Christians on campus use pushy tactics

As of Tuesday, November 1, 2011

By Pete Moye'

Opinion Button

It is often argued that opinions are like armpits, everybody has them. However, when does an opinion go from a personal belief to an imposing will?

On a daily basis, Cerritos College students are subjected to just about every mainstream opinion or belief there is.

There are none more so than that of religious opinion. Students already have to pick and claw through the overcrowding student population, faculty and not to mention the many solicitors around campus as well as having to be berated by pushy, forceful Christian enthusiasts.

Students try a wide array of tactics to avoid these people that in their own beliefs are being obedient to the word of God.

Some students pretend to be on a phone call. Some pretend to be listening to music. Some may actually be listening to music or on a call, and simply ignore them, and some students see no other option than to be outright rude.

It is troubling that Cerritos College students that attend school to further their education are being forced to such extreme measures in an effort to ensure a peaceful educational experience.

These “Pushy Christians” have no intention of giving off biblical inaccuracies, but that is exactly what they are doing when the methods that they use are completely different from that of the very same bible in which they quote from.

Students are bombarded with questions asking “if you died today, where would you go?” Students are constantly reminded of the many sins that exist in their lives. Sure, these are valid concerns, but if we are talking about the Bible, then we are talking about Jesus, and if we are talking about Jesus, then we are talking about love.

It is possible that this blunt approach has worked before, but even with the most extreme of recollection, not a single successful attempt using this method comes to mind.

Reader poll

Do Christians on campus bother you?

I feel uncomfortable when they come up to me 0%
I don't mess with them so why do they bother me? 9%
It is no big deal. They are just practicing their religious beliefs 18%
There is a better way to get my attention than by telling me that I am going to hell 45%
It's fun to mess with them and see how mad they get 0%
"Let he who has not sinned be the one to cast the first stone," so don't judge me 27%

11 total votes.

Speaking strictly biblical, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ, Jesus.” Romans 8:1. By condemnation, it means judgment or imposition of a guilty verdict.

If this is true then the same Christians that are judging others about smoking, profanity, sexual orientation, or anything else are themselves not being obedient to the same bible that they hold so dear.

It is possible that some people may argue that the earlier biblical scripture is pertaining to those “Christians” that have stopped living and sin and gave their life over to God.

Well let’s access shall we? If there is no condemnation (or judgment) for those who are in Christ, doesn’t that mean the most severe and passionate Christians even if you can argue that it doesn’t include those of us that may be in sin?

Using that logic, it seems like even if one person is not qualified to be accepted via this scripture, surely those of us that are “spiritual” shouldn’t be condemning right?

If only the people that we all see holding the signs and passing out literature could only grasp the concept of that simple scripture, they may have more people willing to listen.

It is amazing to think what could happen if the spiritual students on campus just went around campus with no other intention than to listen to the reservations that people have with Christianity. After all, “you can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar.”

One man plants, one man waters, and God gives the increase, according to 1 Corinthians 3:7.

All a person has to do is ask someone how their day is going. Maybe talk for a second. People should see Christians as friends, not “crazy bible thumpers” that look at them with disgust.

Attempting to scare a perspective into someone never works. In fact, it only makes them more prone to rebellion. If someone doesn’t believe in God, maybe asking to talk about what happened that led them to that view point is a better way to go than telling them that they are going to hell.

We need to start being more understanding with one another. For those of us that may already have a personal relationship with Jesus, we need to remember that not long ago, we were where others may be right now.

Remember, Christ didn’t condemn us, or fear us into submission. He waited. He was still.

People may even fail to pay attention to this in belief that they are not condemning and that it doesn’t apply to them. Correction, it applies to each and every person that says that they have a personal relationship with God.

We all need to chill and stop pitting one group of beliefs against the other. The time has come to stop being judgmental. Branch out beyond your own views, and maybe you will see that there are people that are hurting and need someone to talk with. Maybe then you can make a difference.

