As the crowd gathered around the hated man on Glenn Terrell Mall on Tuesday afternoon, an intense feeling of hatred toward him was in the air. In my own heart, I became disgruntled with his unloving approach toward spreading the message of salvation to others.

I really do not like it when this “preacher” comes around and begins to judge every single person he sees. The Bible tells us in 1st Corinthians that only those in the church are to be judged by other believers. We should encourage others and guide them in their walk with Christ. It is not my place to decide the punishment of someone else, believer or non-believer, but I cannot turn a blind eye to sin. For instance, if someone is committing adultery, I should not turn a blind eye and smile. Instead, it is my duty to say that is not a good thing and pray for that person. It is as simple as that. I am not judging their character. I am judging the sin and telling them it is explicitly forbidden and must be stopped.

My issue with the man on the mall who comes here every year is that he does not preach with grace and love. It is an in-your-face approach that does two things: terrifies people and hardens hearts toward God. John 3:17 tells us that Jesus was not sent into the world to condemn it but to save everyone. It does say in multiple verses that repentance is necessary for salvation, and I have no qualms with that statement. But one important thing this man leaves out on his sign is Romans 2:4, which states repentance is attained by the goodness of God. Without knowing Christ, it is not possible to completely repent. When God is on your side, all things are possible, including repentance.

The sign also said God’s love is conditional. Nowhere in the Bible does it say God’s love is unconditional, but rather it is abundant and that God wants to have a relationship with everyone. John 3:16 is probably the most popular verse in the world. It proclaims that God loved the world so much he sent his own son to die as a sacrifice for all people. And whoever places their faith in Christ will have eternal life. The will of God is for everyone to know him and not perish spiritually. So while that sign may be correct, it does not give the full context or tell the whole story.

The love of God is what gives us hope. Christianity is unique because it is a religion that claims a deity sacrificed himself to save humans. If that does not show love, then I do not know what does. I honestly cannot say all I need to about how a relationship with God functions, so I suggest talking to a Christian in person sometime. But I can tell you that the message of the gospel needs to be shared with love and kindness – not snap judgments about someone’s heart.

When that man comes here again next semester, my advice is to pray for him and love him.

Practice the Golden Rule and do unto others as you would want them to do unto you.