In this installment of "Persecution May Be Closer Than You Think" you will get to hear the story of another minister of Christ, Tony Miano. Mr. Miano was very generous and offered his time to answer many questions for me. Here you will get a glimpse into some of Mr. Miano's ministry and how God is working in his life. You will get to read, not only about the legal opposition to his ministry, but why he does this ministry, and hear his insights on topics related to open air evangelism.
Below my words are written in BLACK, quotes from Mr. Miano in my emails with him are in BLUE and quotations that Mr. Miano wrote on his website are in BLUE ITALICS.
Virginia: "What is your ministry and what all do you do?"
Mr. Miano: "I serve as an evangelist in my local church—Grace Fellowship Church, of Davenport, IA. My
ministry is overseen by my three pastors. My ministry consists of:
- Open-air preaching
- Gospel tract distribution
- Sign evangelism
- Cross-walking
- One-to-one conversations
- Abortion clinic ministry
- University/College campus ministry
- Assisting my pastors in encouraging and equipping the members of our church, in evangelism
- Organizing the church’s evangelism efforts
Virginia: "What is the main focus and goal of your ministry?"
Mr. Miano: "The goal of my ministry is to glorify God and exalt the name of Jesus Christ, through the
proclamation of the gospel; to encourage and equip the members of my local church, in
evangelism; to reach the lost with the gospel of Jesus Christ."
Virginia: "How did you get involved in open air evangelism and how long have you been involved in that
kind of ministry?"
Mr. Miano: "I preached my first open-air sermon in 2005. Here is a link to the testimony of that first
open-air: http://crossencountersmin.com/uncategorized/my-first-open-air/"
Mr. Miano had the opportunity to meet Ray Comfort and Stuart "Scotty" Scott, from Living Waters.
Both men answered his questions, and Mr. Miano observed them doing open air evangelism. After much indecision, while Mr. Miano was talking to Mr. Scott on the phone one day, Mr. Scott said: “Tony, just swallow your fears and do it!” Mr. Miano now had to decide on a place to preach. Since that day when
Mr. Miano first preached in the open air, he has been proclaiming Christ through open air preaching throughout the country and overseas. (2)
Virginia: "What do you believe is the most important thing God has taught you in your years of ministry?"
Mr. Miano: "It’s hard to say what is the “most” important thing I’ve learned. I’ve learned a lot over the last 20 years of full-time ministry. I’ve made a lot of mistakes. God has been very gracious toward and
patient with me.
If one isn’t careful, it is very easy to engage in ministry, in the flesh, without the leading and
power of the Holy Spirit. It’s very easy to engage in ministry to glorify self, instead of glorifying
Jesus Christ. It’s very easy, especially for those who are engaged in full-time evangelistic
ministry, to develop a nomadic existence—one that is not closely tied to the local church. This is
one reason why it is so very important for street evangelists and open-air preachers to be sent and
shepherded by pastors/elders of the local church. Having pastors oversee not only the ministry,
but also shepherd the life of the evangelist is critically important in keeping both the ministry and
the evangelist on track.
I’ve written and preached extensively on this subject. It’s cost me a few friends along the way.
Some Christians who have called themselves to ministry, do not like the idea of accountability to
a local church. But there is no biblical support for the idea of Christians living and ministering as
nomads without the fellowship and accountability of the local church."
Virginia: "I know you have experienced opposition to your preaching of the Gospel such as being arrested
in England and you also had a legal battle here in the United States for preaching outside an
abortion mill. Could you explain those situations?"
Mr. Miano: "Here are links to blog articles (with lots of internal links) that explain each of my arrests:
Iowa City, Iowa: http://crossencountersmin.com/featured-article/trial-state-iowa-v-miano/"
On May 30, 2017, Mr. Miano was standing on a public sidewalk outside a Planned Parenthood facility in Iowa. He was reading his Bible aloud, using no amplification, but in such a way so that the people inside the Planned Parenthood could still hear him. Mr. Miano was arrested/cited for doing this. Mr. Miano was tried in court on January 9, 2018 where he was sentenced to:
- "30 days county jail (suspended). This means so long as I am not arrested again or violate probation during the next year, I will not have to go to jail on this conviction.
