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{"id":4126,"date":"2011-10-05T10:34:29","date_gmt":"2011-10-05T15:34:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theamericanjesus.net\/?p=4126"},"modified":"2011-10-05T10:34:29","modified_gmt":"2011-10-05T15:34:29","slug":"the-nightmare-scaring-people-to-jesus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/zackhunt\/2011\/10\/the-nightmare-scaring-people-to-jesus\/","title":{"rendered":"‘The Nightmare’ – Scaring People To Jesus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=QC1fN6o03wE<\/a>\n<\/p>

I\u2019ve said before \u00a0and I\u2019ll say it again: I am not a fan of so-called \u201chell houses\u201d or \u201cChristian haunted houses.\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not interested in scaring people into heaven, if that\u2019s even possible.<\/p>\n

So when the guy in this video says \u201cMost people think we\u2019re crazy for putting on The Nightmare<\/em>\u2026..Then again most people don\u2019t think they can change the world,\u201d I\u2019ve got to take issue with what he\u2019s implying.<\/p>\n

He is right that people are capable of world changing action even if they don\u2019t realize it. However, \u201cscaring the hell out of people\u201d doesn\u2019t change the world.<\/p>\n

Forcing people to watch graphic scenes of rape, murder, drunk driving deaths, and gang violence isn\u2019t evangelism. It\u2019s pornography.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Obviously, it\u2019s not the sexual stuff we usually associate with porn, but as Merriam-Webster\u2019s defines it, pornography is \u201cthe depiction of acts in a sensational manner so as to arouse a quick intense emotional reaction.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

Jesus calls his follower t0 \u201cgo and make disciples\u201d, not pander to their baser instincts in order to a) scare them into an emotionally charged, unreflected decision and then b) get them coming back for more.<\/p>\n

What this church, and countless other churches, evoke is really no different than the reaction somebody gets from watching \u201cregular porn.\u201d It\u2019s exciting, it\u2019s stimulating, it gets your emotions\u00a0revved\u00a0up\u2026..and then its over.<\/p>\n

Just like \u201cregular porn\u201d this sort of thing gets people addicted, but once the high runs out and the things that once got them stimulated finally go stale, then Jesus gets boring, the faith becomes irrelevant, and people move on to the next high.<\/p>\n

Hell houses don\u2019t change the world.<\/p>\n

Neither do scare tactics.<\/p>\n

If you really want to change the world, and you should because there are plenty of people in desperate need of help, then\u00a0befriend the widow who lives next door who\u2019s too frail to mow her lawn or drive to a doctor\u2019s appointment. Reach out to your co-worker that\u2019s going through crisis and doesn\u2019t know where to turn. Donate your money to one of the countless charities trying to end the famines which claim tens of thousands of children every month. Donate your time to your local soup kitchen or food pantry, they always need volunteers. Next time don\u2019t ignore the beggar on the street, but instead find a way to offer them hope and healing. Or simply learn to love and care for your neighbor, even your enemy, as if the fate of the world depended on it\u2026..because it does.<\/p>\n

Loving people changes the world. Hell houses don\u2019t.<\/p>\n

The church doesn\u2019t need evangelism porn to win people to Jesus. It needs people bold enough to embody love, grace, forgiveness, and hope to a world that would rather have porn.<\/p>\n

Grace and peace,<\/p>\n

Zack Hunt<\/a><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"