, but is not necessarily the best approach if the goal is converting hearts.

I attended an event a few years back at which Westboro Baptist Church picketed. The Supreme Court decision had just come down and they were allowed to continue exercising their First Amendment rights to free speech.

I’m sure that they felt good about their rights to free speech in a public arena, and I am just as sure that they felt their message was God’s Truth.

However. For most of us it was hateful and hurtful. No one was seeing past the meanness to what was behind the message.

I am only sharing my experience to say that the way in which one approaches the ‘other’, makes a huge difference.

 

[m_crane]

Thanking him and offering prayer is a good answer.

I can’t give him my opinion about how I would handle his preaching because I really don’t know. He wanted to preach among sinners and love them. The gay community found him interesting until he began to tell them the truth. Then…