Kiln News, Memorial Day 2009

The entire booklet, From Darkness to Light, A Course in Biblical Literacy is now complete. I have prepared a copy in OpenOffice format (136 KB) and in MS Office format (584 KB), coming in at 55 pages. If you want either, I can email them on request. The HTML version will be online in a few days, I hope, but I'm toying with the idea of re-working the website itself. I can zip up the HTML archive for you very easily, and email that, as well.

I'm hoping tomorrow I'll have my first sign ready for the call to repentance. The plan is to use my hiking talent for carrying a sign along the major thoroughfares in the county where I live. I'm working from a set of 4-inch letter stencils, and the message will be pretty simple. On one side: "Repent, America!" On the other side: "God's wrath is upon us." I'll carry copies of the pamphlet in case anyone wants an explanation. Naturally, I'm always willing to stop and talk, but I honestly don't expect too much of that. I'll be keeping track of this particular ministry on my other blog.

The logic behind this is rather simple. It's not possible to replicate the entire cultural and technological setting in which the First Century church operated. These days we do not have the common central community plaza or market square where folks are encouraged to share their news, or new message. Knocking door-to-door was never a part of the biblical method. In today's world, we are limited to broadcast (hopelessly corrupt), distributed printed media (ditto), the Internet (too much noise), or something which requires imagination.

It's hardly new to have folks waving signs, particularly in protests and other forms of agitation for public attention. In most towns I'm sure there are the folks who hold up their gospel signs, but I'm not too impressed with what I've seen. Most of the men doing this appear the same as the panhandling derelicts along Interstate ramps or other congested traffic spots. Often the signs are entirely too wordy, and often they contain messages I find theologically offensive. Too many are simply confrontational and a few are downright rude and unfriendly.

The one thing left to me making any sense at all is walking quietly along the public roads, stopping only when someone asks to discuss my task, or anything else for that matter. The sign will speak for itself, as will the lettering on my t-shirts. Short and sweet is a crucial element in such signs. It has to transmit the message in a couple of seconds. I'm meeting people where they are, with short attention spans, hurrying along in their cars or shopping, etc. God is the one who gets their attention; it's His alone to make the message seen and felt. I am simply the messenger.