Street Stories - A Ringside Seat To Over 4 Decades Of Taking Jesus To The Streets Of The World

For many years I have carried an article with me “Dirty Christianity,” written by Gordon Aeschliman. The pages have yellowed, but his bold, Biblical challenge remains sharp. Gordon writes, “WE NEED A MUCH DIRTIER CHRISTIANITY. The kind that rubs shoulders with people who might disturb us – people who hang out in places that saturate our hair with cigarette smoke and permeate our clothes with the smell of beer.” He suggests our personal friends list include “homosexuals, prostitutes, adulterers, et cetera… your basic sinner.” Remember, Scripture declares Jesus was a friend to sinners . “So much of our American Christianity has become a white, dry-cleaned religion that both separates and insulates itself from the world… THE GOSPEL SHOULD CATAPULT US BACK INTO THE WORLD…” As I see it, Mardi Gras party animals do not need a church-ianity that looks down at them and says, “God, thank you I am not like all those sinners,” as the arrogant Pharisee prayed in the Bible. Sinners need to come face to face with a broken Christianity that looks upon them and sees ourselves, as in a mirror. We should fall on our knees and pray as the tax collector prayed, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner. AMAZING GRACE, HOW SWEET THE SOUND, THAT SAVED A WRETCH LIKE ME! We need to be reminded the only difference between us and the pimp downtown is the grace of God.” WE CANNOT TRULY CONCENTRATE ON THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST WITHOUT OUR HEARTS BREAKING FOR THE LOST. We cannot honestly congratulate one another for being admitted from World Christian Magazine entitled,

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