- One year of self-supervised probation.
- Do not have contact with any Planned Parenthoods during the next year.
- Pay a fine of $135, plus court costs." (1)
are represented by lawyers with the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ). We are suing
the State of Iowa in an effort to have the law under which I was arrested deemed
unconstitutional. Our hope is that a victory in our case will provide relief to other Christians who
minister outside abortuaries, freeing them from the fear of being cited or arrested as they fight
for the lives of unborn children and the souls of those bent on murdering them.
Mr. Miano was arrested on July 1st, 2013, in London England, and held in custody for 7 hours, because he was preaching from the Bible about sexual immorality, including, but not limited to, homosexuality. Below are excerpts from a letter Mr. Miano wrote to parliment:
"I was arrested under Section 5 of the Public Order Act for using “homophobic” language which was deemed offensive. The language I used was not homophobic, as I was not promoting fear or hatred of homosexuals. I was simply explaining a passage in the Bible which speaks of sexual immorality and that people should abstain from it (1 Thessalonians 4:1-12)." (3)
"I don’t expect you to share my beliefs but think you will agree that I, and everybody else, should have the freedom to express those beliefs without fear of reprisals from the Government. My freedom was taken away from me simply because someone didn’t like what I said. Now that your nation has begun down this slippery slope, where will it end? Will people one day be arrested for disagreeing with the political party in power? And what assurance will the people have that it will stop with speech? It did not stop with speech in 1930s Germany. Many of your countrymen sacrificed their lives to end the tyranny that began with the abandonment of free speech. Nations that do not learn from history are destined to repeat it." (3)
LR is Michael Phillips, Mr. Miano's solicitor. This is an excerpt from the police interrogation:
"LR: Just a couple questions I had. What would you say to anybody that said you were trying to insult people.
(Mr. Miano:) I would say they’re wrong.
LR: And why would you say that?
(Mr. Miano) The reason for being out there. The reason I flew all the way from Southern California to London, was to love people and share the Gospel with them. I hope to be used by God to see people come to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. There’s never intent to insult, there’s never any intent to inflame. Of course people aren’t going to agree with everything I say, just as I don’t agree with everything other people say. But my intention, is, to love people as others loved me and shared the Gospel with me so that I could receive forgiveness of my sin and the free gift of eternal life. That’s why I came to London last year during the Olympics. That’s why I came this year to Wimbledon. And that’s why I hope I can come back as many times as possible. Because I love this country and I love the people of this country. And I don’t want to see anybody perish in their sin. (4)
Thankfully the inspector decided to have Mr. Miano released without filing any charges.
On January 8, 2014, Mr. Miano was arrested in Dundee, Scotland. "The charge: a violation of 38(1) of the Scotland Criminal Justice and Licensing Act of 2010, with an aggravation of alleged homophobic hate speech." (5)
"Although it is alleged that I told a woman who claimed her son is a homosexual that all homosexuals are of the devil and going to hell, and that I told her she is a bad mother because her son is a homosexual, what I actually said was this. I explained to those within the sound of my voice that everyone knows that all forms of sexual immorality are wrong, whether homosexual or heterosexual, because everyone knows that God is faithful." (5)
"When the police arrived they interviewed complainants and witnesses, but they did not ask for my account of what happened. Neither did they review either the video or audio we had captured of the entire incident. They simply took the word of the complainant and arrested me. It’s chilling that in Scotland, as well as England–countries that profess to have freedom of speech–a person’s freedom can be taken away simply because another person says they didn’t like what the other person allegedly said." (5)
Less than a month after his arrest, Mr. Miano wrote: "If I am found guilty as charged when I return to Scotland to stand trial in April, the sentence could range from a fine, to a maximum of five years in prison, or both." (5)
This was the outcome of the case in Dundee:
Mr. Miano: "I was held in custody for almost 30 hours. Charges were filed against me and I appeared before the judge. I signed a “promise to appear” and was released from custody. I was ordered to return to Dundee in April of that year. However, the court date was postponed. In June of that year, I was notified that the investigators finally reviewed the video of the incident and determined there was not enough evidence that I committed a crime. Charges were dropped at that time."
