Hullabaloo in Kalamazoo: Billboards Confront Strip Club Patrons with Bible Verse on Lust
- Posted by: Todd
- Posted on: Mon, December 15, 2008
- Viewed 136
- (98) comments so far
There. I got your attention.
Did Jesus condemn sin? Absolutely.
Does the Bible tell us right from wrong on sexual matters, lust, and the sanctify of life? Yeppers.
Did Jesus treat people in the same way these signs do? Never?
How did Jesus treat the woman at the well? Or Zachaeus? Or the rich, young ruler? Or the prostitute? Did he carry a sign or rent a billboard? Did he immediately condemn them before talking with them?
All of the above signs will lead you to a website called JesusChrist1st.com, which, I’m quite sure Jesus would not recommend.
How did Jesus act when meeting the adulterer or the fornicator or the pervert or the prostitute? That seems to be the first question we should ask ourselves. Then we should try to treat them as Jesus would, and minister to them as Jesus would.
Question for you… WHAT IF: Signs like this actually turn more people AWAY FROM Jesus than lead people TO Jesus? I, for one, think they do. I wonder, in eternity, if people that use this form of evangelism will be cheered for the tens they have impacted FOR Christ; or judged for the thousands they have turned AWAY FROM Christ.
What do you think?
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It's all happening in Kalamazoo, MI:
A billboard next to Deja Vu (An adult entertainment club): "Anyone that looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matthew 5:28.
Another billboard outside a Planned Parenthood, "How is an unborn baby not a human being?" (Jeremiah 1:5)
And yet another outside two bars known to have gay and lesbian customers: "Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman: that is detestable." (Leviticus 18:12)
Could it be that the people who read these signs will never accept Jesus because they want no part of a Jesus is just as condemning as these signs?
Comments
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Gary H on Mon, December 15, 2008
All the prophets in the OT warned people fearlessly of their sins. The spirit of the age resists this. Maybe thats why there is not many clear-cut prophets anymore.
Cindy K on Mon, December 15, 2008
I am sorry to hear the ‘dissenters’ accused of wanting to be politically correct, or of wanting to water down the Gospel. Good Heavens no! I believe that we are simply making a plea for the Gospel to be preached with Love.
I’m all for the scriptures for within them lies the Word of God. But I wonder what the true intent behind those signs is. I know that had I seen those signs 5 years ago I’d have blown them right off. Just another holier than thou ‘Christian’ ‘preaching’ to me. The message would have been lost in the hypocrisy that I saw all around me every day because of the condemnation I would have felt from them.
Is it sinful to go to a strip club, have an abortion or have homosexual relations? I don’t think any of us would argue the fact that it certainly is. But my opinion of these signs is formed along the lines of: “Let he who is without sin throw the first stone”. I’m a sinner! I will list them for you if you like. So I’m not going to throw any stones, or post this kind of condemning sign. I’ll let the Holy Spirit do the convicting.
Jesus spoke the truth with Love. When you are confronted with the Truth in a loving way it’s very hard to get angry. It’s difficult to rail against. When spoken with Love the Truth does not put you on the defensive but gives you pause for thought. And then the Holy Spirit can do his work. Even if you /can/ manage some righteous indignation in the face of the Truth spoken with Love you will not be able to dismiss it, because it was not a hateful message.
lulu on Mon, December 15, 2008
rev k, god knows what it takes to get peoples attention,and he is out to get there attention, sometimes it might be a billboard like jesus saves that got my attention, but for someone else it might be somthing else, those signs that are being talked about might have been god inspired, i do not think it would turn them from god , i think all the truth should be told, people would be surprized what sinners do not know is sin. and they should be told. not in a hateful way , but in a firm way, because we do love people, god knows how to tell us how to minister to people one on one
Rev.K on Mon, December 15, 2008
Cindy K
what are you offerring them salvation from? many preachers teach today with the salesman attitude; they teach by persuading, rather then, persuading by teaching… it is the teaching of the truth that captures the mind… the power of the truth persuades…
its not an attitude that we’re holier than others… it’s a warning that if you continue in your sins death would be the end result… I don’t want to see my brothers and sisters go to hell, that is why I warn them of their sins… that’s true love… if you love somebody you won’t want to see them hurt theirselves… what kind of friend would I be if I see my friend get ready to drink something that was poisioned and I don’t warn them? you would say I wasn’t a true friend nor did I love them…. the same is true when warning my brothers and sisters about the danger of their lifestyles… I’m not warning them in judgment… I’m warning them in love… if i’m traveling down the wrong path, what i need is a friend who would warn me of the danger that the path leads…
Cindy K on Mon, December 15, 2008
Rev K,
I agree. I would certainly advocate warning your friends in a loving way about an uncertain path that they are treading.
