The street preaching nuisance
Street preaching or outdoor preaching, which has increased in recent times, can be defined as preaching the word of God in the public arena so as to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who will never set foot in a church. Those who engage in street preaching are called street preachers or open air preachers.
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Normally as can be derived from the name, these preachers deliver their sermons in public streets and sidewalks, public parks, markets, vehicles etc. Street preaching is generally unscripted and spontaneous, compared to a church service where sermons and programmes are planned with a central theme, with these groups of people calling on all manner of people to repent of sin and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ is an example of one person who preached to all manner of persons in the world, teaching and preaching in Judea, Canaan, Samaria etc., telling them to repent and trust in God. Perhaps, one of the well-known preachers recorded in the Bible is Jonah, who was instructed by God to go to a town called Nineveh to tell people to repent.
Although people who engaged in street preaching were often persecuted, including the disciples of Jesus Christ who died through preaching the word of God, street preaching has continued to gain a lot of currency as charismatism becomes widespread.
History
In history, a number of notable preachers who have all engaged the public with the word of God on the streets, parks, markets etc. have emerged in America and around the world. In the year 1500, a preacher named William Farrell began ministering in the street, and it was reported that he turned every stump and stone into a pulpit, and every house, street and market place into a church.
In the 1600s, a well-known preacher noted for his popular book ‘Pilgrims Progress’ engaged in street preaching and was arrested and jailed a number of times for preaching without a licence. The Founder of Salvation Army, William Booth, began his ministry at the age of 23 as a full-time preacher in 1852 on the street of England.
Street preaching is so much on the ascendancy today. In Ghana, particularly in the capital cities, one would hardly sit in a commercial vehicle or walk on the street without bumping into one or more preachers proclaiming the gospel. I always encounter one or more preachers each morning before boarding my second vehicle to work.
Upon reaching my destination, I am on a daily basis greeted by one or more preachers along the street, all proclaiming the gospel of Christ. For example, the Madina market and Tema station are not spared as a number of them could be spotted within these places calling on all to give their lives to Christ. I am curious to know why the number keeps increasing.
I want to find out some of the reasons behind street preaching even though we all know the ultimate aim is to help people give their lives to Christ as is mandated by Christians to go into the world to preach the word as the great commission by God.
America, as the beacon of democracy, has some laws that guide any one who wants to avoid going to jail but would like to preach publicly. They are as follows :
1. Stay away from private property
2. Do not use a public address system
3. Avoid preaching at night.
These laws can, however, be violated depending on the local city ordinances for every town. Here, you go to the police station and describe to them what you are about to do, give them the location, time of day and a full description of activities.
In February 2013, a high court in Australia dragged two brothers to court for preaching in Rundle Mall in Adelaide without a permit. An Appeals Court, however, overturned the ruling of the High Court to enable the two preachers to preach. The council chief executive officer stated that it was not against public preaching per se, but it wanted to ensure the safety, enjoyment and comfort of shoppers and traders. The court granted them the right to free speech but asked them to exercise that right in a respectful way. Free speech is not the trump card but there is the need to get the balance right.
From what I see happening on our streets and neighbourhoods, I wonder if there is no clear-cut law in Ghana regulating public preaching. I am sure many others are curious about this. I think there should be some form of regulation in order that there will be some sanity in our society. Disturbing from dawn to dusk in the name of preaching the gospel should not be allowed to continue. Many are having sleepless nights because of this phenomenon and the earlier something is done about it, the better. Can you imagine how it would look like if we all took microphones and did same?