This was the outcome of the case in Dundee:
Mr. Miano: "I was held in custody for almost 30 hours. Charges were filed against me and I appeared before the judge. I signed a “promise to appear” and was released from custody. I was ordered to return to Dundee in April of that year. However, the court date was postponed. In June of that year, I was notified that the investigators finally reviewed the video of the incident and determined there was not enough evidence that I committed a crime. Charges were dropped at that time."
Please remember, these incidents listed above took place in America, England, and Scotland. Persecution of Christians is happening in Europe and America. Please prepare yourself for the time when you may face arrest for your belief in Christ. Read your Bible, memorize it, pray, and preach the Gospel.
Virginia: "Some people probably think that if a street preacher is arrested it is because of some fault of
their own. I do believe that some people who claim to preach on the street and are arrested, are in
the wrong. However, others are arrested merely for preaching the Gospel. As a former law
enforcement officer yourself, I believe you respect LEO's and respect the law, however you have
been arrested. How do you balance respect for the law and law enforcement, and resisting
unjust/unlawful orders and continuing to preach the Gospel, even if you will be arrested for
doing so?"
Mr. Miano: "Romans 13:1-5 commands me, as a Christian, to submit to governing authorities. At the same
time, Jesus has commanded me to deny myself, take up my cross, and follow Him (Matt. 10:38;
16:24). Scripture is clear that if a situation comes down to obeying the laws of men or obeying
the God and His Word, I have no choice but to obey God (Acts 3-5).
The above is where I find and from where I try to exercise balance when dealing with law
enforcement contacts, while engaged in public evangelism. In the end, I am less concerned
about my civil rights than I am about being obedient to God and His Word. If proclaiming the
gospel costs me my freedom or even my life, so be it.
This being understood, the apostle Paul also gives us a couple examples in the Book of Acts in
which he respectfully challenged the application of laws by governing authorities (Acts 16:35-
40; 22:1-29).
So, if I’m truly being guided by the Word of God and the Spirit of God within me, it is certainly
possible, even probable, to find a biblical balance when dealing with law enforcement. But even
a balanced approach can be costly. The world, while governed by God’s providence, doesn’t
play by God’s rules. The world hates Jesus, and He promised Christians that the world would
hate us, too. Therefore, we are to biblically engage government authorities while always willing
to count and pay the cost, knowing that a win for Christ might result in a conviction in a human
courtroom."
Virginia: "How would you encourage other Christians to respond to law enforcement and possible ensuing
legal issues, concerning preaching the Gospel in the open air, in a way that is honoring to
Christ?"
Mr. Miano: "I wrote this: http://crossencountersmin.com/uncategorized/hello-officer-interacting-with-law/"
I suggest reading the article for yourself but here are just a few of many good points that Mr. Miano writes:
"Be respectful even if you feel that the officer is not being respectful to you. You will not win a sinful, prideful war of words with an officer. Nor should you want to." (6)
"If an officer orders you to stop preaching or distributing tracts, respectfully ask what law(s) you have violated. – Use an inquisitive tone of voice, not an argumentative tone.
If the officer cannot or will not cite a specific penal code or municipal code section, respectfully ask why you must stop your activities if you are not in violation of the law.
Respectfully explain to the officer that you are exercising your freedom/right to express your strongly held religious beliefs, in a public place." (6)
A major point it to: "Be polite, but persevere!" (6)
Virginia: "I know there are some people who are involved in "ministry" that seem to be more yelling at
people instead of preaching the Gospel. As an example: those who would have signs or who
would say: "God hates fags", instead of exposing sin through the law and proclaiming the
Gospel. How does your preaching differ from such people?"
Mr. Miano: "I do use signs in evangelism, but they are all Scripture-based. And none of them are intentionally
inflammatory by calling people names or using terminology that will unduly offend others. All
of my signs are reviewed and approved by my pastors.
