From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Street preacher in Covent Garden with an unusual style

Open air preaching or street preaching is the act of publicly proclaiming a religious message to crowds of people in open places. It is an ancient method of communicating a religious or social message, and has been used by many cultures and religious traditions but today is usually associated with Christian fundamentalism or evangelicalism.

George Whitefield's outdoor preaching made him a household name in England and the American Colonies.

The famous early Methodist preachers John Wesley and George Whitefield preached in the open air, which allowed them to attract crowds larger than most buildings could accomodate.^[1][2] In the 19th century, Charles Spurgeon often advocated and performed open air preaching and cross-cultural missionaries have used open air tactics of proclamation for centuries since the Apostle Paul.^{[citation needed]}

Biblical examples also include that of the prophet Jonah, who reluctantly obeys the command of God to go to the city of Nineveh and preach "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" (Jonah 3:4 KJV) Others include the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 and Paul's speech to the Athenians in Acts 17.

Open-air preachers^{[attribution needed]} often cite the command from the Gospel of Mark, which says:

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. - Mark 16:15

The word "preach" means to proclaim publicly.^{[dubious – discuss]} Open air preachers attempt to emulate how Jesus and his disciples preached throughout the Gospels and the Book of Acts, communicating the gospel to crowds of people in public forums.

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

An open-air preacher at Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Louisiana

Even before the invention of the Wordless Book as an evangelistic tool, missionaries and street preachers alike have employed large graphic elements to illustrate their message. Religious messages in America are displayed on signage ranging from roadside billboards to crude handmade signs to elaborate outsider art projects, including a replica of Noah's Ark.

A stereotypical street preacher of many Hollywood films and television shows is usually depicted as male and carrying or wearing (such as a "sandwich sign") a large sign with a message stating "REPENT! The end is near!", or words to that effect, frequently appearing in scenes of disaster as a gag or stock character.

Even more frequently encountered as a Hollywood cliché is a person in the crowd at a sporting event holding a large sign that reads simply "John 3:16". In contrast to many, more somber and traditional open-air preachers, the "John 3:16 guy" is often portrayed wearing brightly coloured wigs, even full clown costumes. Many of the traits of the "John 3:16 guy" are based on Rollen Stewart, an eccentric American street preacher.

Open air preaching in China using The Wordless Book

The practice of open-air preaching remains controversial within many churches and denominations due to negative perceptions of belligerence of some open air preachers. An often cited verse by opponents of open-air preaching, from the discourse on ostentation in the Gospel of Matthew, is:

And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say unto you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. - Matthew 6:5-6

Defenders of open-air preaching counter typically respond with three arguments: 1) that Jesus was condemning those who sought to glorify themselves by their preaching, 2) that in fact Jesus was explicitly talking about prayer, and 3) that he made this statement while open air preaching himself. Many modern open-air preachers state that they expect ambivalence to hostility from much of their audience, and cite Luke 11:29-30 (in context, referring to Jesus' death and resurrection) in their defense, wherein Jesus states that only the sign of Jonah will be given in an "evil age." Some open-air preachers do employ a sense of drama or flamboyance to attract their audience - and occasionally to compete with other street preachers in the same area. These tactics are sometimes taken as self-glorification by opponents of street preaching, or even other street preachers who prefer to attempt to speak in a spirit of love.

Many "street preachers", as they are also known, also hand out tracts or leaflets to passersby.

Open air preaching differs from door-to-door evangelizing methods associated with Latter-day Saint (Mormons) and Jehovah's Witnesses.

Street preaching sometimes takes on a form of political or social protest at public gatherings. Among today's best known practitioners of preaching-as-protest are Operation Rescue, Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, and Bob Enyart. The tactics of these groups range from peaceful civil disobedience to flamboyant taunting of their opponents.

Cited motives include:

1. To glorify God.^[3]
2. To fulfil a divine command to preach and make God's word known and "save souls".^[3]
3. In some cases, an element of self-glorification, which is at times difficult to separate from the desire to see the goal glorified.^[4]

This short section requires expansion.

1. ^ JOHN WESLEY.; G. Holden Pike's History of the Great Methodist and His Associates, New York Times
2. ^ The first Great Awakening, Tony Cauchi, Jamaica Gleaner
3. ^ ^{a b} The Motive for Open-Air Preaching, American Gospel Missions Inc
4. ^ "It is impossible, perhaps, to determine how much he was motivated by personal ambition and how much by devotion to his cause. As Hattersley observed in Blood and Fire, "men of destiny find it hard to separate their own success from the success of their cause". Southey, whose biography relied on Wesley's contemporaries, remained certain that "the love of power was the ruling passion of his mind", while John Hampson, one of Wesley's preachers, who left because of his autocracy, wrote of his "absolute and despotic power"." Fire and brimstone, a review of A Brand From the Burning: The Life of John Wesley, by Roy Hattersley, The Guardian

• Actor Kirk Cameron, as part of his "Way of the Master" ministry with evangelist Ray Comfort, often engages in open-air preaching.
• The ministry of The Great News Network, headed by Darrel Rundus, trains members in evangelism and includes open air preaching.
• Jed Smock
• Open Air Campaigners

• Charles Spurgeon on Open-Air Preaching
• Finding Faith Along America's Highways: NPR article on "Roadside religion"