Screaming for hope

Ambivalence is one of the major roadblocks to the gospel. It's hard getting people who don't think they need anything to see their need for Jesus. People who are affluent are particularly hard to deal with. That is one reason why crisis can drive evangelism. It shakes people's core and makes them open to new ideas and solutions to life's problems. But we don't have to sit back and wait for people's lives to turn to crap. There are already tons of people who live in that reality every day. They are all around if we'll just look beyond the tip of our own noses. These people know something is wrong and, in my experience, have an openness to the gospel that others do not.

Recently, I've been thrust back into the world of hardcore music. One of the interesting phenomena about this scene is that people who associate themselves with it are, generally speaking, very aware that something is wrong in the world. They seem to be very much in tune with the idea that things are not alright and the current state of affairs is not the way it should be. This painful truth is communicated in a violent way that appears to have the intention of shocking the rest of the world out of their hypnotic trance of safety and apathy. The music of hardcore (and it's multiple sub genres)is an attempt to dislodge the mirage of comfort and ease and expose the sickness and disease that lies just beneath the surface. Since music is the language of our culture, this reality is becoming less and less easy to ignore(no matter how hard some may try).

It is in this context that I see great potential for the gospel. The hard work of getting people to understand that everything is not ok is already done. The challenge then lies at establishing relational connections through hospitality and service in order to win the right to be heard. We have to live out genuine faith, hope and love that causes people to ask "Why?". Love is the universal language that we must learn to speak into the lives of those who so very desperately need it. That is what several of my friends and I are attempting to do. So far, God has been pleased to give us favor with this generally forsaken group of people. May God give you eyes to see those hurting and crying out in your geography.