Only two thoughts,
although neither are "as a Christian" ...
One, I kind of think wil has said it all!
Two, is it not said -
And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. --Matthew 6:5 (KJV)
There are many reasons why a person might stand, and express oneself (or one's thoughts, beliefs, etc.) as this fella did. These can range from mental illness, to an assignment from a college drama class, to pure, random spontaneity (or a practical joke, or dare), to the Joy of the Soul ... or `the Holy Spirit,' as Christians put it.
Regardless, our choice of religious belief, and how (or whether) we express that openly, or at all,
is really up to us. And if that's all it takes to make that fella on the bus happy, then
more power to him. Or at least,
good for him!
I recall as clear as yesterday, however, that during my
2 1/2 years as a grad student at UNC Chapel Hill, we often observed the
`pit preachers,' so called because they would stand in a little common area near the coffee shop, which formed sort of a
pit (two or three short steps down, on all four sides).
Yes, most of those guys were mentally ill, and I either felt sorry for them, or found myself pondering
... what strange karma is being worked out here, that these are the circumstances in which one of my fellow Souls finds itself? {see John 9:1-5}
The only part of it that really disturbed me, was that it provided
endless entertainment for the frat brothers, who taunted these
pit preachers, and challenged them on
every last bit of scripture-picking that was done. Not that this was surprising, as our relatively harmless
pit preachers couldn't resist condemning the
sinners of every ilk that walked within earshot ...
... I mean, these guys get what they've asked for.
So yeah,
while one might admire their courage, and their willingness to speak out - the
devotion to their cause
(preaching the Gospel, as they've come to understand this in a rather dead-letter, and limited/limiting fashion) ... we should also be ready, willing and able to see this
in context.
Psychology, sociology and an overall
soft science point of view may be able to tell us much about that guy on the bus, which we would otherwise forget to consider, if we were too busy asking
content-focused questions ... or trying to decide
whether or not we want to be like him.
Makes me think of the Beatles song,
I Dig a Pony ...
