It has only been a few weeks since school started and already Gary Bowman (aka Moses, aka Preacher Bob) has stirred up discord in the student body.
I can't say that I'm a big supporter of his, even though he makes many points with which I must agree.
Many Christians I know don't really like his hellfire and brimstone approach and others just plain don't agree with much of what he says.
Nevertheless, I was recently conversing with my brother and he brought up an interesting point that has recently been prevalent in the minds of other people with whom I have spoken.
I, along with many Christian brothers and sisters, may not necessarily agree with the no-love approach that Gary uses, but we have to ask ourselves one question — who is drawing the crowd?
More importantly, who is drawing a crowd of those who desperately need to hear the message of Jesus Christ?
OSU has a wide variety of campus ministries and I'm sure that many Christian students are actively involved in these groups.
However, it is highly unlikely that many students who don't know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior frequent the meetings of these campus ministries.
Yet, I've sat in the crowd that gathers around Preacher Gary and I daresay that at least half of the people in the congregation are lost in sin.
Sure, some of those are blatant atheists or pagans who come to jeer and argue with him, but it is also quite likely that there are some in the crowd who are earnestly seeking to fill a void in their lives, a void that can only be filled by the love of Jesus Christ. So, they stop to listen to Preacher Gary.
The message they get from him is a hard-nosed, no-love message.
I once heard Gary say that God hates the sinner. I don't know where he got that, because in my Bible, John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
I've also read, "But God commandeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
As I understand it, even though we are all sinners, God loves us so much that he sent his only son to die on a cross for our sins. Somehow, Preacher Gary's words don't line up with God's word on this matter.
As I stated earlier, my brother brought something key to my attention. Yes, it is Preacher Gary that draws the crowds, but what are the Christians in the crowd doing about it?
Are we joining the crowd of jeering pagans? Are we invoking arguments with him, hoping to show other students that God is a God of love and not hate?
Such arguments are pointless. Gary knows the Bible extremely well and only a well-read, prayed-up Biblical scholar would stand much of a chance against him while he is on his platform.
Let's not waste our time fighting Preacher Gary.
We can use his works for the greater glory of God. How? By simply working the crowd. Bowman's work is complete by drawing the crowd.
It is our duty to be in the crowd and wait for divine appointments from God. If we happen to be near a soul who is searching for something more in life and Gary says something that is not in accordance with God's word, then we could use that as an opportunity to reach out to that person and say, "Hey, Gary says this, but let me tell you what God's love is all about...."
Believe it or not, Gary is actually helping us! We just need to open our eyes and take advantage of the opportunities presented to us by sharing the good news of God's love to those who might walk away from Gary thinking that God doesn't love them and that they're destined for hell and eternal damnation.
I realize that I'm presenting a bold challenge to the Christian students on this campus and I daresay it is not an easy task.
Even I will likely miss opportunities to be used by God within Bowman's congregations. However, with God's help, you and I can reach out to the lost of this campus.
There are too many lost and dying souls and too much work to be done for us to sit around and squabble about Preacher Gary's methods.
Let's combine our knowledge of God's love with Bowman's ability to draw a crowd and work for the greater glory of God.
Can we agree on this? Pray about it and I'll see you in the crowds.