I heartily advocate the Bible, and the reading of the scriptures on a daily basis, and living in a way that is aligned with God’s will for our lives.
But I strongly believe that in order for the truely lost to come to know Jesus, they must see and know his love first and foremost.
To understand the Lord you must fully realize his unconditional love, and the horror he went through in order to save us.
The full, messy, unadulterated knowledge of his sacrifice is the only thing that can soften a hardened heart.
Self righteousness accusitory messages will most often be met with a defensive posture.
Peter Dodge on Mon, December 15, 2008
If you love your neighbor as yourself, as some say they do, then when was the last time you took your neighbor out to eat, or to a theme park, or on vacation, on a cruise, or bought them a car?
Everyone is our neighbor, but we really do not love them as we love ourselves. We are caught up in our own little worlds.
We do not need to define what sin is. No sin is greater than another. But the wackjobs, and yes, they ARE wack, that put up these types of signs are no more a christian than my pet boxer. Just like my boxer, the run around playing church, and when nobody is looking, they tear the couch cushions apart.
In reading all of the posts on this blog, it appears than only a couple really “GET” what the churches job is.
I don’t need a class in hermeneutics (which I have taken by the way) to know the difference between the hypocritical teaching that posseses many of our churches and many who claim to be Christian.
Jesus spoke a gospel of love to the lost, and a message of criticism to the pious. All of this pontificating by the “judges” of the church makes me want to vomit.
And all of you who are IN ministry, take note: Get outside the four walls of your office and start loving on people. Everyone is called to GO into ALL the world and preach the GOSPEL. And if your benevolence fund is lacking, then so is your church.
I’m over this blog, and I have no doubt that somebody reading this will become indignant. Woe to you, you hypocrites.
Todd Rhoades on Mon, December 15, 2008
Tim writes: “I would submit that it is not the confrontation that pushes man farther from God and from the church. It is man’s response to the confrontation that pushes his own self away.”
Thanks for the input, Tim. Couple questions:
1. So… you’d be ok with Fred Phelps tactics then, since it’s not the confrontation that pushes people far from God. Right?
2. Since when does being a Christian allow people to be jerks?
We’re against the Prop 8 people when they confront people outside (and inside) churches.
We’re against people from churches like Granger when they put a more positively phrased billboard outside a Hooters.
But we’re ok as long as it’s us that is doing the confronting.
I (and no one here, I believe) is saying that sin isn’t sin; nor questioning that repentance isn’t necessary for salvation. We simply think that there are better ways to achieve the outcome than bashing people with a sign that tells people they’re going to hell.
Todd
Leonard on Mon, December 15, 2008
I am sure that these people who put the signs up are not less Christian that your Dog Peter. Especially a boxer.
What Jesus gave so compellingly was an alternative. He gave people who were in Darkness a real chance to live in the Light. He pulled people from Death to life. It took for some confrontation and for others a simple act of healing and for others his words captured them.
We struggle within the walls of the church to give a compelling alternative to a life of darkness or death. I was discipling a young person a while back who had grown up in the church and said; “I did not want to be like the people I saw on Sunday, so I never felt I had any real alternative to my disobedience.”
I think too often we seek to make people like us, rather than make disciples. These signs IMO communicate more be like us rather than the invitation from Christ to come follow him.
