Ask Big Dog: December Edition
Marlon "Big Dog" Brown experienced a twenty year run of homelessness, drug addiction, and jail time before Jesus changed his life. By God's grace, he has come to know Jesus and through Jesus he has been sober for 11 years. Marlon began working at SOS in 2004 as an Assistant Construction Director. Big Dog spends his free time serving those who are living the life he used to live. He desires to see individuals find Jesus and leave their destructive lifestyles.
This blog series will be featured the first week of each month. You can follow along with his ministry on his personal Facebook page or his Street Ministry Facebook page.
Question:
I was wondering this a bit last year during a string of [Facebook] posts you had. Do you think it has a positive or negative impact on the Body when posting things that highlight the ignorance and stereotypes of the people you reach out to. I chuckle and understand you and the situations you encounter. However, I think if older people that I know in my own family were to read them they would say things like "see, that guy doesn't really want work" or "why would I waste resources on someone like that?" Do you think some of your posts further perpetuate strongly held stereotypes?
For context - here are two videos From Big Dog's Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=283350575136737
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=301160576670807
Response from Big Dog:
I think there is not a one-size-fits-all type of post or video.
Surely, it will perpetuate some stereotypes, but the exposure of the reality of circumstances and situations that exist in peoples' lives only further open the minds of those close-minded individuals that choose to ignore or had believed that such situations and individuals do not exist. All exposure is to some degree exploitive. If a few people are negatively affected while many are exposed that's the cost of doing ministry.
Most things that are true need to be known by the Body regardless of how it affects the Body. The Body is to respond to positive and negative stimuli with a loving heart, embracing all reality.
***If you have a question you would like to ask Big Dog, please email it to askbigdog@sosmemphis.org or through social media using the hashtag #AskBigDog.