More like this story

dave 1 year, 7 months ago

I’m a Christian and I work here on campus…I see no problem with Christians here. Maybe you should point out where Christians are imposing There will here on campus..frankley I don’t see it! What biblical inaccuracies are those…..you can’t generalize when it comes to chirst..you state what beef you have with your brothers…and if you can’t solve it between you two, bring two or more witness, and if that does not solve it…take it to the church….have you done that? Sometimes truth is not what people want to here….you may call it blunt if you want. Christians can make a righteous judgement according to the word of God…but only in him can we do it. We are all in sin and in need of a savior…yes even in Christ we are sinners. They may have there own reservation about Christianity….But God is who he is and we can’t change him. I am not a bible thumper….but I will not compromise the word of God and all its truth. God does wait for us but he won’t wait forever. Christ is the only way…there is no other, yes we do need to relay that to the nonbeliver in a kind loving manner. Jesus is our only hope.

Peace and blessings

david

enrique.rivera 1 year, 7 months ago

@dave "Christians can make a righteous judgement according to the word of God…but only in him can we do it. "

Just wondering, why is that kind of judgment good?

dave 1 year, 7 months ago

We as christian can judge sin...but we cannot judge a person to hell because of there sin, all sin is forgiveable except for one, rejection of jesus christ. That is the only sin God will judge you for, when youe standing in front of him I'm sure he's is only going to ask you one question...what did you do with my son jesus?

peace and blessings

StandForTheTrueGospelOfChrist 1 year, 7 months ago

The autothor of this article is clearly offended by what these "Christians" are proclaiming. By the words used in this article, it is clear that the writer has a Christian background but has gone through some things in his life that cause him to be offended but the message of the cross. Since the writter is quoting scripture about God not condeming or judging, or saying that Christ is love... let's say that the word of GOD is either accepted fully for what it states in it's entirety or not, you cannot pick and choose what you want to believe and what you do not. We as Christians are called to preach the gospel to ALL the world, to EVERY CREATURE (mark 16:15). Is Jesus Love? Of course he is, but God is also holy and just and as a just God, he must judge in righteousness. God calls all men everywhere to repent (turn from their sin) and turn to Jesus Christ. turning to Jesus Christ is not honoring God with your lips but then your life reflects a lifestyle contrary to God's standards (EVERY TYPE OF SIN, regardless of sin). God is a gentelman, he will not force a man to believe and to turn to him... BUT God sends men and women to proclaim his gospel (gospel means good news) of forgiveness of sins and eternal life, before these 2 can be given, there must be true repentance in a person's life.

GOSPEL - All men (me) have been born sinners by nature, all of us have lied, stolen, lusted, most of us have gotten drunk, hate (murder in God's eyes)... GOD says that if we break one of his laws then we are guilty of breaking them al. So then what must we do? how can we be saved? what can we do? GOD says that a man cannot save himself via good works or religion. A man can only be saved by faith in Jesus Christ. Repenting/turning from his sin and turning to Jesus Christ, trusting in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. When a man trully repents, the man will no longer be the same, the man will now seek to honor God each day and learn of him.

a man can choose to deny Christ... if the author of this article wrote this article it is because the gospel of Christ trully offends him, as GOD said it would.... the gospel of Christ is OFFENSIVE to those that are parishing.... LIGHT has come into the world but man hated the light because the light reveals that their works are evil. Know that God loves you, and he yearns for you..he though is calling you to repentance.

BUT GOD DOES NOT WILL THAT ANY DIE IN SIN BUT THAT ALL COME TO REPENTANCE AND TURN TO JESUS CHRIST FOR SALVATION.

robert.beaver 7 months ago

I am not the writer of this article, but I assure you, the writer had good intentions. He was trying to say that there is a better way to reach people than just standing around calling everyone sinners.

dave 1 year, 7 months ago

Amen to that brother...I wish some christians would try to get to know God before they pass there own judgement on him.....is this the state of the church today, the problem is alot of so called christians are not realy seeking God but seeking a form of him, we must pray for them.

God loves you......God bless

patrick.dolly 1 year, 7 months ago

Instead of addressing each person individually, I will post a general response. While this is an opinion piece, this was also spiritually driven. Don't assume that you know my spiritual walk, or my relationship with GOD. You would be shocked to learn that GOD himself gave me the desire to write the article. Furthermore, you would be shocked to learn the specifics of my relationship with GOD.

