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Open-Air Preaching - Remarks Thereon | Charles Spurgeon · Reformed Thinking

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  Welcome to the deep dive brought to you by Reformed Thinking.
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  Today, we're opening up a topic that, well, it really gets to
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  the heart of how the gospel is delivered.
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  We're asking whether piety and architecture can ever really
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  coexist peacefully. That's a good way to put it.
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  Our source material for this is a surprisingly witty and very
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  detailed look at open air preaching.
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  It examines its necessity, its style, and its unique
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  effectiveness. And it sets all that against a
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  really sharp critique of traditional church architecture.
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  It does. It basically asks point blank
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  whether Christians have started to prioritize, you know,
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  expensive stone over reachable souls.
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  Absolutely. And our mission for you, the
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  listener, is to really dissect the practical and spiritual
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  logic here, the logic that compels ministry to, well,
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  abandoned the comfort and security of an established
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  building. So we're distilling the
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  rationale for leaving the Chapel.
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  Yeah, for pursuing the street, we're looking at the actual
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  mechanics of reaching people who have either excluded themselves
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  or, you know, have been excluded by the fixed location of a
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  religious assembly. And the whole thing starts with
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  this powerful paradigm box, doesn't it?
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  It does. It's the framing for the entire
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  argument. Why?
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  Is it that the very act of preaching outside the walls
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  requires, and this is a quote, no sort of defense whatever?
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  It needs no justification. Right, but any service held
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  inside a building needs very potent arguments and frankly, an
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  apology just to excuse its existence.
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  And that paradox? It tells you everything you need
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  to know about the author's point of view.
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  How so? The open air, which they call
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  the Heavenly Father's vast audience chamber, is seen as the
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  natural, the default setting for proclaiming the gospel.
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  And the building, the institution, that's the
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  deviation. That is the deviation that has
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  to be justified. So today we're looking at the
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  spiritual, the structural, and even the logistical flaws that,
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  in the author's view, make the traditional church building just
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  inherently less effective than a common street corner.
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  OK, so let's start with that rationale, the mandate for open
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  air ministry. So when we begin with the Y, the
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  entire exercise is really based on one single overriding
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  measurable success. And what's that?
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  The documents define the great benefit of open air preaching as
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  getting so many newcomers to hear the Gospel who otherwise
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  would never hear it. So it's all about access.
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  It's all about access. If Ministry isn't reaching the
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  unreached, then it's methods, it's structures.
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  They need a very serious inspection.
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  That access reaching the newcomer, yeah, it has to be the
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  ruling priority. And this connects directly to
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  what the source material argues is a well, a massive and
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  extremely common misinterpretation of the New
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  Testament mandate. It does the true command.
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  Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every
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  creature has over generations suffered a subtle but lethal
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  corruption. Lethal is a strong word.
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  Well, the change is simple, but the scope is catastrophic.
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  The writers observed that many Christians act as if the command
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  was rewritten to say, go into your own place of worship and
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  preach the gospel to the few creatures who will come inside
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  that. Switch.
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  It turns an active marching command into a passive sedentary
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  invitation. It does, and it's severely
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  cantails the obedience that the Commission requires.
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  It changes the entire posture of the church, doesn't it?
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  Completely. It shifts ministry from a
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  seeking agent to a stationary receiver.
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  And this passivity, it just becomes indefensible when you
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  look at the parables, the instruction go ye into the
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  highways and hedges and compel them to come in, is presented as
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  something to be taken well, very literally.
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  Yeah, following that physical instruction, actually going to
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  the hedges is seen as the best possible way to carry out the
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  essential meaning of the command.
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  It speaks to this absolute necessity of pursuit.
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  It does. We have to understand that true
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  evangelism requires the pursuit of living stones for the
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  Kingdom. We have to stop preaching, as
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  the author says, on and on to empty pews and musty hassocks.
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  Those uncomfortable, dusty cushions that you see in a
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  formal, sparsely attended service.
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  Right, the mission just can't wait for the audience to arrive.
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  And to make this point perfectly clear, this source uses an
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  analogy that is incredibly sharp and practical.
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  It draws from secular life. It does, they say.
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  Preachers have to follow the example of secular pursuits.
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  And the comparison is pretty stark.
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  It is. Look at traders.
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  They don't wait at home for customers.
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  They go to the markets. They follow their customers.
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  Fishermen throw their Nets outside their boats.
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  Right into the sea, not inside the hall.
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  In the same way, evangelist must go out after business if it will
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  not come to them. To stay indoors just waiting for
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  people who hate the very idea of church is presented as
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  fundamentally irrational. It is.
