Fun with the Hare Krishna

Last weekend Katie and I decided to take a mini-vacation to New Orleans. After lunch one day, we were stopped by a guy wearing a "Party Patrol" hat and giving away hats and such. He was a fundraiser for a local interfaith ministry seeking to feed the homeless. While his express purpose was not evangelism, but rather fund raising, he allowed dialogue so that you might end up talking about spiritual things. I inquired about who he was and he told me he was with the International Society of Krishna Consciousness.

We had a fascinating conversation. I allowed him to give his spiel, and I responded with questions and the like. The conversation took an interesting turn when each of us acknowledged that we saw this conversation as a divine appointment through which the other might come to a clearer understanding of who God is. The critical point in our conversation came when I asked him about where his hope lay. He had no clear answer, and I was able to articulate the Christian hope in resurrection and eternity with God.

While we talked, some of the other guys who were with him scrambled around to get some resources for me to read. I left with three books. This guy was really good at what he did. Everyone he spoke with gave money for those homeless meals. He had been a Krishna disciple for over thirty years. He had done the monk thing complete with chanting in the airports. He was completely sold out.

I hope that our conversation might help him along the way to faith in Jesus Christ. I also hope that I am at least as sold out to the Truth he was to what he believes to be true.