When open-air preaching, I try to frequently assert my love for listeners, letting them know that I
am not angry with them and that I want God’s very best for them—which is to repent and believe
the gospel. Without compromising the gospel message, I want people, to the extent they are able
and to the extent I am able to rightly express it, to hear love in my voice and see love in my eyes.
I believe it was John Wesley who once said, “Preach 90% law and 10% grace.” I disagree. I
think we should make much of Christ and His finished work on the cross. We should make more
of Christ than the law. While using the law in evangelism is biblical and essential, the gospel is
the power of God for salvation to all who believe (Romans 1:16).
Sadly, there are many men (and women) on the streets and college campuses who seem to relish
in emphasizing the condemnation of the law, with little genuine care for the souls within the
sound of their voices. Yes, the law should be used in evangelism. But it should be used as a
mirror, not a hammer. It should be used by a friend warning their friends that they are in danger,
not by an enemy as a weapon to crush and destroy the one at which it is pointed."
Virginia: "How would you encourage elders to be involved with street preachers or open air ministers in
their congregations?"
Mr. Miano: "I think it is very important for pastors/elders to participate in street evangelism. Speed of the
leader, speed of the team. Pastors/elders must shepherd their flocks from the front. This does not
mean that street evangelism should be the pastors/elders primary ministry. They are called first
and foremost to teach the Word, pray, and shepherd the flock.
I am blessed to be a member of church in which all of the pastors are involved in street
evangelism and abortuary ministry.
Over the years, I have found that the best way to encourage pastors/elders to get involved in
open-air ministry is to show them the rich scriptural and post-scriptural heritage of open-air
preaching, and to point them to the videos of biblical open-air preachers for whom I have great
respect.
If there are already open-air preachers in the church, or men who desire to engage in this kind of
evangelistic ministry, then my encouragement to those men is to invite their pastors to join them
on the streets. The purpose: to evaluate the open-air ministry of their members; to provide
instruction, correction, and counsel; and to pray. If pastors will join their members on the street,
it won’t be long that they will join in the activities."
Virginia: "What do you believe is the line between pointing out sin while urging people to repent, as
opposed to provoking people to anger in both preaching in the general public and at abortion
mills?"
Mr. Miano: "The line is drawn on the heart of the evangelist. With what kind of heart and with what kind of
words is the evangelist calling out to people. A raised voice does not automatically imply the
evangelist is angry. But the tone of voice can.
Again, lost people hate Jesus and hate the truth. If they are going to be offended, let them be
offended by the content of the message, and not the behavior of the messenger.
I was once an angry evangelist. By God’s grace, He has granted me repentance in this area of my
life and ministry. I wrote about it, here: http://crossencountersmin.com/featured-
article/testimony-gods-amazing-grace-angry/ "
Virginia: "How can people be praying for you in your ministry?"
Mr. Miano: "People can pray that I remain faithful to Christ and His gospel—not only in my street
evangelism, but in the areas of my life that aren’t visible every day on YouTube and Social
Media.
Pray that I continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of God, through faith in my Lord Jesus
Christ.
Pray that I continue to grow as an evangelist, church member, husband, father, and friend.
Pray that, through daily repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, God will continue to
conform me to the image of His Son, and that I will not do anything to bring a reproach upon His
great name or His gospel.
Thank you."
Again, I would like to thank Mr. Miano for his time in helping me with this article.
With love in the Lord,
Virginia
Sources:
(1) http://crossencountersmin.com/featured-article/trial-state-iowa-v-miano/
(2) http://crossencountersmin.com/uncategorized/my-first-open-air/
(3) http://crossencountersmin.com/uncategorized/tonys-letter-to-parlimen/;
(4) http://crossencountersmin.com/uncategorized/police-interrogation-of-tony-miano/
(5) http://crossencountersmin.com/uncategorized/dundee-attest-reactions-my-responses/
(6) http://crossencountersmin.com/uncategorized/hello-officer-interacting-with-law/
people instead of preaching the Gospel. As an example: those who would have signs or who
would say: "God hates fags", instead of exposing sin through the law and proclaiming the
Gospel. How does your preaching differ from such people?"
