No megaphones, please
Back in the day, I was waiting in line to get into a Stryper show. Stryper was an 80's hair band with a twist: the members were all followers of Jesus. That didn't keep people from coming. Waiting in line with us were people who shared Stryper's faith and people who didn't.
A small group of protesters was there, too. They were the brand of Christian who measures their spirituality by what they're against. It was no secret they were against Stryper. They were making their way up and down the line carrying signs that condemned the band and shouting through a megaphone.
"Stryper's going to hell! If you listen to them, you're going to hell, too!" or something along those lines.
That's when a guy in front of me - a dead ringer for Jeff Spicoli - turned to them and pleaded, "Smoke a joint, dude!" Now I understand that wouldn't sit well with Church Lady. But I still think that was hilarious.
As followers of Jesus, we want to tell our story. We want people to know that He's transformed our lives. That He lives in us. That His presence is the only explanation for whatever is good in our lives. But we're not comfortable with the confrontational style of many Christians.
This weekend we're going to talk about an IRS agent named Matt who became a follower and who found a really creative, non-confrontational way to tell his story. Join us at any of our four weekend gatherings in Cedar Park, Round Rock, and Austin.
By the way, Stryper recently released their first studio album since 1990. It's called Reborn and you can check it out on the iTunes Music Store. If you live in the Austin metro, you can see Stryper November 9 at La Zona Rosa. No megaphones, please.
A small group of protesters was there, too. They were the brand of Christian who measures their spirituality by what they're against. It was no secret they were against Stryper. They were making their way up and down the line carrying signs that condemned the band and shouting through a megaphone.
"Stryper's going to hell! If you listen to them, you're going to hell, too!" or something along those lines.
That's when a guy in front of me - a dead ringer for Jeff Spicoli - turned to them and pleaded, "Smoke a joint, dude!" Now I understand that wouldn't sit well with Church Lady. But I still think that was hilarious.
As followers of Jesus, we want to tell our story. We want people to know that He's transformed our lives. That He lives in us. That His presence is the only explanation for whatever is good in our lives. But we're not comfortable with the confrontational style of many Christians.
This weekend we're going to talk about an IRS agent named Matt who became a follower and who found a really creative, non-confrontational way to tell his story. Join us at any of our four weekend gatherings in Cedar Park, Round Rock, and Austin.
By the way, Stryper recently released their first studio album since 1990. It's called Reborn and you can check it out on the iTunes Music Store. If you live in the Austin metro, you can see Stryper November 9 at La Zona Rosa. No megaphones, please.
