If You’re Gonna Preach It – Live It, or Bulldogs In Heaven, or Bullet the Mullet, or How to Make BFFs Out of Anarchists and Hippies.
“Homosexuality is a Sin” and “Christ Can Set You Free” is what his placards said; “God Hates Homosexuals” is what they heard. He came to Montrose to muzzle the Ox and when he found that he was too weak, he told the Ox to see him in court.
I am a Christian, I worship Jesus, and I have been in Montrose for over a year now and I think Montrose’s stigma is just a bad rep. Montrose is known for being “the gay community of Houston”. In fact, a man once told me not base my opinion of Houston on Montrose and I wholeheartedly think that he’s right. Houston is not as beautiful as Montrose. I have experienced kindness from all sorts of people in Montrose (read my previous entries and meet them): I was encouraged by a homeless man to keep faith, have been offered Ibuprofen for my swollen knee by a self-confessed anarchist, and have had made genuine friendships with people from the GLBT community. What I’m trying to say is this, Montrose is a bad place, only if you want it to be, and holding up a placard that says “Homosexuality is a Sin” is the best way to do just that.
The man stood there, at the corner of Westheimer and Montrose, the whole afternoon with his signs up. I’ve got to hand it to him, that was not an easy thing to do, especially today. See, he has been doing this for a while now. In the past, whenever he stood there he would get hateful reactions from pedestrians and drivers. They would honk at him, cuss at him, give him the finger, and occasionally throw vegetables and bottled water at him. But today was a day like no other. It was as if the whole community prepared for his coming. Just as soon as he pulled over to the side walk to display his signs, two men joined him holding their own. One sign said, “ <—- ‘f’ this guy” and the other, “love is love.” In no time, the whole corner was filled with people holding their own signs. 
I walked across the street to see what all the fuzz was about, and when I did, I saw this man receive an elbow to the face from a passerby. Poor man, he wanted to chase his offender but he couldn’t run that fast. All he could do was take out his camera phone and flick a picture of his fleeing assailant and shout, “I’ll sue you! See you in court!” A little later, a woman came up to him and tried to snatch his signs. He took offense at this. He yelled at the woman, and threatened to sue her for all her money and for her red truck.
Then I saw a familiar face, the guy from the anarchy bookshop was there in the mix of counter protestors (from hence forth his name will be Bill), and with him a man came to know as Greg (not the name he gave me, changed to protect identity) who came across to me as a peace loving environmentalist. I heard them have this conversation:
Greg: Violence is never the answer.
Bill: No man, it always is.
Now that I’ve stopped to reflect about the events of the day, I realize that Bill and Greg probably had the issue nailed down. Is violence the answer? There are many forms of violence and one of them is verbal in nature. Consider Seth Walsh, a California Middle Schooler, who killed himself a few weeks ago because his classmates were bullying him because he had homosexual tendencies. I am not here to talk about the ethics of homosexuality or give theological position as to whether or not homosexuality is a sin, at this point, I am more concerned about the way we Christians treat homosexuals. Do we really need to bulldog people about sin? Is aggressiveness the answer, is violence the answer?
I feel for the man on the street with the anti-homosexuality signs. He seems to be sincere with what he is saying, particularly, that there is hope in Christ. But is he saying what he think he’s saying? Are they hearing what he thinks they’re hearing? Could he be sincerely wrong?
I ponder these thoughts tonight as I conclude another wonderful day at Montrose Blvd. I’d love to hear what you think, please comment.
If you’re interested, the man I’m talking about is from Bulldog Ministries.
This is probably one of the best posts I’ve read on the issue in a very long time.
I can’t imagine Jesus standing in front of a group of homosexuals, prostitutes, tax collectors, or what have you holding a sign that says, “I am your hope, repent.” Rather, He’d simply live that way and they’d naturally come to that conclusion.
I think you raise a valid point about language – just because the man has certain words on his placards doesn’t mean that passersby are going to understand what he wants them to understand.
I go back and forth on whether or not I think Jesus was confrontational with good-old-fashioned sinners. It seems that he extended lots of grace, mercy, and time to those people. But then there are the moments where he tells the woman at the well that he knows all about her dark sexual issues. And he tells the woman caught in adultery both, “neither do I condemn you” AND “go and sin no more.” It’s difficult, I think, for Christians to find the “Aristotelian mean” in regards to firmness about sin and graciousness towards sinners.
