the problem of Battle Cry
Lately I've noticed the hot topic for most people's blogs is the recent Battle Cry event held in San Francisco at AT&T Park. For some reason people are thinking that Battle Cry is going to change the Bay Area and revolutionize it into some kind of "New Jerusalem." I think people are getting a bit carried away. Quite carried away, as a matter of fact.
As a resident of the city itself (and not a suburbanite like you Pacificans and citizens of Daly City :P ), I can tell you that the overall reaction to this event has been largely negative. Some would ask why. Some would question my opinion on this matter. Some would say, "Oh John Mark, you silly critic, you're always being too harsh." But what I am presenting is, sadly, factual proof.
To be perfectly honest, I learned more from the protesters than from Battle Cry. One sign that really struck me was one that said, "I moved here to get away from people like you." And you know what? That's San Francisco in a nutshell. It's full of people who have had horrible experiences with Christians and had to get away from it. Do you know how horrible it is that some people are actually relocating their positions on the globe to get away from us? Doesn't this spark any curiosity as to what the reason is for this, other than that "Satan is causing them to be repelled from the light"? Has anyone ever wondered if it's perhaps "Satan is causing us to repel others from the light"? I really believe that the ones to blame for a large amount of repulsion to Christianity lies in the Church.
From reading up (on several sources from both ends of the bias spectrum) about Battle Cry, the first thing I immediately noticed was the obsession with quantity over quality. The director challenged youth leaders to double the size of their youth groups by next year. To me, this is a classic example of what not to do. When we approach a target area for ministry, our first thought can never be a quantitative goal. This strategy is what causes ministry to be shallow, and often even passive. Should we not focus our attention on developing relationships and genuinely caring for the people around us? I feel like I've beaten this argument to death, but it's so vitally important to our ministry, and yet so often ignored. It's fast-food, "get-through-the-assembly-line" evangelism.
So is Battle Cry a good thing for the city? No. My honest answer is no. Perhaps Christians and troubled teens who attend this even can be blessed by it and be motivated to "fearlessly witness" (which too often leads to protests and demonstrations agains abortions and other highly controversial issues). As Christians, we are deeply moved by the love of the gospel, and often are emotionally touched by something we hear or sing. But we must always keep in mind that we are dealing with rational people who have not experienced this. Especially in intolerant places like San Francisco (yes, as a resident I can truly say that it is one of the most intolerant places in America), we have to be extremely delicate with our evangelism.
As a closing thought, it's very important for us not to see the Bay Area as the "modern-day Sodom and Gomorrah", but rather a city full of broken, corrupted people just like us. Though we are saved and set apart for God's Kingdom, we are equally in desperate need of God's grace. When we evangelize to a place like San Francisco, we must first recognize the sinfulness and unworthiness inside ourselves, and realize that they are no less deserving of that same grace.
I know that many of you (if not most of you) will bombard me with attacks on this issue. I hope that we can disagree and discuss this topic in love and patience. Also, please forgive me if I'm coming accross as harsh. The people who attend and organize Battle Cry are wonderful, loving people who have nothing but good, loving intentions for the people of San Francisco. I simply feel that this love needs to be expressed in different ways, and that the people of my city can be ministered to in more effective, impacting ways.
I don't have time to proofread this, so please excuse any typos. Peace out.
As a resident of the city itself (and not a suburbanite like you Pacificans and citizens of Daly City :P ), I can tell you that the overall reaction to this event has been largely negative. Some would ask why. Some would question my opinion on this matter. Some would say, "Oh John Mark, you silly critic, you're always being too harsh." But what I am presenting is, sadly, factual proof.
To be perfectly honest, I learned more from the protesters than from Battle Cry. One sign that really struck me was one that said, "I moved here to get away from people like you." And you know what? That's San Francisco in a nutshell. It's full of people who have had horrible experiences with Christians and had to get away from it. Do you know how horrible it is that some people are actually relocating their positions on the globe to get away from us? Doesn't this spark any curiosity as to what the reason is for this, other than that "Satan is causing them to be repelled from the light"? Has anyone ever wondered if it's perhaps "Satan is causing us to repel others from the light"? I really believe that the ones to blame for a large amount of repulsion to Christianity lies in the Church.
From reading up (on several sources from both ends of the bias spectrum) about Battle Cry, the first thing I immediately noticed was the obsession with quantity over quality. The director challenged youth leaders to double the size of their youth groups by next year. To me, this is a classic example of what not to do. When we approach a target area for ministry, our first thought can never be a quantitative goal. This strategy is what causes ministry to be shallow, and often even passive. Should we not focus our attention on developing relationships and genuinely caring for the people around us? I feel like I've beaten this argument to death, but it's so vitally important to our ministry, and yet so often ignored. It's fast-food, "get-through-the-assembly-line" evangelism.
So is Battle Cry a good thing for the city? No. My honest answer is no. Perhaps Christians and troubled teens who attend this even can be blessed by it and be motivated to "fearlessly witness" (which too often leads to protests and demonstrations agains abortions and other highly controversial issues). As Christians, we are deeply moved by the love of the gospel, and often are emotionally touched by something we hear or sing. But we must always keep in mind that we are dealing with rational people who have not experienced this. Especially in intolerant places like San Francisco (yes, as a resident I can truly say that it is one of the most intolerant places in America), we have to be extremely delicate with our evangelism.
As a closing thought, it's very important for us not to see the Bay Area as the "modern-day Sodom and Gomorrah", but rather a city full of broken, corrupted people just like us. Though we are saved and set apart for God's Kingdom, we are equally in desperate need of God's grace. When we evangelize to a place like San Francisco, we must first recognize the sinfulness and unworthiness inside ourselves, and realize that they are no less deserving of that same grace.
I know that many of you (if not most of you) will bombard me with attacks on this issue. I hope that we can disagree and discuss this topic in love and patience. Also, please forgive me if I'm coming accross as harsh. The people who attend and organize Battle Cry are wonderful, loving people who have nothing but good, loving intentions for the people of San Francisco. I simply feel that this love needs to be expressed in different ways, and that the people of my city can be ministered to in more effective, impacting ways.
I don't have time to proofread this, so please excuse any typos. Peace out.
posted by John Mark at 8:48 PM
1 Comments:
Man, I agree with you 100%! My youth group had a tradition of attending ATF, which I didn't see a need to change. So we went to the first Battle Cry event and it was okay, but now it's gotten out of control. Ron Luce is throwing around his unfounded "4% of bible-believing Christians in this generation" statistic and is creating a lot of fear and hype. Plus, the whole war theme is going way too far. So, this year my youth group ended the tradition and attended Planet Wisdom's student conference instead.
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