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  But let me pause there for a second, because the listener
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  might ask, isn't there a risk here framing evangelism as
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  business going out after business?
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  Doesn't that cheapen the spiritual nature of the
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  Commission? That's a fair question, and I
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  think it's one the source anticipates.
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  It uses that term precisely because it highlights
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  operational prudence. OK, so it's about method, not
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  message. Exactly.
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  They are not talking about cheapening the message.
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  They're demanding efficiency and seriousness in the method.
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  In the secular world, if your method is failing, you change
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  it. If your market is outside the
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  shop, you move the shop. The point isn't theological
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  materialism, but theological realism.
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  If souls are the profit and the method of waiting indoors yields
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  nothing, then waiting indoors is fiscally and spiritually
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  irresponsible. That really clarifies the
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  intention you adopt the diligence of the secular world
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  to fulfill a divine mandate. The structure of the building
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  itself can't be allowed to become an impediment to that
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  obedience. Right.
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  And this active, mobile form of ministry is what unlocks the
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  gospel for entire populations who are, you know, structurally
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  and socially excluded by the walls of the church.
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  OK, so let's shift our attention.
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  Let's move from the mandate, the why, to the specific people, The
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  Who. Who exactly are we missing by
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  staying inside? What are these walls the church
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  inadvertently builds? The street corner acts as a
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  great equalizer. That's the key.
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  How so? It removes so much of the
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  baggage. You know, the formality, the
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  expectation, the dress code, all the things that surround
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  organized religion. And the sources they identify
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  three very distinct groups who are reached exclusively by St.
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  Preaching. Yes, exclusively because the
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  street corner eliminates their fundamental reasons for not
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  attending church in the first place.
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  So the first category is dubbed the No Church Party.
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  Can you describe their attitude toward a divine service?
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  Well, these are the folks who make a deliberate choice to skip
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  Sunday worship. They prefer the newspaper, their
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  pipe and a bit of leisure. And their aversion runs deep.
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  Oh, it does. They hate the very sight of our
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  churches and meeting houses, and the psychology behind it is
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  fascinating. They look upon attending a
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  divine service as a sort of punishment.
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  A punishment? How is that perception formed?
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  I mean, it's a very specific view.
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  It's a kind of psychological defense mechanism.
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  They view church attendees as people who are, and I'm quoting
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  here, getting off the punishment they ought to endure in the next
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  World by suffering it in this world instead.
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  Wow. So to them, sitting through a
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  sermon is like a unnecessary but unpleasant payment of dues.
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  That's it. And since they don't plan to pay
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  those dues, they avoid the payment entirely.
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  But, and this is the crucial part, if the message is brought
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  to them outside, without the formality, they will stand in a
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  crowd to hear what is said. The removal of the institutional
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  setting removes the perception of penalty.
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  Precisely that is a brilliant insight into the psychology of
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  resistance. Then we have the second group,
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  and this is a big one, those facing barriers of suitable
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  attire and hygiene. This is a massive practical
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  hurdle in dense urban settings. It is, and it's a critical point
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  that the sources handle with a really refreshing candor.
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  They don't shy away from. It not at all.
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  For people in great cities, the barrier is often simple
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  economics and social norms. They have not fit clothes to
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  worship in according to the standard required by the
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  existing congregations. And if they do show up?
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  They're either stared at or they feel deeply uncomfortable and
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  just out of place. And the authors go further than
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  just close right? They also discuss hygiene.
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  Yes, and the description is very vivid.
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  It notes that some individuals, persons and their garments are
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  so filthy, so odorous, so unapproachable that they
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  themselves would be uncomfortable in the closed,
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  regulated air of a Chapel. So the open air is the only
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  practical solution for them. It is.
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  It grants them the dignity of listening without demanding a
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  complete and immediate social overhaul just to hear the
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  gospel. The air is fresh and the social
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  pressure is lessened. And the final category
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  encompasses the people who are actively neglected, the lurkers,
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  tramps and St. walkers. These are the people who exist
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  entirely outside the sphere of respectable society, and they
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  have to be actively pursued into their own domains.
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  The source describes them as lurkers in the hedges, tramps on
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  the highway, St. walkers and lane hunters.
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  Yes, and they are fundamentally missed by any conventional
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  static ministry. The mandate to go into the
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  highway poison hedges is interpreted literally here.
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  It means going where the social outcasts actually reside.
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  Beyond these social groups, the source claims open air ministry
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  also achieves unique success with groups that are, well,
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  inherently resistant or even antagonistic toward
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  institutional Christianity. Indeed, we find significant
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  success among infidels and Romanists.
