Interviews

During the course of my (ongoing) dissertation research I've had the privilege of interviewing, among others, Professor John Drane and Bishop John Finney. These are their views on open mic church :

It raises questions like “what do I think Jesus was up to?” He seemed to hear from all sorts of people and actually create spaces where people could contribute and be part of the journey together. So, for me, this is what I think church should be like. -Professor John Drane

Jesus was always a listener; always
able to toss the ball back into other people’s courts, always able to make
something worthwhile out of what could be a very straightforward
comment by somebody else. So he was able to take if you like the ‘open
mic’, which he himself was there for-I mean anybody could say anything
to Jesus, so in a way he did not have a microphone but he had an open ear, which may be more important than an open mic. -Bishop John Finney

Although I prefer Drane's view for obvious reasons, Finney's got me thinking. This may sound obvious but I feel a need to say it all the same: Though as Christians we have a gospel to proclaim and are called to do so, we must never forget that those we are trying to reach are in a completely different situation to ourselves, with each person differing from the next, in many ways and sometimes dramatically. They all have different views, beliefs, and experiences, and they will bring every one into any spiritual conversation we have with them. We must be ready to listen. In the words of my good friend Ron Willoughby, friends listen to friends, therefore they do not ignore or rashly brush aside each other's views. At many open mic events I've been to, some, particularly poets, haven't seemed to have too much respect for other artist's material. This is evidenced either by their leaving as soon as they've performed their poetry, or by talking loudly when other people are at the mic. This is both rude and wrong, for what right have they got to expect to be listened to if they aren't prepared to do that themselves? Therefore, both out of common courtesy but also following the example set by Jesus, Christians must be prepared to listen. If we don't, why should we expect anyone to listen to us?

Love it or loathe it, the hymn 'Go, Tell it on the Mountain' (verse two) says this:

He reached out and touched them, the blind, the deaf, the lame;
He spoke and listened gladly to anyone who came

So...go! And tell it on the mountain, or the supermarket, or open mic church, or whilst walking your dog, or going wherever you go and doing whatever you do. But remember also to listen!
:)