I guess at the end of the day, we have the pretty straightforward command, “judge not, lest you be judged.” Even that is worth some discussion, but the message seems pretty clear that we are not to stand so harshly one over the other, acting as though we are superior (morally or otherwise), when in reality we are all God’s beloved image-bearers.
As a God sent missionary to the Houston area you will see me on that corner for years to come! I love the city of Houston and it deserves to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ from a biblical stand point. I’m grateful for everyone that came out on this day it would be real boring if nobody showed up. See ya next time!
In His service David Stokes.. Bulldogministries.com
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. NKJV
Genuinely curious – what ministry do you do besides the street corner ministry? For transparency sake, the reason I ask is because it seems like Jesus had some sort of a relationship with people before He was able to transform their lives. So I guess my question really is this: how much time do you spend face-to-face with the people you’re ministering to? Do you know them? More importantly, do they know you and the ministry you’re about?
This is a pretty great post, and we really appreciate it over at Texas Antifa. This is a fascistic brand of ‘christianity’, and spreading this hate is dangerous and must be confronted.
Much love!
“Is he saying what he thinks he’s saying?” That question reaches much further than just this issue. That seems to sum up the whole situation no matter which side of the street you were on.
Thanks for the post. It seems to me the issue of Christians’ treatment of homosexuals is just like every other issue these days – there are extremists on both ends who get most of the press. I think most Christians are willing to be at least civil, if not hospitable and welcoming. I also think most of us are confused about what we’re supposed to do when it comes to homosexuality. I think it’s a good confusion – the kind that will spur us on to find answers.
I pray God blesses your ministry.
…. and that’s my beef with bulldog ministries. They come into that street corner with their upfront signs and alienate if not enrage the people in the community, and then they leave. Guess who has to deal with all the mess they’ve left in the community, the churches that are actually in the community, loving on people, and trying to show Jesus’ compassion in the neighborhood. The truth of the matter is that not every Christian believes what this guy says, or if they do, they don’t necessarily want to say it in the same fashion he does. Not all Christians are jerks but when he stands on the streets, he wears the ‘Christian’ jersey and wrecks people’s view of Christianity for all the other Christians. Not every Christian is like him but when he stands there, he is (un)intentionally saying that we all are like him.
Christ loves everybody regardless of sin, that’s why he chose to die. The cross is not the loophole in God’s justice that would allow him to liberally pardon and remain absolutely just. The cross represents God wooing back his adulterous wife who is madly in love with her adulterer. In the cross Jesus is basically crying out to people: prostitutes, tax collectors, paralytics, pharisees, fishermen, sinners, “He cannot love you as much as this, come back to me, and leave him who is wrecking your life.” I’m saddened by people in Christianity who love so little, settling for condemning signs, being afraid to extend an embrace.
Are we saying what we’re supposed to be saying? Thanks for the comment.
The bottom line is my friend is that the Bible defines what Christianity is! Jesus shook Jerusalem to the core by preaching the truth. Peter, John, Paul, Silas, and others in The New Testament spent time in jail and were killed for sharing the Faith!
Christians in America love materialism and comfort and most are not willing to teach the Gospel in it’s purity for fear of persecution!
I talked with one full time pastor in the area that started a church plant two years ago in Montrose with thirty members..Think about it two years and has thirty members and he is complaining about my ministry…
I spent last weekend in Galveston handing out Gospel tracts on the Strand for the Lone- Star bike rally. I was there for three days and talked with lots of folks about the Lord. The tracts that I used there have the same message that biblical Christians share around the world.
As a God sent missionary I always shoot to bring folks to Christ! God is awesome!! Bulldogministries.com
David, this neighborhood should be thanking God for sending you out there! They seem to be persecuting the only one that loves them enough to tell them the truth! Their saying your message is one of hate, when in reality your sign says, “Christ can set you free”! Your the one with the bloody mouth because in fact they are a violent group filled with hate toward the Christian! Maybe if their pastors were making it clear that homosexuality is a sin they wouldnt be in shock. Praise God for the man that told me to come to christ I must repent, I was a addict and an adulterer, I was told the truth that Christ can set me free, but I must repent, and I did just that! If pastors in this area were preaching the word of God than the people bound by this sin would see more clearly and have the oppurtunity to go to heaven. Homosexuality is a sin, It says in tbe New Testament that God burning Sodom & Gomorrah was an example of what is still to come to such that practice homosexuality. Thanks Bulldog ministries for loving the homosexual community enough to warn them to flee the wrath that is to come and offer them the good news that Christ can set them free.
Michael……….<