CS on Mon, December 15, 2008
Todd:
“I (and no one here, I believe) is saying that sin isn’t sin; nor questioning that repentance isn’t necessary for salvation. We simply think that there are better ways to achieve the outcome than bashing people with a sign that tells people they’re going to hell.”
As always, first and foremost, thanks for letting us have these good discussions on your board.
It seems that the problem, as you put it, is the efficacy of the message being shared. Is it effective in reaching the lost?
When we take a pragmatic view of things, in seeing how effective something is, we run the risk of going against Scripture. We can draw people into churches with all the free iPod giveaways we want, but that does not guarantee souls will be saved.
Yet, we do have to balance things with seeing what works. Ray Comfort even sent out messages in the past week talking about how a particular concept in his preaching has opened many peoples’ eyes, and, as he put it, he has seen more people come to Christ in the last six months than in his prior years of being a preacher. There was something he started saying that was different and had a profound effect on people more today than in the past.
I would say that these church signs are a reminder of God’s Law designed to prick the conscience. None of the signs in this story, perhaps contrary to your assertion, tell someone that they are going to Hell. Instead, they show what God says directly out of the Bible about the sins in which they are about to engage.
Is personal, face-to-face, one-on-one communication the best way to share Christ with the lost? Perhaps. But is the Gospel, the Word of God, which includes law and grace, being shared? That is truly the important question.
And for those who say things like, “We do not need to define what sin is.” or, “They know that they are lost already,” the Bible paints a different story (Romans 7:7). Same goes for, “Is this how Jesus would do it?” Remember, Jesus spoke in as pure as true love could get, and he almost killed several times for it, ultimately being crucified.
—
CS
Cindy K on Mon, December 15, 2008
My first boss used to always say: “It’s not what you do it’s how you do it.”
And she was right.
What would be wrong with adding something to the line of scripture on those signs to introduce love into the message?
Those messages on the signs are meant to be confrontational.
CS you state that “Jesus spoke in as pure as true love could get”. I think we should try to do the same.
Rev.K on Mon, December 15, 2008
what are we preaching? The Gospel…it’s the Gospel that pronounce judgment not us… we’re carriers of God’s Word… Paul said the day would come when men won’t want to hear the truth… and such a time is this… a time when people would rather listen to a preacher that tickles their emotions…but shun preachers who tells them of their spiritual condition… nowhere in the Bible do we read that God is loving, loving, loving… but we do read that God is just… there’s little or nothing said by the Church when the media advertises alternative lifestyles, lustful living…etc… the church is silent… but as soon as God’s Word is advertised…then the church stands up… it’s wrong… its un-christian…etc… sometimes I wonder who side are many really on…
are the signs effective… I would say yes… if we’re truthful… we came aware of our sins by somebody telling us about them… when we reject God’s Word we reject God… you can’t seperate God’s Word from God… heaven and earth would both pass away…but God’s Word would stand… and it’s God’s Word that draws and convicts…
for the record… I’m a preacher who’s out in the street with the sinners, in the prisons, in the hospital, psych wards, I’m a preacher who would sit at an AA meeting with somebody who wants help… one who is outside the four walls of the church and meeting the needs of the people… but I do all this in God’s Word… in the end what the people appreciates is God’s Word… I have many who said they appreciate me being truthful with them and not encouraging them in their sins…
the problem arises when we look for alternative ways rather then just giving man God’s Word plain and simple…
if we say we’re against the billboards because of the offense it may cause, then we shouldn’t pass out Christian tracts, preach Jesus is the only way, or do evangelistic ministry… because all of this is offensive to other religions…
lulu on Mon, December 15, 2008
amen rev k
Jade on Mon, December 15, 2008
I think it is kind of neat to have scripture outside of these places. Personally I think it may make them think twice before walking in. I may have choose different one’s though.
The only problem I see is you only get one shot with a sign to say something so whatever is put on there better be worth saying.
Steve on Mon, December 15, 2008
Thank you Rev K and C.S. ... careful and accurate response.
Todd Rhoades on Mon, December 15, 2008
CS… I don’t think we’re that far off from each other.
But these signs don’t give the full story either.
Again, I cry out for balance. Either extreme is not good.
Todd
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