I was a young buck when friends and I regularly visited the main penitentiary in Washington State. We sponsored concerts. We were allowed to walk about with a bodyguard and interact with the inmates. They even gave me a pass to walk through the cellblocks visiting with inmates.
We were really making an impact. One afternoon I was allowed to present Christ’ s reality to four men on death row. It was a fascinating experience. People who kill other people are often no different than you or me.
One of them was a heroin addict and had killed an elderly woman for her purse. He was scheduled to hang. This was the method used by the state at that time. I was told the head sometimes would be separated from the body when the trap door opened. It wasn’ t a pleasant thought. But as many would rightly think his victim didn’ t even know it was coming.
Our visits were ended when our pastor and our team were asked to speak at a rally against the death penalty. We made it known we were for the death penalty. We could never return after that. In fact our lives were in danger should we have decided to try. The prison officials couldn’ t guarantee our safety so we stayed away. And no longer did the men hear the gospel from us.
Having lived a few decades since then. And having watched the death penalty leave and return I would probably choose to respond very differently. Personally I am against the death penalty. My wife isn’ t and thinks I am crazy.
I know at the very least we let a political issue cloud the hearing of the gospel through us. I would have remained silent as to how I felt. Or I would have said I was against the death penalty and wished the men would receive Christ and receive eternal life whether it was legal or not. Sometimes for Christ’s sake it is best to let people guess where you are on some issues. But they can never doubt that you are for them.
I think in many ways I have softened over the years. I am still conservative but in a gentle way. I think in many ways the gospel in the U.S. has been wrapped around like an onionskin. You almost have to peel back layer after to layer to get to the point.
I have come to believe the simpler you can make your life and the message the better off you are. And as Paul said there is a lot to be said about becoming a Jew to the Jews, a Gentile for Gentiles, strong to the strong, and weak to the weak. As a friend of mine says “you can’ t allow the lesser issues to destroy the essentials.”