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  The source observes that gracious work among those called
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  papists is frequently commenced at St.
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  Corners. Right.
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  And we should probably contextualize that term papists
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  here, because for a modern listener, that's a very charged
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  word. It absolutely is.
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  And when we're reporting on a historical source like this, you
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  have to understand it as a theological and cultural
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  criticism that was common among Reformed thinkers of that era.
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  The critique isn't only about the people, is it?
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  No, it's about the method of worship, the closed, highly
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  ritualistic setting which the authors often associated,
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  associated with bad air and stifling formality.
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  So by saying, work is commenced among them on the street.
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  It means that removing that traditional ritualistic setting
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  is necessary to get that initial hearing.
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  You have to get them outside the building first.
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  That provides the necessary context.
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  Now, what about skeptics and atheists of the time?
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  The Infidels. They are described as constantly
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  yielding to the word of the Lord when it is brought to them
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  directly on the street. And what about strangers and
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  foreigners? Open air preaching has been, as
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  they say, remarkably blessed to them.
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  There's a wonderful anecdote cited about a Jewish friend from
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  Poland. Oh, I remember this part.
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  He initially started listening to the street speakers with the
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  objective of learning the language.
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  He was using the preachers clear articulation as an English
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  lesson. That's fascinating.
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  So what happened? Well, his initial educational
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  interest turned into something spiritual.
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  He was caught by the message while he was focusing on the
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  grammar. And he eventually actually
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  became a converted man. Yes, described by the author as
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  an Israelite. Indeed, the Open Access, the
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  public nature of it, made him vulnerable to the gospel while
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  he was just trying to acquire a language skill.
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  It really speaks to the accidental conversions that can
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  happen when the gospel is just made available everywhere.
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  It also attracts those eccentric people.
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  Right, those whose belief system can neither be described nor
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  imagined. They're religiously unique and
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  they often actively avoid churches, maybe seeing them as
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  too restrictive or too simple. But the crowd setting is less
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  formal. Precisely.
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  It's far less threatening than walking into a structured
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  assembly. They'll stand and listen in the
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  crowd. So the open air evangelist is
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  depicted as a kind of spiritual prospector.
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  Isn't he Someone who often finds some of the richest gems among
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  these rough individuals that. Phrase is beautiful.
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  They're described as jewels which, by reason of their
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  roughness, are apartment to be unnoticed by a more fastidious
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  class of soul winners. The street ministry is essential
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  because it accommodates the roughness of the audience.
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  And sometimes the necessary rawness of the message itself,
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  the refinement of the Chapel, tends to miss the person who
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  requires A rougher setting to 1st encounter the truth.
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  So we have to return to that great paradox.
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  Then, since outdoor ministry is so easily justified, the
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  critique shifts, and it focuses heavily on why indoor services
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  require an apology. Yes, and the central argument is
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  that modern architectural design frequently sacrifices basic
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  functionality, acoustics, health and comfort purely for
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  aesthetics and tradition. In this critique is not shy
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  about assignment physical blame, the source material details
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  these structural flaws that amount to acoustic hazards for
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  the audience and, well, a significant physical danger to
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  the preacher. Indeed, we have to apologize for
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  the very elements that are considered beautiful in some
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  traditional designs. A defense is needed for forests
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  of stone pillars built right in the middle of the sanctuary.
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  They're there to support a heavy roof, but they obstruct the
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  preacher from being seen. And their voice from being heard
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  clearly. And that obstruction isn't just
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  visual, is it? It affects the travel of sound
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  waves if a person is speaking and the sound hits a hard stone
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  surface right in front of the listener.
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  The clarity is immediately compromised.
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  Absolutely. The sound wave hits those
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  surfaces and gets scattered and absorbed, forcing people to
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  strain to hear. But the structural failure
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  doesn't end there. No apologies are also wanted for
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  high pitched Gothic roofs in which all sound is lost.
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  The grand verticality that's prized in Gothic Revival
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  architecture might look impressive.
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  You know, symbolizing aspiration.
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  But acoustically it's a disaster.
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  The sound just dissipates upwards.
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  It does. And even worse than sound
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  dissipation is sound refraction. The willful creation of echoes
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  this. Point really shows where the
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  priorities lie, doesn't? It it does, a defense is
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  required for creating these echoes by deliberately exposing
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  hard sound refracting surfaces. And why?
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  Simply to satisfy the demands of art.
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  The architect is obsessed with the look of the stone or the
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  vaulted ceiling. And totally ignores the comfort
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  of the audience and the speaker. Comprehension becomes a
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  secondary concern to visual effect.
