Post by Frank Rollberg on Nov 30, 2007 20:17:23 GMT -5
In this day and age of churches being hell-bent on doing all they can to serve up
consumer-friendly Christianity, anyone standing out in the open raising their voice and
declaring the truth of Scripture, calling people to repentance, seems coarse and wrong.
Gentle and non-offensive Christianity is in vogue these days. Many falsely believe you
must establish a relationship with someone before your declaration of the Gospel can
have legitimacy. Those who dare preach in the field these days are almost always
criticized by the church and Christians in general.
The truth is Whitefield was criticized by the churches and Christians of his day for the
very same reasons. They could not believe God could be involved in such an often
tumultuous venue. They would do well to read the accounts of Whitefield's preaching and
the diary of John Wesley.
There is no doubt that there are some who preach in the field in our day whose
declaration and demeanor is less than desirable. Some are even outright nuts. But this is
no reason to dismiss streetpreaching out of hand. Preaching in the field and out on the
streets is biblical. Not only did Jesus and the apostles demonstrate this practice, but
throughout church history many men of God have preached in the field and on the streets. By Pastor Matt Trewhella
consumer-friendly Christianity, anyone standing out in the open raising their voice and
declaring the truth of Scripture, calling people to repentance, seems coarse and wrong.
Gentle and non-offensive Christianity is in vogue these days. Many falsely believe you
must establish a relationship with someone before your declaration of the Gospel can
have legitimacy. Those who dare preach in the field these days are almost always
criticized by the church and Christians in general.
The truth is Whitefield was criticized by the churches and Christians of his day for the
very same reasons. They could not believe God could be involved in such an often
tumultuous venue. They would do well to read the accounts of Whitefield's preaching and
the diary of John Wesley.
There is no doubt that there are some who preach in the field in our day whose
declaration and demeanor is less than desirable. Some are even outright nuts. But this is
no reason to dismiss streetpreaching out of hand. Preaching in the field and out on the
streets is biblical. Not only did Jesus and the apostles demonstrate this practice, but
throughout church history many men of God have preached in the field and on the streets. By Pastor Matt Trewhella
