9.17.2010

reaching out

I've spent a lot of time thinking about this sign. Too long, actually - because someone passed it along to me a little over a year ago. But I can't for the life of me figure out what it could really pertain to.

This was found outside the library at a small Christian college in Southern California.




















Now, there are several conclusions we could draw:

1. This is an activity for missionaries. It is hard to find a date - you are a loser that wants to go live in a hut overseas somewhere and eat bugs. The school is going to bring together other people like you and help you get to know one another so you can find a partner to marry and move overseas with.

2. The students at this Christian school are SO BUSY with their studies that they do not have time to traditionally date (and let's face it, that can be pretty scary anyway, and Joshua Harris would not even approve) so some missionaries got together to put on a social where the kids on campus could meet each other - quickly - and still have time to get back to the library before it closes.

3. The Christian liberal arts college has started admitting people of other faiths - and the Bible classes they offer aren't doing the trick of "converting" them like they thought they would. So, they've decided the sweet smiles of the other Christian kids on campus might do the trick. So what better way to convert someone than to date them, right? Also the best way to learn a new language!
"Want to be converted? Come to our missionary speed dating!"
OR
"Want to make a difference in your world without having to travel to another country? Come convert heathens right in your own campus library. Bring $20 or a bottle of wine....er....grape juice."

Okay, that's all I've got - what else could it mean???

2 comments:

Mark Baker-Wright said...

Oh, look. Two bad dating ideas (Missionary AND Speed) combined into one!

And, even leaving dating out of it, anyone who expects to do a missionary service on a "speed" basis completely misunderstands what a missionary enterprise is all about....

This is wrong on pretty much every conceivable level.

Michelle said...

Missionary speed dating

From the interweb:

Missions Conference staff will also be running activities such as missionary speed dating. At this event, students will get the opportunity to quickly converse with missionaries from different countries. More so, they will get the chance to schedule a meal with missionaries, learn about their stories and get to know them on a personal level.