Why not? I can't talk to folks from different walks of life because I don't look like them? I surf with Christians, I hunt with Christians, I break bread with pastors, pray with firemen, and hold the hand of small children. They all look different, dress different, act different. No judgement on their appearance.
I'm afraid these folks might be too focused on "glossies" instead of the content. I'll take fire and brimstone, son - that's about as real as it gets.
Great points! Jesus "partied" with the sinners and publicans, as they weren't beneath him.
Personal aside-- we went to OK to check on mom's grave to see if they have marked it or not. (Not, grrrr, gonna talk to some folks quickly!!!) Anyway, took a different route through Oklahoma (and Texas) cattle country. John Wayne territory.
The bamboo is going nuts out in the prairie! You can't go a mile without seeing clumps on either side of the roads and it appears in the pastures! Hope the cattle like it? =-)
I thought that was a dumb statement, too! How did St. Paul evangelize the Gentiles, if people can only accept the Gospel from someone just like them?
I find that looking and acting differently from the mainstream attracts people. When they see my children and me, girls modestly dressed, boys with USMC haircuts (their choice!), everyone helping with the babies, etc., they're curious. And if we smile and are friendly, no matter what people look like, they're usually glad to talk to us. And then, when someone says, "Wow, you have your hands full!" then I can say, "Yes, God has been very good to us!"
It's not a big thing, but we try to show that we find joy in the life God has called us to. The beginning of evangelization, as I see it, is for people to see us and say, "They have something in their lives that I need."
And like you, I do believe that one must preach the gospel - the fire and the brimstone - a sin is a sin and will be punished - someone must pay the price. To pretend that sin does not exist will not make it disappear, nor will it be addressed by spreading a watered down version of the gospel.
Yes, that was my point--wish I had seen this first. I wonder if that young man could sit down with a "goody two shoes" if he comes armed with those preconceived notion.