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  It sounds like a structural choice that is actively anti
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  preaching. It sacrifices the function of
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  the spoken word for visual appeal.
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  What is the human cost of this flaw?
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  The physical toll is cited as devastating.
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  These architectural failures compel men to shout till they
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  burst their blood vessels, just to be heard over the noise loss,
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  the echoes, the pillars. And you compare that to the open
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  air. Where the speaker aided by the
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  wind can preach 3 or 4 times with less fatigue because the
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  ceiling is quote as high as the heavens are above the earth, the
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  architecture outdoors is just superior by definition.
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  Moving from sound to sensation, the environment inside the
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  building is also heavily criticized, especially the air
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  quality. Yes, the source writers are not
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  at all enamored of the bad air and the stifling stuffiness
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  found in many indoor assemblies. They connect fresh, clean air
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  with spiritual vitality. And this bad air, the critique
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  continues, makes some meeting houses.
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  Almost as loathsome to the nose and to the lungs as the mass
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  houses of papists. That comparison is intentionally
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  visceral. It's linking poor air quality to
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  doctrinal error or stifling ritualism.
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  It is, the comparison suggests, that the stale, heated, poisoned
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  air of a poorly ventilated Chapel mirrors the spiritual
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  lifelessness the authors associate with highly ritualized
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  or formal worship. So this stale the atmosphere is
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  seen as physically and spiritually debilitating.
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  It is, and it contrasts sharply with the fresh air and plenty of
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  it found outside. And the discomfort extends
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  beyond the air, doesn't it? It affects the very experience
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  of sitting and listening. Excuses are needed for the
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  furniture. Oh yes, the critique targets the
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  piece of straight up paneling at their back, an invention of
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  discomfort. He's talking about traditional
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  box pews or those stiff high back benches.
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  Exactly. The design forces the listener
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  into an unnatural, rigid posture.
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  It's an invention design for long formal reverence, maybe,
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  but certainly not for attentive, comfortable engagement with a
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  long sermon. The author suggests this
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  discomfort. Ought long ago to have made
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  people prefer to worship outside on the green grass.
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  Beyond the physical toll and the lack of comfort, the source
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  material condemns the misplaced financial and aesthetic
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  priorities of building these lavish structures.
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  Yes, apologies are wanted for architects who pile up brick and
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  stone into the skies building these massive, costly steeples
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  and ornate facades when there is so much need for preaching rooms
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  among poor centers down below. It's a scathing critique of
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  extravagance that ignores evangelical necessity.
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  It is resources are being diverted from ministry outreach
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  to, well construction vanity. And this vanity shows up in the
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  ornamentation itself. Absolutely a decent excuse is
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  needed for the childish people who must needs waste money in
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  placing hobgoblins and monsters on the outside of their
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  preaching houses. He means things like gargoyles
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  and other strange non scriptural decorative elements.
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  Yes, and for having other ridiculous pieces of potpourri
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  stuck up both inside and outside, which the author states
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  deface rather than to adorn. So the suggestion is that money
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  and effort are spent on distracting, non functional or
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  even superstitious decoration rather than on clarity and
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  utility. That's the argument.
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  So we have this clear multi layered structural case against
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  the building. It obstructs the message, it
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  compromises health, it wastes resources, and it prioritizes
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  fleeting aesthetics over functional utility.
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  Given all that, what is the one single factor that excuses
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  indoor assemblies at all? Well, the only mitigating factor
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  mentioned is the executably bad climate in England.
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  The weather. The weather It's the one
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  external variable the preacher can't control.
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  But even with the weather as a justification, the authors
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  conclude that a comfortable, well ventilated structure is
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  very rarely met. So even with the rain, the
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  fields in Commons often remain the default functionally
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  superior choice for ministry. That's the position they take.
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  OK, so if the preacher moves from that fixed formal indoor
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  environment to the rough changing crowd of the street,
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  the style of speaking has to change completely.
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  It has to. We're moving from a sustained,
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  reasoned argument to something more intense, more immediate
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  focus on maximum impact. This shift is mandatory for
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  survival. The structure of your thought
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  has to be intensely disciplined because the street audience is
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  fluid, they're distracted, and they're inherently critical.
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  They just will not tolerate the verbose, meandering style that's
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  often tolerated in a captive congregation.
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  Not for a second. And that brings us to the
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  structure of thought, which the source describes as bullets, not
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  chains. The thinking must be intense,
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  condensed and concentrated from start to finish.
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  Verbosity is not admired, and the street critics serve as
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  immediate editors, ready to admonish.