I am very fortunate that GOD is the only one that can judge me and determine my relationship with him, not people that read an OPINION article, but feel free to decipher my relationship with GOD, and have fun answering to GOD regarding that.

Lord bless

david 1 year, 7 months ago

By the way you speak thru this article..a mature christian can tell where you are at in your spirtural walk. If God gave you the desire to write this article then he must of told the way to approach your brother is thru biblical guidlines (if there is a problem)....instead of approaching them thru a worldly newspaper....It doesen't appear thru your article that you have done that. Its seems to me that you are an unmature christian, still feeding on spirtural milk...you need to start eating that spirtural meet which only comes from picking up your cross and following him everyday (studying the word, prayer).

God loves you....God bless

Benjamin 1 year, 3 months ago

David, you really need to work on forming complete sentences. Your lack of literary cogency speaks much more to your ignorance than to your credibility. Of course, I should not be surprised. Anyone gullible enough to buy the baseless Christian assertions you’re so fond of is quite likely to babble.

patrick.dolly 1 year, 7 months ago

Fair enough. You have the right to have that opinion which is exactly what it is. I know where I am with GOD so I won't read anything into your perspective. I will say this to all who read this. The article is about pushy/condemning Christians on campus, not about my spiritual walk.

By telling me where my spiritual walk is with Christ, are you being condemning or loving? It can't be both. One is from Christ and one is not.

I appreciate all of the feedback that everyone has provided. Jesus loves you and so do I.

robert.beaver 7 months ago

Way to turn the other cheek, Pat.

david 1 year, 7 months ago

no is condemning anyone...epsecially not a christian against another christian, now that would be ungodly and unbiblical, All I'm saying is if your going to speak out against you brother in an unbliblical manner thru a secular newspaper, is not the way scripture tells you to do.

(Mat 18:15) "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.

(Mat 18:16) But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.

(Mat 18:17) If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

this is the proper way of doing according to scripture

god loves you....

patrick.dolly 1 year, 7 months ago

Actually, this scripture is not about one person having an opinon regarding other Christians which was what this article was about. The scripture that you quoted is about one person that has a quarrel with another. Secondly, it says to tell it to the church meaning members of one church body. That is not the case here. To clarify and this is the last time that I will discuss this; I am not nor was I ever involved in a quarrel with anyone.

I noticed something that was becoming an issue and via my first amendmant rights I discussed them. With all due respect, I don't need anyone questioning my relationship with GOD. If you noticed, I never bothered to explain why I wrote the article, or go into detail regarding GOD's influence to do so.

I will say this and I am done with the conversation and will not respond again. As you know, we are in the last days. GOD wants people to stop playing Christian and get serious about his work. GOD has a word that he wants people to know. He is speaking. People tend to get so spiritual that they are no earthly good. I will not be one of those people. GOD loves u and so do I. Thank u for your opinion.

robert.beaver 1 year, 7 months ago

You guys are doing exactly what those Christians do when they come to our campus. They argue, and that's the problem. Jesus said, do not cast your pearls before swine, but that's exactly what these Christians are doing when they argue with students here. The students they argue with are nonbelievers and some argue back because they are around their friends, they want to look cool or are on the bandwagon.

There's a better way to get the Word to students.

Benjamin 1 year, 3 months ago

We argue back because we want to look cool? So thats the motivating impetus to retort huh? Interesting charge Robert. Has it occured to you that we argue back with these soap-box evangelists because we too may have a point in this debate?

robert.beaver 7 months ago

Well, you know. From what I saw, a few folk were arguing just to make their friends laugh. Others argued because they just didn't believe. No one had a real argument.

david 1 year, 7 months ago

The body is a whole.....if you have a problem with one part of the body, it may effect and usually does effect eniier body as a whole. If you have a problem with one part of the body and in this case the way it spreads the good news, you should try to solve it within the body, not take it outside. Some people tend get to get so earthly that they are no spirtural good. robert.beaver how would like word to be brought to you?

robert.beaver 1 year, 6 months ago

The Word has already come to me. It's in the Holy Bible. As far getting it to students, it would work best if Christians set up a booth on campus and let people come to them. They would surely attract a better crowd. Also, if you are assuming that I have a problem with the body, I don't. It's not in my interest to accuse anyone, I was just saying their methods were wrong. I'm not loyal to any church. I'm loyal to my King.

