Regarding the difficult but important conversations I have had in the past 36 (ish) hours.
I'm thinking about tactics.
Thoughts are still forming.
I'll circle back later.
There are some specific people I'd like to get involved in the conversation so I'll tag you all when I have something more coherent to say.
Laters! ❤️
I'm getting there.
I'm thinking about "friendship evangelism", a common idea in the church, and how we might apply the approach in other, non-religious contexts.
Put this picture in your mind:
A man stands on a street corner, Bible in hand, sincerely and loudly proclaiming the Gospel.
How are people reacting to him?
Are people stopping to listen?
Is anyone really taking in what he's saying?
Is his sincere and loving work changing any hearts and minds?
How do you think the people are feeling, being preached to by this method?
Are they encouraged? Are they uplifted?
Do they feel judged and condemned?
Does his method make people ask questions, or does it put people in a fight-or-flight frame of mind?
If the latter, what do they do?
Walk away and ignore the message?
Respond aggressively? Defensively?
Also, our preacher stands on his corner, speaking his truth for hours at a time.
He's saying nothing wrong.
He's harming nobody.
But is anybody stopping to listen to him for that whole time?
Does anybody even *have* the time to take in all he's trying to say, in one fell swoop?
Would he be better off breaking down his message into bite sized pieces and sharing them regularly but not all in one go?
Harming nobody? Saying nothing wrong? I'd have to disagree. From my perspective he is spreading a message of narcissistic manipulation, anti-science & victim-blaming. The theology of the Bible is, from my perspective, deeply problematic, & reinforces very harmful values & attitudes. If nothing else, magical thinking discourages critical thinking, & I am not inclined to let such "preaching" go without challenge.
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@FernLovebond You're entitled to that, but I *was* only using it as a metaphor. I don't actually agree with street preaching for some of the same reasons. Your reaction to it is *exactly* the reaction some people here on coso have when they disagree with someone who gets "preachy" on *any* subject and that is precisely what I was driving at and why I was seeking an alternative. The same goes for the "friendship evangelism" part.
I drew from my personal experiences to paint a picture.