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  Cut it short, old boy. And the source makes a key
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  distinction here. It's not just long words they
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  hate. No, it's saying nothing at
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  extreme length. The street preacher can't afford
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  the luxury of establishing context over 20 minutes.
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  They must say something and have done with it and go on to say
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  something more. And the adaptation that
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  separates St. Rhetoric from Chapel rhetoric is
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  self-sufficiency. Why must each point be complete
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  in itself? Because the audience is
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  constantly changing, a person might walk up to the edge of the
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  crowd, listen for 5 minutes, and then move on.
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  And if the second point of your sermon depends on the 1st.
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  The person who just arrived hears only fragmented nonsense.
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  Every truth proclaimed has to be portable, understandable, and
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  capable of generating conviction without reference to the
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  preceding 15 minutes of discourse.
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  This fundamentally alters the art of rhetorical preparation.
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  It's the difference between a sophisticated connected argument
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  and a series of powerful declarations.
• 19:55
  Yes, the typical chain of thought must be taken to pieces
• 19:59
  and each link melted down and turned into bullets.
• 20:02
  That's a great analogy. It is a chain of thought is
• 20:05
  elegant. You lead the listener link by
• 20:07
  link to the conclusion. A bullet is immediate,
• 20:10
  self-contained, and delivers force on impact.
• 20:13
  The preacher needs something forceful.
• 20:15
  Like Curdelion's battle axe to break a bar of iron.
• 20:19
  Short, forceful truth rather than an elegant Saber for
• 20:23
  delicate, sustained reasoning. That metaphor, the battle axe,
• 20:27
  really captures the necessary force, and the delivery has to
• 20:30
  match this directness. Pacing is critical.
• 20:33
  It is, especially in a dense city.
• 20:35
  The preacher must come to the point at once and come there
• 20:37
  with all your might. There's just no time for throat
• 20:40
  clearing. And speed is a tactical
• 20:41
  advantage. The source warns that in a
• 20:44
  London St. The preacher must go ahead or
• 20:47
  someone. Else, another St. speaker, a
• 20:49
  vendor, maybe a Heckler, might run off with your congregation.
• 20:53
  It's the competition for attention at.
• 20:54
  Work right. A quick, short, sharp address is
• 20:57
  most adapted for a passing company who have no initial
• 21:00
  inclination to stop. You have seconds to hook them.
• 21:02
  It seems counterintuitive, then, that the sources warn against
• 21:06
  incessant bawling. I think the image most of us
• 21:10
  have of a street preacher is someone shouting desperately
• 21:13
  over the noise. And that is the essential
• 21:16
  insight here. Constant shouting or ranting
• 21:19
  prevents the preacher from laying proper emphasis on the
• 21:21
  telling passages. If you're always loud, you have
• 21:24
  nowhere to go when you need true solemnity or urgency.
• 21:28
  So what's the alternative? The author suggests that the
• 21:31
  quiet, penetrating, conversational style would seem
• 21:35
  to be the most telling. Why does quiet conversation work
• 21:38
  better in a hostile environment? Because it demands attention
• 21:40
  differently, it separates the preacher from the noise of the
• 21:43
  market and the rant of the madman.
• 21:46
  When men plead in deepest earnestness, they often use less
• 21:50
  wind and a little more rain, less rant and a few more tears.
• 21:53
  This controlled, earnest demeanor is the preacher's best
• 21:56
  rhetoric. It is.
• 21:58
  It signals sincerity rather than just agitation.
• 22:00
  And what about the content itself?
• 22:02
  When you strip away all the academic formality, what has to
• 22:04
  remain? The core message has to be
• 22:06
  crystal clear. The constant rule is to keep to
• 22:09
  your subject and preach Christ or nothing.
• 22:13
  That focus proclamation is the entire justification for the
• 22:16
  effort. And this focus eliminates all
• 22:18
  the academic baggage that might be tolerated indoors.
• 22:21
  It does. The preacher must actively avoid
• 22:24
  those verbose word spinning introductions about the texts
• 22:27
  academic aspects or its position in the analogy of the faith.
• 22:31
  That highly formalized, structured introduction is met
• 22:34
  with instant derision in the street.
• 22:36
  Oh, immediately. The audience has no patience for
• 22:39
  theological meandering or displays of learning.
• 22:42
  The source warns that such attempts are met with shouts
• 22:45
  like go on old buffer or a sarcastic AMN.
• 22:49
  They want the central saving truth delivered with force.
• 22:52
  They do, and the source suggests that if a speaker were to
• 22:55
  acquire a style fully adapted to a street audience, he would be
• 22:58
  wise to bring it indoors with them, because that condensed,
• 23:01
  forceful delivery is superior in every context.
