On Tuesday I asked your thoughts about a man who held up a sign at a gay pride gathering that said: “Lied, Stolen, Lusted? Homosexual, Fornicator, Drunkard? Repent and call on the Lord Jesus to Escape Hell.” He was subsequently molested by the mob.

My questions to you were these: What is your opinion regarding this type of evangelistic method? Was this a wise idea? Would you do it?

Here are my comments:

Though I appreciate his zeal and commitment to the Lord, I don’t think that it was the wisest thing to hold out a banner that contained those inflammatory words. When used out of context those terms on the banner seem too judgmental. Unfortunately, to the Gay community, the man looked like those “Repent America” people who hold up condemning signs singling out homosexual behavior (which is, after all, just a branch on the whole tree of sin). Or worse, they will associate him with that heretical, unloving, unChrist-like cult of the Westboro Baptist church,who proclaims that “God hates fags.” (The truth is, God hates sin, homosexual AND heterosexual.)

A more effective message would have been to use the 10 Commandments in an open air or one-to-one encounter, NOT naming the particular sin of homosexuality, but naming the general sins of lying, stealing, blasphemy, adultery, etc. That way, the homosexual community would not feel that the Christians were picking on them—again.

I would certainly caution my evangelism team to be very careful when called to witness or preach to a crowd of gay people. Discretion is a must and can save your life… maybe even some souls—if they hear your message.