The Larry Rosenbaum Story: A true "seeker" who
discovered the inadequacies of the academic disciplines of psychology and sociology. His
degrees only raised more questions than providing answers to the existential pain of human
life. Larry will share his story of meeting "The Greatest Psychiatrist" who ever
lived and how that encounter changed his entire life.
High School: Graduated from North Central High School in 1963
Synagogue of youth: Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation / Reform Judaism
College: B.A. in Social Sciences from Yale University, 1967
Graduate School: M.A. in Psychology from Brandeis University, 1970
Ministry: Founder and Director of S.O.S. ministry in San Francisco
Passion: To reach young people on the streets of San Francisco with the
message of God’s transforming power. To see them set free from addictive
behaviors, destructive lifestyles, and in exchange receive new life, purpose and the
forgiveness for their sins.
Introduction by Jon Lieberman: Larry
and I grew up in the same Jewish community and attended the same Temple as youths. Larry
was about three years older and attended a different high school, so we didn’t have
the same set of Jewish friends, but we were all mishpochah (family) since my
parents knew his parents very well. Our paths, though, took on very similar
"seeking" directions. I, obviously, was quite excited when I first learned of
Larry’s experiences with God that paralleled mine in many ways.
Introduction by Larry:
Every week I spend countless hours reaching out to hundreds of wayward teenagers, drug
addicts, and prostitutes on the streets of San Francisco. I counsel them, offer them
hope, and share with them a message that has literally transformed their lives. You might
ask, "How did a nice Jewish boy from Indianapolis end up helping lost people in some
of the most needy skid row areas of San Francisco as the Tenderloin district?"
Wasn’t I supposed to be a doctor or lawyer? Shouldn’t I have followed in my
physician father’s footsteps?
Medical School was definitely not for me!
My father was a pediatrician and wanted the best education for all four of his sons.
Also, there was that unspoken "Jewish pressure" to be a doctor, lawyer or
respected entrepreneur businessman in the community. I guess it was assumed that I would
emulate my father, go to Yale, and then go to John Hopkins Medical school. There was one
small problem. There was something about blood that I didn’t like! The idea of
opening up people’s bodies and looking at all of the blood sickened me. I just
didn’t want to go to Medical School. I didn’t even like dissecting frogs. My
older brother, however, ended up being a professor at Northwestern University. Another
younger brother became the physician while the youngest brother became the lawyer!
All I knew was that I was Jewish and was supposed to be successful in some profession.
Early indoctrination in atheism and naturalistic evolution
Let me tell you, I didn’t grow up having such grandiose plans for my life. In fact
the furthest thing on my mind was the idea that individuals could really be changed in the
core part of their personality. You see, I was thoroughly indoctrinated in philosophy
beginning with courses I took in the middle of high school. I read Plato, Voltaire, and
other atheistic philosophers as Bertrand Russell, who wrote, "Why I am not a
Christian," and I became familiar with the arguments against Christianity. I had a
rudimentary understanding of this religion and I was Jewish! My parents had taught me that
Christians believed in three gods and the Jews believed in one God, and we were by both
religion and culture very very different from the gentiles.
I attended the Reform Temple, Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation. We were basically a
non-religious Jewish family. We did not believe in a personal God, but instead proudly
affirmed naturalistic evolution. I was not totally isolated from gentiles since I had
non-Jewish friends, but my parents did forbid me to date non-Jewish girls.
First encounter with Christianity
During my junior year at North Central High School, my good friend, Danny, invited me
to a "Youth for Christ" meeting. It was a religious club and the young people
seemed to be very happy. I was attracted to them for some reason. I guess I went about
five times. I knew it wasn’t pleasing my family to go, but I can’t say
exactly why I eventually stopped going. Since there were hundreds of Jewish kids in my
high school, I didn’t experience overt anti-Semitism. These young people,
though, seemed to really care about me, but no one actually shared what it meant to
believe in Jesus.