• 23:04
  OK, so that unique oratory style is only half the necessary
• 23:07
  adaptation. The street environment demands a
• 23:10
  specific character, a specific temperament from the preacher.
• 23:13
  Yes, a resolute, good-natured disposition is necessary to
• 23:17
  handle a rough, unpredictable, and often hostile audience.
• 23:20
  And that temperament is crucial for maintaining control and
• 23:23
  respect. The preacher must be always
• 23:27
  courteous and good tempered. What's the consequence if the
• 23:30
  preacher fails in this? The source gives a strong
• 23:32
  warning. If the preacher becomes cross or
• 23:35
  angry, it is all over with you. Losing your temper is losing the
• 23:38
  argument. Yes, it invites immediate
• 23:40
  ridicule and undermines any spiritual authority.
• 23:44
  Good temper is the necessary shield that keeps the message
• 23:46
  separate from the messenger's frustration.
• 23:49
  And this demeanor must be supported by practical, manly
• 23:53
  mannerisms. What kind of presentation works
• 23:56
  best? The action must be a purely
• 23:58
  natural and unconstrained. The preacher should avoid
• 24:00
  stiffness or mimicking the affected mannerisms of famous
• 24:03
  ministers or striking a wild, raving maniac action.
• 24:06
  Overall, drama looks ridiculous on a street corner.
• 24:09
  It does, and they must consciously shed anything that
• 24:11
  smacks of clerical superiority. Right.
• 24:14
  They have to abandon the affectation of superiority along
• 24:17
  with primness, demurriness, formality and sanctimonious long
• 24:21
  windedness. All of which are guaranteed to
• 24:23
  invite derision. The less like a Parson the
• 24:25
  preacher appears in that popular sense of a stuffy, isolated
• 24:29
  figure, the better. And if they are known to be a
• 24:32
  minister? Then they must even more show
• 24:34
  yourself to be a man, the better.
• 24:36
  They need to appear relatable and grounded, not aloof.
• 24:40
  So once that demeanor is established, the inevitable
• 24:43
  opposition arrives. How should the preacher use wit
• 24:46
  and wisdom to engage the hecklers?
• 24:49
  The primary tool is often humor and quick thinking, the sources
• 24:52
  state. A little mother wit is often the
• 24:54
  best resource and will work wonders with a crowd.
• 24:57
  And good humor or but on me. Is described as the next best
• 25:00
  thing to grace on such occasions.
• 25:02
  It disarms and creates a connection with the broader
• 25:05
  neutral part of the crowd. But the main instruction is to
• 25:07
  shun debate as much as possible with real skeptics.
• 25:11
  Why is that avoidance strategy recommended?
• 25:13
  Because the goal is proclamation, not argument.
• 25:16
  And it's certainly not about gratifying the skeptic's ego.
• 25:19
  And if an honest objector appears.
• 25:22
  They are best conversed with a loan away from the cheering
• 25:25
  crowd, where they are not ashamed to admit they might be
• 25:27
  wrong. Debating publicly often just
• 25:30
  validates the Heckler and diverts attention from the
• 25:33
  gospel. But when a Heckler is disrupting
• 25:35
  the meeting, tactical brilliance is required.
• 25:38
  Let's expand on that anecdote of the infidel on Kennington
• 25:40
  Common. This is a textbook example of
• 25:43
  using wit to dismantle an opponent in front of an
• 25:46
  audience. The infidel was disrupting the
• 25:49
  service by loudly extolling the beauties of nature.
• 25:52
  He was going on and on about natural forces and creation,
• 25:56
  trying to dismiss the supernatural God.
• 25:58
  Right. And the preacher, instead of
• 26:00
  getting angry or arguing theology, simply asked him to
• 26:04
  define the term he was using so confidently.
• 26:06
  Yeah. What was the result?
• 26:07
  The heck was completely stumped? He stammered.
• 26:10
  Nature. Nature is nature.
• 26:12
  He'd been using a loaded term as a weapon without understanding
• 26:14
  what it even meant. And the crowd laughed.
• 26:16
  They did. They immediately understood the
• 26:18
  folly of his position, and the infidel subsided.
• 26:22
  It's effective crowd control by exposing intellectual hypocrisy,
• 26:26
  not through theological complexity.
• 26:29
  That's a lesson in brevity and focusing on the opponent's weak
• 26:32
  spot. And there's another tactic
• 26:34
  mentioned for dealing with ignorant antagonists.
• 26:38
  Let it have rope enough. Exactly.
• 26:41
  The preacher must not enlighten ignorant antagonists or supply
• 26:44
  them with ammunition for future encounters.