NoWorkJustGrace 1 year, 6 months ago

First off, I am a student at Cerritos College, this is my first semester. My wife is also a Bio major and she is going into her third year at Cerritos. We both work for Way Of The Master/Living Waters with Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron, two of the men who come and open air preach on campus along with Stuart (Scotty) Scott. I would like to point out right away that it is clear from reading this that the writer has no idea what he is talking about when it comes to things of faith. Lets be clear on this, if you want to put something out than go to the source. Me and my team just distributed 1,000 copies of a brand new DVD called 180 yesterday on campus. I am one of these "pushy Christians" you talk about. I would love the opportunity to be interviewed on the subject so that people may get a different and unbiased opinion in Talon Marks for once. It seems all too regular that someone from Talon Marks will bash a certain thing and never get any views from the other side. You are way off base with your use of scripture and it makes us who are not False Converts look like fools. Of course we would be foolish to go and preach on campus if the Bible said something like, "Go unto all the World and make friendships and love people, never say things that might offend someone, and never, ever, speak of Hell." The fact is, the Bible obviously doesn't say that. Please, I beg of you and all of Talon Marks, write a real story on this with some facts. I have every confidence that I could even set you up to interview Ray Comfort about the Biblical reason of why he comes to campus to preach. Please stop watering down the Gospel and please stop misrepresenting Christianity.

robert.beaver 7 months ago

Likewise. Your last sentence.

NoWorkJustGrace 1 year, 6 months ago

And by the way, when you put a reader poll on an article you should probably put an answer that a Christian can choose like, "I love them being on campus, I think it's great that they care for the lost." Just saying

Benjamin 1 year, 3 months ago

I have no problem with these evangelists yapping away on campus about their bronze-aged world view because it stirs discussion. My problem lies in the erroneous nature of the message. Because it doesn't stop at falsehood, the message of Christianity is one of the most underrated detriments to civil society. It is a force for division, an enemy of science as well as a protector and perpetrator of myriad social injustices.

We would be well served to leave behind outdated superstitions and move toward secularism.

robert.beaver 7 months ago

Please explain to me what is detrimental about a book that tells people not to lie, cheat or steal? And to love your neighbor as yourself?

robert.beaver 7 months ago

I'll check back in six months.

redchango 10 months, 3 weeks ago

Yea, they're annoying. Perhaps the biggest reason for them being annoying is that anyone who's ever read the Bible cover to cover, honestly, would conclude that 1) It's badly written. 2) It's full of immorality, contradictions, historical inaccuracy, and scientific illiteracy. 3) These were very superstitious Bronze and Iron Age men who wrote it, and finally 4) There's no reason to take it any more seriously then any other ancient book. . But, anyone who's done the above and then been grilled by these on-campus religious people will soon find out that these people have no idea what their religion is about. It's all an emotional thing with them, often just a means for them to cope with their own inability to control themselves in the past, and they completely bypass their intellectual faculties (or just fill it up with apologetic mental gymnastics).

. I used to be one of these people, and I'd imagine I was very annoying as well. So, I challenge these Christians. Before they go out and proselytize bad information, pick up the book they think God wrote, and read it! If you think God had any hand in its production, wouldn't you want to read it? If they're smart, reasonable, and rational human beings; I can almost guarantee they'll stop believing it.

robert.beaver 7 months ago

Hey dude, you are wrong in your facts. I know that you have never read the bible cover to cover, because most people have not. How can you talk about what's reasonable and rational when you assume things? The bible and science complement each other. But you are quick to make a conclusion. I am a Christian and I know these guys are wrong in the way they present the word of God.

Sign in to comment

Or login with:

OpenID

Ellington