Research On Religion » street preaching

Jeff Rose on Street Preaching (Encore Presentation)

tonygill — Sun, 04 Feb 2018 09:00:12 +0000

What would you do if you were a street preacher and someone poured beer on your head, blew smoke in your face, and threatened you with a knife? Jeff Rose, founder of JeremiahCry Ministries with his wife Pearl, has had that experience and he reveals his response in this fascinating interview that covers Jeff’s path to the street preaching profession and what it takes to be a street preacher. Tony starts out by asking if Jeff if he is crazy. It is not an uncommon question that folks who pass street preachers cannot help but ask. Jeff provides a remarkably insightful answer to this question revealing that he has asked himself this question on more than one occasion, but then explains what keeps him going. We then review Jeff’s life growing up, his career as a personal fitness trainer and gym owner, and what led him to pick up the cause of the Gospel. The journey is one that takes him from a small Pentecostal church to a large megachurch and then back to a smaller community where he connects with several other individuals that propel him down the road to street preaching. As an aside we chat about what Jeff didn’t like about megachurches, a theme that connects with some of our earlier podcasts. Jeff then describes how he found himself engaged in a life of street preaching after attending seminary and moving to Scotland. The last portion of our interview tackles some of what occurs in the life of a street preacher, including thinking about what venues will be most attractive, how to deal with crowds, the funniest moment he encountered, as well as the most dangerous. Jeff finishes by revealing his optimistic attitude towards the spiritual life of American and the United Kingdom. Recorded December 1, 2011.

RELATED LINKS

JeremiahCry Ministries (includes videos and audio of street preaching).

Jeff Rose preaching at Staten Island Ferry Station (YouTube video).

Paul Washer, Jeff Rose, and Jeff Gordon Discuss Public Preaching (YouTube video).

RELATED PODCASTS

Allison Pond on Being a Mormon Missionary.

Dough Johnston on Missionizing Romania.

Jeff Henig on Prison Ministry.

Daniel Stiles on Cowboy Churches.

Dave Travis on Megachurch Myths.

James Brettell on Trends in American Christianity.

Matt Boswell on Starting a New Church.

Brandon O’Brien on Paul Behaving Badly

tonygill — Sun, 09 Oct 2016 08:00:26 +0000

The Apostle Paul (née Saul) was a central figure in early Christianity, with his adventures being written about in Acts and his many writings making their way into the New Testament, earning him the title of Saint Paul in some Christian circles. But a careful reading of Paul’s writings through 21st century eyes would give the appearance that he was a racist, chauvinistic jerk. Prof. Brandon O’Brien, an assistant professor of Christian theology at Ouachita Baptist University and co-author with Randolph Richards of Paul Behaving Badly: Was the Apostle a Racist, Chauvinist Jerk? joins us to talk about who Paul was and what he represented in the culture of his time. He also helps us understand Paul in our own contemporary terms. The conversation begins with Brandon’s rationale for writing the book, which is a response to other popular titles such as God Behaving Badly and Jesus Behaving Badly. We review Paul’s history, including his pre-Christian life, his conversion, his proselytism, and his time in prison. Tony asks what his Roman captors were thinking when they allowed him to write letters while incarcerated, and Prof. O’Brien explains a bit of what Paul’s imprisonment entailed — from wallowing in a cistern to being under house arrest. Brandon then goes over the case for Paul being a jerk, with the principle reason being his brash arrogance that is contrasted with Jesus’s softer style. Paul’s tenor undoubtedly rubbed some of the original disciples the wrong way. Brandon also notes that Paul was an “occasional writer,” meaning not that he wrote here and there, but that he wrote to individuals and groups under very specific occasions. Indeed, Prof. O’Brien points out that we really only have one side of the conversation when we look at the various epistles in the New Testament; it is likely that there was much more context and give-and-take dialogue that formed the basis for his communications with the Galatians or Ephesians, to name a few. We then go through point-by-point some of the harsher criticisms that could be levied on Paul, including that he was a puritanical killjoy, that he was racist, that he didn’t denounce slavery, and that he was a male chauvinist pig. Brandon gives each of these critiques their full due, but also places them into context. Along the way, we learn about how race/ethnicity/religion were often combined in regional stereotypes in the first century after Christ, what slavery entailed in those early years, and what the life of women was like. We also learn why Brandon didn’t drink ginger ale as a kid! Brandon points out that while we might see Paul as being very culturally backwards in our day, he was indeed very progressive in his views for the era in which he lived. Along the way, we discuss how our cultural context can affect the way we view the historical record. Prof. O’Brien finishes the discussion with some reflection on what he learned by studying Paul more closely, and how pastors might approach the writings of Paul as they preach in the cultural ethos of our modern era. Recorded: September 30, 2016.

Paul Behaving Badly: Was the Apostle a Racist, Chauvinist Jerk?, by E. Randolph Richards and Brandon O’Brien.

Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes, by E. Randolph Richards and Brandon O’Brien.

The Strategically Small Church, by Brandon O’Brien.

Small Church, Big Impact, by Brandon O’Brien (an e-book short).

God Behaving Badly, by David Lamb (mentioned in podcast).

Jesus Behaving Badly, by Mark Strauss (mentioned in podcast).

RELATED PODCASTS

Jim Papandrea on the Church Fathers & Patristic Exegesis.

Jim Papandrea on the End of the World and Revelation.

Jim Papandrea on Christianity’s Seven Revolutions.

Rodney Stark on the Triumph of Christianity, Part I.

Tim Kelleher on the Nicene Creed and Hollywood.

Sarah Bond on the Church and Funerals in Late Antiquity.

Adam English on the Real Santa Claus, St. Nicholas of Myra.

Brian O’Neel on Saint Who? Some Holy Unknowns.

John Sweeney on the Pope Who Quit.

Jeff Rose on Street Preaching.

Allison Pond on Being a Mormon Missionary

tonygill — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:00:11 +0000

What is it like to be a young missionary in a foreign country that is undergoing major religious and legal changes? Allison Pond, an editorial writer at the Deseret News (Utah) and formerly with the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, recounts her days as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Russia from 1997 to 1998. Mormons are well-known for their missionizing activity around the world, so we explore the preparation, training, experience, and results of such missionizing work. Allison begins by describing her spiritual upbringing in the LDS Church and reveals that she never thought of mission work until volunteering for a youth program while at BYU. She then discusses the process for being selected as an LDS missionary, which includes an interview with a local bishop. We inquire as to whether her work teaching English in Moscow played a role in her being selected for her to missionize in Russia. Following this, we look at how Mormons, who are mostly young adults at the time, are trained in the Missionary Training Center and what goes on during the first few weeks in the field. We discuss language training as well as preparation for hostile situations. Allison then tells us what it was actually like to be in the field, especially the anxiety she felt on the first day and how this dissipated over time. The typical routine of a missionary is discussed and we also focus on what is like to be a female missionary, considering that roughly 80% of all Mormon missionaries are young men. We then discuss the changing religious scene in Russia and what complications that may have played in the mission trip. Russia, which experienced the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, initially allowed a great degree of religous freedom leading to a rapid influx of foreign religions. By 1997, the Russian Orthodox Church was pushing back with intensified rhetoric against foreign missionaries and with legal changes that made it difficult for such folks to operate. Allison closes with some reflections about what she learned while on her sojourn and provides a bit of “looking back” advice for people considering missionary work, be it for the LDS Church or any other faith. Recorded: January 6, 2012

RELATED LINKS

Allison Pond’s biography at the Deseret News.

Allison Pond’s “Houses of Worship” column for Wall Street Journal (subscription required) and reprinted in the Deseret News.

Mormons in America at The Deseret News.

Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

RELATED PODCASTS

Patrick Mason on anti-Mormonism and Mitt Romney.

Michael McBride on Religious Free-Riding and the Mormon Church.

Jeff Rose on Street Preaching.

Jeff Rose on Street Preaching

tonygill — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 09:00:27 +0000

What would you do if you were a street preacher and someone poured beer on your head, blew smoke in your face, and threatened you with a knife? Jeff Rose, founder of JeremiahCry Ministries with his wife Pearl, has had that experience and he reveals his response in this fascinating interview that covers Jeff’s path to the street preaching profession and what it takes to be a street preacher. Tony starts out by asking if Jeff if he is crazy. It is not an uncommon question that folks who pass street preachers cannot help but ask. Jeff provides a remarkably insightful answer to this question revealing that he has asked himself this question on more than one occassion, but then explains what keeps him going. We then review Jeff’s life growing up, his career as a personal fitness trainer and gym owner, and what led him to pick up the cause of the Gospel. The journey is one that takes him from a small Pentecostal church to a large megachurch and then back to a smaller community where he connects with several other individuals that propel him down the road to street preaching. As an aside we chat about what Jeff didn’t like about megachurches, a theme that connects with some of our earlier podcasts. Jeff then describes how he found himself engaged in a life of street preaching after attending seminary and moving to Scotland. The last portion of our interview tackles some of what occurs in the life of a street preacher, including thinking about what venues will be most attractive, how to deal with crowds, the funniest moment he encountered, as well as the most dangerous. Jeff finishes by revealing his optimistic attitude towards the spiritual life of American and the United Kingdom. Recorded December 1, 2011.

RELATED LINKS

JeremiahCry Ministries, founded by Jeff & Pearl Rose (includes videos and audio of street preaching)

RELATED PODCASTS

Daniel Stiles on Cowboy Churches.

Dave Travis on Megachurch Myths.

James Brettell on Trends in American Christianity.

Matt Boswell on Starting a New Church.