I saw this 6 minute video last week at church called Bullhorn. It was about those fire and brimstone type of so-called evangelists who stand on a corner with a bullhorn, supposedly to bring people to Christ and save their souls. The video shows this guy sitting on a park bench addressing Bullhorn guy by looking directly into the camera, and he talks about how Jesus did things differently. Here are some quotes from the video...
"As I get closer, I hear the words 'sin' and 'burn' and 'hell' and 'repent'. And then I hear the word 'Jesus'. And he's got all these pamphlets, and he's quoting these bible verses about the wrath of God, and how if I don't repent, I'm going to pay for it for eternity, and how I might die, I might die tonight! This may be my only chance!"
"Bullhorn guy, I don't think it's working. All the yelling and the judgment and the condemnation, I don't think it's working. I actually think it's making things worse. I don't think it's what Jesus had in mind."
"I mean, that's why so many of us are so fascinated with Jesus, because he never stops insisting that God really, really loves us exactly as we are. I mean, isn't that what draws you to him?"
"Teacher, what is the most important commandment in the Law?" Jesus answered: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind.' This is the first and most important commandment. The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, 'Love others as much as you love yourself.' All the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets are based on these two commandments." Matthew 22:36-40 (CEV)"
"When Jesus is asked, 'What's the most important thing?' Jesus' response is to love, love God with everything that you have and then love those around you in the same kind of way. Jesus doesn't separate loving God and loving others. For Jesus, everything hangs on these two. And so the defining mark of a Christian is love."
"See, Bullhorn guy, this is why the yelling and the bullhorn are so disturbing to us, It seems like you're just trying to convert people to your religion. Like they're notches on some sort of spiritual belt. But they're not. They're people, they're people that God loves. They're people that Jesus wants us to love. They aren't statistics, they aren't numbers, they aren't possible conversions. I mean, if, if I'm loving someone with an agenda, then it isn't really love, is it?"
"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:35 (TNIV)"
"So a Christian is somebody who understand this, who understands that people with different perspectives and different religions beliefs and convictions, they're to be loved and respected, because they're made by God, and they're sacred and they're valuable and they matter. God loves the world so a Christian does too."
"That's why the hell fire and brimstone stuff is so dangerous. When you tell me that I should follow Jesus so that I don't burn forever, it sounds like a threat. As if you scare people enough they'll all of a sudden magically decide to love God and follow Jesus."
"Heaven weeps for the creepy people like you, (Bullhorn guy)."
"So may you see that how you love others is how you love God. That's it. That's the way of love. That's the way of Jesus."
You can get the video and a bunch of others on various topics from a non-profit organization called Nooma here http://www.nooma.com