Mr. Miano: "I do use signs in evangelism, but they are all Scripture-based. And none of them are intentionally
inflammatory by calling people names or using terminology that will unduly offend others. All
of my signs are reviewed and approved by my pastors.
When open-air preaching, I try to frequently assert my love for listeners, letting them know that I
am not angry with them and that I want God’s very best for them—which is to repent and believe
the gospel. Without compromising the gospel message, I want people, to the extent they are able
and to the extent I am able to rightly express it, to hear love in my voice and see love in my eyes.
I believe it was John Wesley who once said, “Preach 90% law and 10% grace.” I disagree. I
think we should make much of Christ and His finished work on the cross. We should make more
of Christ than the law. While using the law in evangelism is biblical and essential, the gospel is
the power of God for salvation to all who believe (Romans 1:16).
Sadly, there are many men (and women) on the streets and college campuses who seem to relish
in emphasizing the condemnation of the law, with little genuine care for the souls within the
sound of their voices. Yes, the law should be used in evangelism. But it should be used as a
mirror, not a hammer. It should be used by a friend warning their friends that they are in danger,
not by an enemy as a weapon to crush and destroy the one at which it is pointed."
Virginia: "How would you encourage elders to be involved with street preachers or open air ministers in
their congregations?"
Mr. Miano: "I think it is very important for pastors/elders to participate in street evangelism. Speed of the
leader, speed of the team. Pastors/elders must shepherd their flocks from the front. This does not
mean that street evangelism should be the pastors/elders primary ministry. They are called first
and foremost to teach the Word, pray, and shepherd the flock.
I am blessed to be a member of church in which all of the pastors are involved in street
evangelism and abortuary ministry.
Over the years, I have found that the best way to encourage pastors/elders to get involved in
open-air ministry is to show them the rich scriptural and post-scriptural heritage of open-air
preaching, and to point them to the videos of biblical open-air preachers for whom I have great
respect.
If there are already open-air preachers in the church, or men who desire to engage in this kind of
evangelistic ministry, then my encouragement to those men is to invite their pastors to join them
on the streets. The purpose: to evaluate the open-air ministry of their members; to provide
instruction, correction, and counsel; and to pray. If pastors will join their members on the street,
it won’t be long that they will join in the activities."
Virginia: "What do you believe is the line between pointing out sin while urging people to repent, as
opposed to provoking people to anger in both preaching in the general public and at abortion
mills?"
Mr. Miano: "The line is drawn on the heart of the evangelist. With what kind of heart and with what kind of
words is the evangelist calling out to people. A raised voice does not automatically imply the
evangelist is angry. But the tone of voice can.
Again, lost people hate Jesus and hate the truth. If they are going to be offended, let them be
offended by the content of the message, and not the behavior of the messenger.
I was once an angry evangelist. By God’s grace, He has granted me repentance in this area of my
life and ministry. I wrote about it, here: http://crossencountersmin.com/featured-
article/testimony-gods-amazing-grace-angry/ "
Virginia: "How can people be praying for you in your ministry?"
Mr. Miano: "People can pray that I remain faithful to Christ and His gospel—not only in my street
evangelism, but in the areas of my life that aren’t visible every day on YouTube and Social
Media.
Pray that I continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of God, through faith in my Lord Jesus
Christ.
Pray that I continue to grow as an evangelist, church member, husband, father, and friend.
Pray that, through daily repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, God will continue to
conform me to the image of His Son, and that I will not do anything to bring a reproach upon His
great name or His gospel.
Thank you."
Again, I would like to thank Mr. Miano for his time in helping me with this article.
With love in the Lord,
Virginia
Sources:
(1) http://crossencountersmin.com/featured-article/trial-state-iowa-v-miano/
(2) http://crossencountersmin.com/uncategorized/my-first-open-air/
(3) http://crossencountersmin.com/uncategorized/tonys-letter-to-parlimen/;
(4) http://crossencountersmin.com/uncategorized/police-interrogation-of-tony-miano/
(5) http://crossencountersmin.com/uncategorized/dundee-attest-reactions-my-responses/
(6) http://crossencountersmin.com/uncategorized/hello-officer-interacting-with-law/