• 26:46
  If the antagonist makes a foolish statement, let the
• 26:49
  foolishness stand. Don't correct their theology or
• 26:52
  their factual error because that just equips them to spread
• 26:55
  better informed skepticism later on.
• 26:57
  The goal is silence and diffusion, not the education of
• 27:00
  the opponent, right? We also have to acknowledge the
• 27:02
  very real physical hazards of St.
• 27:04
  Perching. This is a genuinely dangerous
• 27:07
  environment. It is preachers must expect
• 27:09
  brickbats and flowerpots. The source details the specific
• 27:12
  risk of preaching with a wall behind you.
• 27:14
  You risk receiving scalding water or well unsavory contents
• 27:18
  dumped from upper windows. Yes, the wall, which might seem
• 27:21
  like a barrier for safety, actually becomes a source of
• 27:25
  extreme vulnerability. And the risk of theft is also
• 27:28
  noted even during a sacred act like prayer.
• 27:31
  That's the reality of the environment.
• 27:33
  If a speaker prays with their eyes closed, they risk having
• 27:36
  their Bible hat and umbrella stolen right off the ground.
• 27:39
  So prudence dictates that a companion should accompany the
• 27:42
  speaker. Yes, specifically to watch their
• 27:45
  back and their belongings while one prays, recognizing the
• 27:49
  predatory nature of the surroundings.
• 27:51
  And yet even this physical opposition can sometimes be
• 27:54
  turned to good. It's strange, but yes, the
• 27:56
  sources mentioned the benefit of persecution.
• 27:59
  Getting locked up by the police actually generates sympathy for
• 28:02
  the message among the people. The public respects a man who
• 28:05
  endures hardship. They do.
• 28:06
  They respect someone who gets into legal trouble trying to
• 28:09
  communicate a helpful message to them.
• 28:12
  Persecution validates the sincerity of the preacher in the
• 28:14
  eyes of the common person. St.
• 28:16
  Evangelism really is refining fire, then.
• 28:18
  It demands not only theological clarity, but also immense
• 28:22
  practical wisdom, physical resilience and emotional
• 28:25
  control. It certainly does.
• 28:27
  OK, so let's move finally to the practical reality.
• 28:30
  Success outside hinges on common sense and the strategic use of
• 28:34
  geography in the environment. You can have the perfect
• 28:37
  message, the perfect temperament, but if you ignore
• 28:40
  natural logistics, you will fail.
• 28:43
  Prudence in acoustics is an essential qualification.
• 28:46
  The sources warn immediately about the wind.
• 28:49
  Let's rule. Never try to preach against the
• 28:50
  wind, for it is an idle attempt. The speaker will have to eat
• 28:54
  your own words. The sound just blows straight
• 28:56
  back into your face, making it painful and ineffective.
• 28:59
  So the strategic necessity is to position yourself so that the
• 29:03
  wind carries your voice. Exactly.
• 29:05
  Preach so that the wind carries your voice towards the people.
• 29:09
  This simple strategy allows the voice to project naturally for
• 29:12
  half a mile or more. The wind is a free amplifier.
• 29:16
  Ignoring it is foolish. Choosing the right terrain can
• 29:19
  also create a massive natural acoustic advantage.
• 29:21
  It can. The ideal terrain capitalizes on
• 29:24
  natural geometry. The preacher should prefer to
• 29:27
  front a rising ground or a hillside.
• 29:29
  Why is that? These are described as favorite
• 29:31
  spots because the congregation can be seated in rising
• 29:35
  galleries on the banks above the speaker.
• 29:37
  It creates a natural Amphitheatre effect.
• 29:40
  And these natural sites are highly valued historically,
• 29:42
  aren't they? Oh, they are.
• 29:43
  We look at examples like Wesley's famous preaching spot
• 29:47
  at Gwinnett Pitt, which used this natural bowl or
• 29:49
  amphitheater shape. There's another site mentioned
• 29:52
  at Benmore. Right at Benmore, where the
• 29:54
  rising terraces were covered with fir trees, allowing the
• 29:57
  congregation to sit comfortably on the grassy banks and dropping
• 30:00
  down toward the speaker. It's perfect human geometry for
• 30:04
  maximum hearing. This preference for natural
• 30:07
  architecture leads to a beautiful anecdote about the
• 30:10
  famous Preacher chapter Spurgeon's personal experience.
• 30:13
  Yes, Spurgeon described his experience in which wood forest
• 30:16
  as encountering the bow ideal of a preaching place.
