Strippers Turn Tables on Church

Posted on August 10, 2010
Viewed 4462 times
(100) comments

North of Columbus, OH, there is a battle brewing. It pits a church against a strip club. For the last four years, Pastor Bill Dunfee and several from New Beginnings Ministries have been rallying outside of the local strip club. OK, well... they weren't there to take advantage of the Fox Hole's services, but rather to utilize their bullhorns to talk down the businesses' potential patrons. They've taken pictures of license plates in the parking lot and posted them on their website.

And they've been doing this for the past four years.

After a lawsuit against the church was struck down because of free speech rights, Tom George, the club's owner, had an idea. If the church was going to protest his club, why not have his club protest the church?

And that's what they did.

As people arrived for services at New Beginnings Ministries, they were also greeted with strippers from The Fox Hole.

That's right. The tables were turned.

Score one for the Fox Hole.

Here are my thoughts...

1. Do I think stripping is an admirable profession? No. Owning a strip club? Double no.

2. Do I think the church was right in what they did? No. Not at all. Bullhorns yelling down people? Not cool. Taking pictures of license plates and posting them on your website? Way not cool.

3. Which is more important... that people stop going to strip clubs or that they find Jesus? Which is more important... that these women stop stripping or that they find Jesus? The one thing this church has done with their actions is pretty much guarantee that none of them will have anything to do with any of these people coming to Christ. We can only pray that others will be able to show them the love of Jesus in a more constructive way.

4. I get really upset when people, under the authority of the church, make the death and resurrection of Jesus into a license to be a jerk. Matter of fact, I think it's interesting to compare how Jesus treated 'stripper types' compared to how this pastor and church does. Jesus didn't whip out his bullhorn (hey, it coulda happened) and bully people. He doesn't try to shame them into loving him either. And he doesn't get angry. In fact, he keeps his anger for the Pharisees; the religous people who were always pointing their fingers.

5. We've got to get past the thinking that non-christians are going to act like Christians. They won't. Ever. Truth be told: if we were really all that serious, we'd have plenty of work just making sure that Christians acted like Christians.

6. It's so easy for some people to get so wrapped up in fighting evil that they lose any chance they ever had at stopping the evil they're fighting against. (Read that one twice)

Should Christians stand against evil and sin? Of course. I'm just not sure this is the way to do it.

So... if you're asking me which side I'm taking on this one... I'm more prone to side with the strippers. They simply turned the tables on the church that has been bullying them for the past four years.

What's your take?

I'd love to hear it.

Todd

PS -- I'm resisting all the temptation to say the obvious jokes (that church attendance is up 25% since the strippers showed up, or that the church's offering is now mysteriously missing all the $1 bills). That just wouldn't be cool.

Comments

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Justin Long on Tue, August 10, 2010

I’m not sure which side I would be on, but it is interesting to me that while Jesus publicly humiliated religious leaders (who ought to know better about their relationship with God) as far as I can remember he never publicly humiliated a sinner. In fact, he went and ate with them, healed their diseases, shared the Good News with them, etc… I can’t think of an instance where he did a public dressing down, calling them snakes and vipers, like he did with the Pharisees…
David Foster on Tue, August 10, 2010

As usual Todd, you right on the mark here! We do not change people by condemning or shouting at them.

When did we become the mad, angry, and mean group of people?

Thanks Todd! Keep giving us perspective!
Cameyg on Tue, August 10, 2010

Gotta go with the strippers too! Have a couple of friends who are former strippers. They’re legit Christ-followers now.. Thankful they hadn’t been met with that back in the days..

Praying for hearts to be changed and transformed.
mo on Tue, August 10, 2010

Wow fantastic post. I don’t think I’ve ever hear someone sum up my own thoughts so succinctly.
Ian on Tue, August 10, 2010

You’re on the mark Todd. I think all of the dumb things people do in the name of Jesus that actually provide an example of what not to do. Demonstrating the love of Christ to people that need to see and hear the truth is not done like that church did. I would hope their motives were pure, but their method really stunk up the community.
Leonard on Tue, August 10, 2010

I read this yesterday on the news pages and thought very similar thoughts. In fact when I told my wife about it, she said something along the lines of serves you right. Just go love some people will you.
Tony on Tue, August 10, 2010

I guess “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” takes on a pretty practical lesson in this one…
CS on Tue, August 10, 2010

One interesting thing from some of the news articles that wasn’t mentioned here was that the church said that they would be willing to provide all of the needs for any of these women if they stepped out of the adult entertainment industry. Yet not a single one of them has taken the church up on this offer.

Now, I don’t know which precipitated which. It could this be that because the church was behaving in bad taste from the get go, no one would take them up on this offer. Or, it could be that none of them took the church up on its offer, and then they did this afterward, trying to drive away business to reduce their pay.

But if they had stuck strictly to that type of extension of help and not gone with the public shame route (though I will say that public shame is a lost facet of our culture), then they would be above reproach in reaching out to the strippers.

—
CS
John Atkinson on Tue, August 10, 2010

This is so sad! How can anyone miss in scripture how Jesus would have handled this. What part of Mark 12:29-31 is unclear. Not one person will be changed by this type of attack. Love changes people not condemnation.

I am proud to say that my assistant leads a group of amazing ladies that go to strip clubs regularly and meet with these women and love on them! These women are blown away that Christians are loving them and instead of condemning them. I am so proud of this group of women who are showing the love of Jesus to some of the most broken and hurting in our community.
bishopdave on Tue, August 10, 2010

I read about this and it mentioned a member of the church (and had a photo) praying with one of the ladies. According to the Colombus Dispatch website:

“Likewise, the churchgoers largely ignored the dancers. Except for Stan Braxton. He stopped and held hands with Lola, a 42-year-old dancer who made $200 on her Saturday night shift, and prayed for her salvation.

“Lola, who wouldn’t give her last name, said she was grateful for Braxton’s prayers and his time.”

Somebody give Braxton a shout.
David S on Tue, August 10, 2010

5. We’ve got to get past the thinking that non-christians are going to act like Christians. They won’t. Ever. Truth be told: if we were really all that serious, we’d have plenty of work just making sure that Christians acted like Christians.

Exactly! This is why I walked away from “Corporate” worship years ago…too many of these finger pointing Christians with the index finger out (and three more pointing back at themselves) trying to have it their way, ignoring the biblical direction they claim to live by.
Todd Rhoades on Tue, August 10, 2010

David,

We’re not all that way. But the ones who are are loud.

Todd
Todd Rhoades on Tue, August 10, 2010

Bishop Dave,

I just saw that as well. This guy got it right. Kudos to him.

Todd
CS on Tue, August 10, 2010

John:

“I am proud to say that my assistant leads a group of amazing ladies that go to strip clubs regularly and meet with these women and love on them! These women are blown away that Christians are loving them and instead of condemning them. I am so proud of this group of women who are showing the love of Jesus to some of the most broken and hurting in our community.”

That’s great to hear about what you guys are doing for them. Just curious, do your ladies focus solely on their felt needs, or do they also actively share the Gospel with them, even including the hard parts like sin and repentance?

—
CS
Elias on Tue, August 10, 2010

I think David asks a great question, “When did we become the mad, angry, and mean group of people?”

Jesus, in Matthew 22:38-39, reveals to us that love is not an option; it is at the heart of Christianity.

I wonder if Christians just get so focused on right and wrong that we forget/ignore what love looks like. My guess is that some of these brothers and sisters believed they were being loving.