A report in the Daily Telegraph describes plans by Rushmoor Council to get an injunction against Street Preachers. In this video I look at the rights and wrongs of such a case and why it matters for Christians.
I also talk about
- Why I believe cold contact evangelism including Street Evangelism and Door to Door matters (including its part in my own very existence!)
- My own experience of street evangelism and street preaching.
- Practical advice for street evangelists
For those who prefer reading to watching. My key points are.
- Cold contact evangelism is vital because most non Christians will not know s Christian and in reality friendship evangelism rarely gets round to the evangelism bit.
- Street Preaching itself may not be the most effective means of street evangelism. You need to look at what works in your context.
- We need to be careful about a martyr context. Sometimes the issue is that Christians make a nuisance of themselves and allow something other than the Gospel to cause offence.
- There is wisdom about what we say and when.
- Make sure you follow local bye-laws and expectations. For example, what permissions do you need for P/A?
Situations like this may be messier than anyone acknowledges. There may be genuine concerns from a local authority and community. However, there also are likely to be some ideological reasons underpinning responses to Christians both in that the content of the Gospel causes offence and that causing offence is an unforgivable sin in our postmodern age.
Therefore this injunction is concerning and risks setting a precedent. It is right for Christians to challenge it.
Faithroots 