Bullhorn

Below you will see some of the questions and comments that came out of this Sunday's discussion of Rob Bell's Bullhorn video. There are some interesting comments, and a few unanswered questions here that we will take up again next week.

1. What does it mean to love someone with an agenda?
Having an evangelical agenda is certainly not anti-gospel. The problem occurs when our agenda contradicts the love of Christ. It is incredibly easy to respond to “bullhorn preachers out of frustration and anger, even retaliation. Instantly these people become enemies to us. But Matthew 5:44-45 teaches Christians to embrace our enemies lovingly and prayerfully.

2. Is trying to convert someone to your religious beliefs an agenda?
Sometimes we get so preoccupied with “trying to convert people” that we lose sight of what matters most. So what exactly does matter most? Jesus said what matters most is loving God and neighbor. But doesn't that include sharing what we know about sin and repentance?

3. Do you think it's possible to scare people into loving God?
Lots of energy around this one; the consensus was that yes, it certainly is possible. However, it may be that (as my Dad says) you can draw more flies with sugar than you can with vinegar. The bible says love "drives out" fear. One person pointed out the fact that fear fades while love endures. Love seems to be a better motivator than fear.

Another comment came from a former State student, who said that she felt that every seeking person who encountered the bullhorn preacher in the brickyard was turned away from God for good. Scary thought, that.

4. Rob says, "Bullhorn guy, I don' t think it's working. I don't think this is what Jesus had in mind." Is the "bullhorn" style every appropriate or useful? Did Jesus use it? Did Jesus ever use carrots or sticks to "get people into heaven"? **Interesting note: Rob is talking about a guy with a bullhorn yelling at people; Todd Friel is not talking about OR doing this. Seems like Friel slightly missed Rob's point here.
Several people felt that the bullhorn style was in fact useful, and we can point to Jesus using a similar approach in scripture (to the church leaders in the infamous "you brood of vipers" speech, and to the general public in his "repent, for the Kingdom of God is near" sermons, perhaps). However, we don't see Jesus using Heaven or Hell as a carrot or a stick.

It was noted that parents do use a bullhorn approach in parenting: "Don't run out in the street; a car might hit you."

5. Why is the bullhorn approach attractive to anyone?
Perhaps because a list of black and white rules seems simpler and easier.

6. Is our loudest testimony our life?
Todd Friel will challenge us here. Do we avoid seeking and holding "street level" conversations about God, sin, and repentance because we are squeamish or scared to talk about serious God-stuff? Should "street level" conversations like this be a part of our life?

Has it ever happened to you that a seeker has asked you to reveal the "hope that you have" because of your lifestyle was so compelling to them? Has a seeker ever asked you, because of your lifestyle, to tell them about Jesus (or sin, redemption, grace, hell, or anything else)?

7. Should the church engage in judgment?
The bullhorn guy is judgmental. Christians quote the bible and say all the time "It's not my place to judge anyone." Does this mean that the church should not name anyone's sin? Is that what this oft-quoted text actually teaches? And what about John 12:47, in which Jesus says "I came not to judge the world, but to save it"?