• 30:19
  What did he find there? He found a cleared spot where
• 30:22
  the young oaks were left to form pillars and arches, creating
• 30:25
  this magnificent temple not made with hands.
• 30:28
  He saw that natural arrangement as superior to any man made
• 30:31
  structure he had ever seen. He's emphasizing that nature
• 30:34
  provides the grandest, most functional sanctuary.
• 30:37
  He is, but there are also locations and conditions that,
• 30:41
  even outdoors, must be avoided entirely due to acoustic
• 30:44
  interference. This interference can be
• 30:46
  environmental. It can.
• 30:49
  Preachers are warned to avoid the neighborhood of the Normandy
• 30:51
  Poplar tree. The leaves of this tree cause a
• 30:54
  perpetual hissing and rustling sound.
• 30:57
  Which is described as almost like the noise of the sea.
• 31:00
  Yes, and it's known to drown out the best of voices.
• 31:03
  Even nature can sabotage the spoken word if you're not
• 31:06
  careful. And beyond sound, physical
• 31:09
  stability is a concern. You have to avoid unstable
• 31:11
  ground or structures. The source specifically cautions
• 31:14
  against Cheddar Cliffs because of the danger from falling stone
• 31:18
  moved by people sitting above. And you should choose the ground
• 31:21
  carefully. Avoiding swampy, rushy or muddy
• 31:24
  areas to prevent wet feet for the hearers, which is just a
• 31:27
  practical act of courtesy that helps people pay attention.
• 31:29
  Finally, even intended structures for outdoor
• 31:32
  gatherings are criticized. The tent is deemed a failure.
• 31:35
  Tents are described as unutterably bad.
• 31:38
  They act as a wet blanket to the voice, the canvas and fabric.
• 31:42
  They absorb sound that kill resonance, and they greatly
• 31:45
  increase the labor of speaking instead of helping.
• 31:48
  A tent increases the difficulty for both the speaker and the
• 31:52
  listener. So the open sky is functionally
• 31:54
  preferred over canvas and wood forming.
• 31:56
  According to the source, yes. Before we close, let's just
• 31:59
  revisit the secondary benefit of open air services, the benefit
• 32:03
  for the existing church attendees, the people who
• 32:05
  regularly go to Chapel. This is a crucial take away.
• 32:08
  The source states that the mere novelty of the place freshens
• 32:11
  interest and wakes up those who have become insensible to the
• 32:14
  most earnest addresses. Routine, regardless of the
• 32:18
  quality of the message, breeds indifference.
• 32:21
  It does. The mechanical routine of the
• 32:23
  Chapel, where hearers become like a Miller who no longer
• 32:26
  notices his own wheels turning, requires the jolt of the field
• 32:29
  or the common to restore attention.
• 32:31
  So seeing the gospel preached outside the walls in the place
• 32:34
  where the lost actually live, revives the interest of those
• 32:38
  who have become bored with passive indoor worship.
• 32:40
  It wakes them up. What we have seen today is a
• 32:42
  powerful dual argument, the necessity of the street and the
• 32:46
  failure of the structure. That's a good way to sum it up.
• 32:48
  On one side we have the fulfillment of the gospel
• 32:51
  command, demanding mobility and direct confrontation with the
• 32:54
  world in the superior Heavenly Father's vast audience chamber.
• 32:59
  And on the other, we have a clear inventory of architectural
• 33:02
  and strategic failures, stone pillars, acoustic losses,
• 33:05
  stifling air and financial extravagance, all creating a
• 33:09
  scenario where the building itself requires an apology for
• 33:12
  impeding the very communication it was supposed to facilitate.
• 33:16
  And the success of this demanding ministry hinges
• 33:18
  entirely on abandoning verbose formality in favor of short,
• 33:22
  self-contained, powerful truths, turning long chains of reasoning
• 33:27
  into concentrated, immediate bullets of doctrine.
• 33:29
  Which raises a final question for you, the listener.
• 33:32
  If the successive ministry among the unreached demands the
• 33:35
  intense focus of Critiline's battle axe, a clear, forceful,
• 33:39
  self-contained truth, what does this tell us about the
• 33:42
  effectiveness of our own proclamation?
• 33:44
  Whether we're speaking to strangers in the marketplace or
• 33:47
  to our own families at the dinner table.
• 33:49
  Right. Are we delivering short,
• 33:50
  powerful truths that land with immediate force?
• 33:53
  Or are we engaging in an elegant, meandering argument
• 33:57
  that assumes an attention span the modern world no longer
• 34:00
  possesses? That is something to consider as
• 34:02
  you move forward. Thank you for joining us on this
• 34:04
  deep dive.