For most of people, airplanes are uncomfortable transportation devices intended to get them quickly from point A to point B — hopefully with same number of bags, children, and pets they started out with. For fundamentalist preachers and evangelists, however, airplanes are the perfect location to gather unto themselves stories of in-flight evangelism.
Somehow, even on international flights the speaker always ends up next to an interesting character who speaks English, is not sleeping, and is willing to talk at length about religion to a perfect stranger. To anyone who has ever flown this is nothing short of miraculous. By the end of the flight the evangelist has inevitably shocked and awed the listener with his speaking prowess and the have decided to question the very roots of their belief in atheism/Buddhism/Home Shopping Network or whatever their creed may happen to be.
With the amazing rate of success on these flights, it would seem that a full-time missionary movement that does nothing but spread the gospel on aircraft should have emerged by this time. There could even be special classes added to Bible college curriculum to teach such missions. For example, someone may want to point out that in these turbulent times it may be imprudent to make your pre-flight introductions by saying “If you were to die today…”
I have no proof of this, but I am pretty sure that I have heard the same “amazing evangelism stories” from different evangelists. Having attended HAC for a few years, and hearing many sermons, I often wondered if the story actually happened to the preacher or if it was made up or “stolen” from another. Either way, I am sure most of these are embellished.
Love it. I grew up with a pastor who had multiple airplane soulwinning experiences to share! I thought they were odd but gave him the benefit of the doubt back then. When my family and I were getting ready to join our current church ten years ago, the pastor mentioned these illustrations when he found out where we were from! I remember my wife just about swallowing her eye teeth from the audacity of this pastor to question these stories…we joined the church a month later…
Matthew Richards
I’ve always believed that these are some faves to tell cause it’s one that there’s absolutely no way to ever refute. Even if someone saw you on the plane they can’t really say whether you were talking to someone or not.
I’m not a big fan of forcing these types of conversations.
I’ve had them, but they grow out of the natural chatter between me and a talkative passenger.
I don’t think we should force conversations on anyone by intentionally starting a conversation about faith.
Back in the late 80’s (when I was going to my Fundy U)I was on a plane with a guy who called himself, “Robin.” We had a great conversation about the Bible. He was from England and seemed very interested in what I was saying about the Bible. It was a short conversation lasting from Atlanta to Greenville.
I’ve not had such an opportunity since.
I can’t say for sure about all these preachers and evangelists, but such opportunities do occur.
B.R.O.