Evangelizing to the Homeless

by Dominic Mapstone
 

When you order a meal you expect to be asked some junk like "do you want fries with that?" But what if you are homeless and you line up for a feed and someone starts trying to tell you about what church they go to or what God they worship?

When you check into a hotel you expect to have to tip service staff. But what if you check into a homeless shelter and the people there don't want you to tip them, they want you to attend their church and believe in their God?

What if you go to the Doctor with a wounded foot and she wants to give you a hair cut instead of healing your foot? What if you lacked shelter and those with the resources to provide housing were more interested in housing your soul in their church than meeting your needs as you see them?

If you don't know how running a homeless service and running a church could possibly relate to each other - you have not been homeless. Street life and homelessness involves putting up with evangelization. There is no way for ‘the great unwashed' to avoid it.

It makes me question the true agenda of some Christian service providers.

I wonder if some of these services are just a disguise and the principal agenda has nothing to do with what homeless people want, but what the religious group wants.

Are service providers that allow or even encourage evangelization to the homeless chasing sexy souls? Are they abusing the significant position of power they have? I'd say yes to both, and think it's a disgusting abuse of power.

Reading this far you may think I'm without faith. Not so, I'm Catholic and I've had a Catholic Arch Bishop accompany me during outreach to learn about homelessness. He wore civilian clothing- no cross or priest's collar- and introduced himself simply by his first name (not his title). He put the gospel into action not words and was there to learn. On another night a Catholic Bishop accompanied me, he took the same approach of learning.

Those with power often believe their world view is right and should be shared by those without power. Institutional and structural power has long been abused in this way. Credit to those with the humility to know better.

Today, homeless people in many countries are evangelized to, treated as ignorant sinners who if only they turn to God ‘x' and attend church ‘y' then all would be OK. Some are pressured or even forced to attend church services if they want welfare assistance. This is wrong and should not be tolerated.

U.S. President Obama and I are both left handed. Our brains literally work differently to right handed people. While we both know being left handed is best for us, we can't assume it is best for others. People find their handedness through normal human development... through finding their own way in life.

To enforce that left handedness is the correct and best way would be making an assumption based on my own world view. It doesn't matter if the most powerful man in the land happens to share that world view and life experience.

In Social Work circles we talk about self determination a client centered approach and empowermentto help facilitate the client deciding what is right for them based on their own life experiences and world view.

As a left handed Catholic Social Worker, I can't assume what is right for you - be you a homeless person or any other designation like right handed. My power as a Social Worker should not be abused while working with vulnerable people with one hand and beating them over the head with the other about my religious views. That would be an abuse of power.

If you have had religion forced upon you by a service provider please name and shame them in the comments section.

If you are a Christian like me and aren't sure how you feel about this post, think for a minute if an Islamic service provider was given the same funding and license to provide services to homeless people and evangelize to them that many Christian service providers are given? What about a Church of Scientology service provider? Would that be an abuse of power? Is it okay for your vulnerable countryman to be taken advantage of and pushed around by any religious group?

Point is it's not about the religion we belong to or don't... or the church you or I go to or don't. When service providers use their position of power to recruit people to their religion it's an abuse of power and not right.

Sadly this abuse of power is widespread in many countries.

For those who would hold up freedom of speech and freedom of religion (I'm with you on those fronts) - this is different. I'm not talking about ‘freedom of,' I'm talking about abuse of power.

Any homeless person can tell you the fastest way to get what you need from a service provider is to tell them what they want to hear and mirror whatever beliefs they hold up for everyone to admire them for, if that includes going to their church services... it's well known that gets you a better slice of the pie and advantage with the workers who make decisions about your situation.

It's like letting them keep you as a pet for their own amusement and fulfillment and it works, because it's about addressing their needs and wants.

If you are in that position where power is being abused:

• Name it to their face when you can. "So if I go to the church service you want me to - what favorable treatment does that get me and how am I disadvantaged if I don't attend?"

You take back power by naming it. You take back power by holding a mirror to abuse of power. Make them articulate the abuse of power and deny to your face that they are abusing power and trying to impose their religious beliefs on you.

The other empowering tactic is to:

• Learn what makes them tick and then turn the tables and manipulate them for everything and anything you can get out of them while playing their silly game. You know what they want, use it to get what you want by turning the tables on them. Now you have the power.

I feel very strongly about the abuse of power by religious motivated service providers, as do those on the other side of the issue.

What is your take on abuse of power by homeless service providers wanting to further another agenda- religious or otherwise?

If you are currently or formerly homeless, join thousands of others in the Homeless Forum. 

 Dominic Mapstone is the director of Rebeccas Community, an Australian non-profit, and admin at the International Homeless Forum.