While at the anime convention with Daughter, I received this message from Demetrius:
A couple of nice Christian kids came to the house with the "Dare To Share" program to ask 1) if I had any canned goods we'd like to donate, 2) if I had any prayer requests, and 3) if I died tonight did I know where I'd go... I almost set (our vocally atheistic son) upon them. But, even I'm not *that* mean.
And then I saw some signs at the convention center and realized that
Dare 2 Share was the "Christian group" that was holding a convention in the same space. One of these Dare 2 guys was talking to a young woman at the anime convention who was playing chess with anyone who wanted to play. Though, this was before I knew anything about the group. The guy was telling her about Jesus, but making the point that he's "not one of those Christians who will tell you you're going to Hell" and she responded something to the effect that he was less creepy than some religious people she'd encountered. After the guy left, I quietly commented to her that she most likely encounters plenty of religious people who seem even less creepy because they don't come right out and tell you what they are.
More thoughts on this later, but I'll leave you with this. Apparently, we
had been warned--if only we knew where to look:
Dear Columbus,
Here we come. We know you’ve had ice and snow storms earlier this week. We know you can be one cold city. But, through God’s power, we will not be stopped. We expect somewhere between 5,000-6,000 teenagers this weekend no matter what you bring weatherwise. These teens will melt your ice with their worship and set your streets ablaze with evangelism. They are invincible to your temperatures through the white hot might of their Savior. We heard the sun is supposed to be shining this weekend. Either way the Son will be shining through thousands of teenagers.
Get ready. Here comes the heat!
Sincerely,
The Dare 2 Share Crew
Update: Elsewhere, I was asked how the Dare 2 Share people make it harder, so I'll answer that question here as well. While Son has been a nonbeliever essentially from birth, my daughter used to go to church with me sometimes, and was in a church youth choir. At the moment she is "off" religion. I'm sure the reasons are many. I know that some of it is the usual "who am I, and what do I believe?" questions of adolescence. But it's at least in part due to some of the "in your face" type Christians she has encountered. She really doesn't want to talk about the subject at all right now, so I can't yet have a heart to heart with her about what I believe and why. But I do hope that the way I live my faith is registering on some level for her, and I hope that can eventually counteract the yuck factor that is currently associated with religion in her mind.
Oh, and I may as well add, something about
this section that tells the kids how to evangelize to different "types" just rubs me the wrong way.
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