NY Times: Southern Baptists Bring New York Their Gospel

[La_Serpiente]

Southern Baptists Bring New York Their Gospel

To the thousands of out-of-work actors milling through Backstage magazine's annual trade show in a Times Square hotel last November, Scott Rourk offered a little uplift.

"We are a spiritual group, reaching out to artists and actors in New York, to help people in practical ways," he told anyone who would listen, handing out 10-minute prepaid phone cards with the label "the 411" and a phone number. "We help you find meaning in life when the auditions aren't coming and the bills are," he said, as he later recalled.

The "spiritual group" Mr. Rourk has in mind is in fact a new Southern Baptist church, and "411" stands for I Peter 4:11, a verse about the glory of God. Born and raised in Fairburn, Ga., Mr. Rourk is a missionary, one of more than a dozen sent north to New York by the Southern Baptist Convention at the vanguard of a two-year campaign to bring the denomination's evangelical gospel to Gotham in 2004 and 2005.

And to reach jaded, materialistic New Yorkers, Mr. Rourk and his fellow missionaries are adapting to the local culture, by giving away free candy bars or doughnuts on wintry street corners, for example, or by applying fuzzy New Age lingo to a Sunday worship service.

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Southern Baptists Bring New York Their Gospel

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[saltpoint]

1. Thank God the Southern Baptists are --

-- rescuing New York City from its wickedness!

I feel better already.

[Rowdyboy]

2. This is just too funny? Little conservative white boys from

Bumf**k on the streets of the Big Apple peddling Jesus, ogling hookers and transvestites, "sharing" their religion with the homeless (who need food and shelter, not philosophical discuss...Bet a lot of them will lose their virginity while they're there. You know the sins of that wicked, wicked Babylon must be contagious! :rolleyes:

I am a Christian, but I find this silly beyond all belief. What a colossal waste of time, money and energy that could be used for good.

[La_Serpiente]

3. They want to get them converted before the

Republican Convention LOL :-)

[mac2]

6. About little white boys...

My friend, from Buffalo, who is very active in her Church allowed her son to come to Chicago to help out with religion and charity. They went to the south end projects. Full of poverty and of-course crime.

She was aghast about how dangerous it was. She should have called me..but no. She trusted the church with the life of her son. How ignorant and arrogant at the same time.

[vpigrad]

4. I've lived in NYC...

and I can tell you that their message of hate and intolerance won't go very far. The people of that city are too smart to fall for it.

[mac2]

5. They insult my religion and intelligence..

Religious groups who think they are the only true religion and have a pipleline to God are a pain in the Bible!! They insult my intelligence. They assume you are a heathen and only they are holy. Nope...NYers are street smart.

We lived in East Tennessee foothills for six years. They recite the Bible and talk like their minister in public. They push their religion on you. You have to live there to experience it.

The first thing they ask you is what church you go to. I wanted to say...hey I'm a Yankee and I feel that is my business...bug off. I told them, I was a good Catholic (Presbyterian for real). They left me alone. There were 40 different Babtist chruches in town of 40,000. No sevices for the needy but the Salvation Army. Hypocrits.

[newyawker99]

7. Hi vpigrad!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast: