Open-air_preaching

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.

Contents 1 History of open-air preaching 2 Motives 3 See also 4 References 5 External links

History of open-air preaching

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 accommodate.JOHN WESLEY.; G. Holden Pike\'s History of the Great Methodist and His Associates, New York TimesThe first Great Awakening, Tony Cauchi, Jamaica Gleaner

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.

Motives

Cited motives include:

1. To glorify God.The Motive for Open-Air Preaching, American Gospel Missions Inc
2. To fulfil a divine command to preach and make God\'s word known and "save souls".
3. In some cases, an element of self-glorification, which is at times difficult to separate from the desire to see the goal glorified."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

See also

• Actor Kirk Cameron, as part of his "Way of the Master" ministry with evangelist Ray Comfort, often engages in open-air preaching.
• Jed Smock
• Open Air Campaigners

References

External links

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

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