Helpline bit and evangelism tone: warn like the hot stove
- Does the end justify the means in evangelism — how far can you go to keep someone from spiritual harm?
The hosts riff on turning the call-in line into an all-purpose helpline (mechanical, fashion, dating, and medical advice, including pet-egg pedicures) while insisting callers must actually phone in rather than email. That flows into a serious thread: 'hate the sin, love the sinner' works like warning a child away from a hot stove — you do not need an intimate relationship to not want someone burned — but the church often comes across as judgmental rather than loving. They cite the gym 'turn-and-burn' street preacher nobody listens to and a childhood memory of scaring preschoolers with 'you're going to go to the devil.'
More on Evangelism
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Church, emotions, and the self-focus of affluence
- How do you help people in an affluent, self-focused culture see that they need Jesus?
Ben revives a question from two or three shows back: are church services and worship tunes postured toward certain personality types — predominantly emotions and dealing with emotions?
From No. 603 · Found Out
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Confetti and lasers: what should God's people be known for?
- Do we want to be known as the confetti and lasers people?
- What should God's people be known for?
Ben redirects to the docket's denomination question: when someone hears Silas's church described as 'the confetti and lasers people,' should that sting?
From No. 598 · Emphasis | Accountability, Worship and Praying with Strangers
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Dear LFTP: the $600 lawnmower and buying them a mower
- My nephew's wife took my $600, lied about it, and is avoiding me. Should I say something or let it go?
Mike reads a letter from someone who gave a nephew's wife $600 for a self-propelled lawnmower; she spent it, never bought the mower, and now avoids them.
From No. 587 · Coffee After Sunday
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Maintaining hope for people who won't choose Jesus
- How do you maintain hope for someone who keeps rejecting Jesus when God won't override their free will?
The episode's centerpiece: Mike's pre-show question about how to maintain hope for people who reject Christ when God won't override their free will.
From No. 579 · Wanted: Paul and Hope | Paul’s Persecution of Christians and Radical Redemption