Michael Howard in Brixton

[detective-boy]

Law and order enforced by the church? Didn't we reject that after the dark ages?

It's not law and order enforced by the church.

It's members of a church deciding to do something to improve their own community -like soup runs, befriending runaway kids, supporting street sex workers, needle exchanges, etc., etc., etc.

Trying to defuse conflict situations before they get out of hand is admirable in my book.

 

[Streathamite]

so in your experience d-boy, how much of that goes hand in hand with sermonising and evangelism?

 

[Gramsci]

Christian Life Fellowship

One of their 'resources' is called How To Get A Life.

How? Come to Jaayyy-zus, of course.

And a cursory look at their website shows them to be moralistic bigots.Its the usual sex must only take place within the context of "holy matrimony" between a man and women.

Homophobic right wing bigots.No wonder Howard was happy to spend a night with them.Nope I dont want them trained by coppers to wander the streets.

 

[detective-boy]

so in your experience d-boy, how much of that goes hand in hand with sermonising and evangelism?

Depends on the organisation. I've met some who never really mention the religion aspect and others who are clearly using their street work as an excuse to recruit / convert. Most are somewhere in between.

I share your concerns about people wandering the streets evangelising but I'm not going to dismiss out of hand the Street Pastors lot - I don't know enought about them - they may be evangelising or they may not.

(BTW I am not at all religious myself - I would describe myself as agnostic: I'm pretty sure there is no God but I'm not at all sure we can prove or disprove that.)

 

[pooka]

Is this not their website? Not too preachy.

I'm not sure that this is about the church enforcing the law, just people trying to make a difference, by their own lights, and putting themselves at risk to do so. The option is there for the rest of us to do the same.

I don't share their beliefs, but my guess would be they do more good than harm....so fair play. Sad that they allow themselves to be used as part of a gimmick though.

 

[han]

Maggot says he saw Michael Howard at PROD last night...

 

[Gramsci]

Is this not their website? Not too preachy.

I'm not sure that this is about the church enforcing the law, just people trying to make a difference, by their own lights, and putting themselves at risk to do so. The option is there for the rest of us to do the same.

I don't share their beliefs, but my guess would be they do more good than harm....so fair play. Sad that they allow themselves to be used as part of a gimmick though.

Think your right IS got the wrong website.I dont think they saw getting Howard down as them being used as a gimmick.This initiative is linked to the Evangelical Alliance(see street pastors website).So I think my previous comments still hold up.For example on the Evangalical Alliance website their is a submission to the government opposing the bill to allow Transexuals to change their birth certificate.Also theirs a discussion on the site of how "Faith" in Britain can be sustained in an increasingly secular society.The Evangelicals argue that the UK society should retain as its basis Judeo-Christain values.

It appears from the Street Pastor website that this initiative has support from local Councils and Police.I expect Blunkett would like it.At heart the Evangelicals are socially conservative.Ive got no problem with religious types preaching.What I dont want is them coming to Brixton and seeing themselves as rebuilding the community.

www.eauk.org