I considered myself an open type of person and wasn’t hostile toward the
historical person of Jesus. I was, though, often disturbed about the overt religious
observance of Christmas at school.
Off to Yale University. Kennedy’s assassination changed my worldview.
In my freshman year at Yale I was really affected by President Kennedy’s
assassination. There was the possibility that the ongoing cold war with Russia could
escalate and pose a very real threat of nuclear war. There existed this very
realistic fear that the world would come to an end! I became increasingly aware that
this world was in very bad shape. I began my search by changing my major to social
sciences and also took psychology courses in hopes of finding a solution to why mankind
was in such a mess. Maybe, I thought, there was a way to change human nature so that
people of different cultures could get along.
Existentialism – Was life truly without meaning and purpose?
The more you get into those academic disciplines you realize that they only raise the
questions, but don’t offer any adequate answers. I took several philosophy courses
and again found no answers. All of this eventually led me into existentialism, which
taught that basically life had no meaning and the individual had to create a meaning. I
clearly saw that nothing really mattered.
This brought real despair into my life. Not only would I eventually personally come to
an end, but also the world itself would come to an end. It seemed inevitable to me that
sooner or later we would find a way to destroy ourselves. College seemed to be an academic
game; the professors weren’t really looking for answers.
The world of drugs, hippies and communes
The next step downward (which deceptively appeared at that time "upward") was
the descent into the world of drugs. Maybe there was a way, I thought, that drugs would
"raise my consciousness." The year was 1967. I was excited about the rumors I
was hearing about the new enlightenment offered by the communal aspect to life. The utopia
I soon discovered was illusory. They were people just like me– without answers. I
even went to the infamous Haight-Asbury hippie haven district of San Francisco in the
summers and got more involved in the drug scene.
Reincarnation - Was that the answer to man’s suffering?
My ultimate goal in life at that time was to get so "enlightened" that I
would arrive at this spiritual place where I wouldn’t have to be reincarnated
anymore. It later "dawned" on me that reincarnation (the belief that one keeps
coming back in another earth form) was a cop out to justify one’s hedonistic
lifestyle. It really didn’t matter how you lived because if you messed up, you then
would have another chance. There was no eternal judgment. Of course, most of the seekers I
knew were very proud and believed that they were all on their last incarnation, and that
they would achieve nirvana in this lifetime. Nirvana is a state of being where you
experience nothingness. You are one with the cosmos, whatever that meant! Of course, I was
perennially looking for someone to love in college. That never worked out either. I
knew my parents wanted me to be a doctor and marry a "nice Jewish girl."
After Masters Degree in psychology I was still in despair:
I continued my studies at the University of Chicago in psychology and later received my
M.A. in Psychology from Brandies University in 1970. I think my main interest in this area
at first was to try to understand myself and straighten out my own problems. I studied a
lot of Freud and considered myself neurotic (like everyone else). I went to a psychiatrist
while at Yale for therapy. It didn’t help.
I wasted no time in relocating permanently to Berkeley and continued my spiritual
search with drugs, Eastern religions, and following various gurus. I quickly became
brainwashed with the idea of what others called "Christ-consciousness," which is
essentially the same as "New Age" philosophy, which is Hinduism repackaged for
Westerners.
Attraction to Hinduism and eastern religious consciousness
What attracted me to this very foreign ideology? To be honest with you the most
appealing aspect of Hinduism was that it did not emphasize a personal God. Therefore there
was no absolute morality. There was no right or wrong. Eventually everyone through many
reincarnations reaches enlightenment no matter what he does. I inferred that I could
continue to live what I later learned was a sinful lifestyle. I never found real lasting
pleasure in those pursuits. There is a temporary pleasure, but since there is no
ultimate meaning to life and the goal is to realize we are one with this cosmic void, this
belief can hardly give life any real meaning or provide any fulfillment.
Encounter with a hippie cult, "The Love Family"
For a short time I joined a cult in Seattle, WA. I left it after only three months. It
was a mixture of Hinduism and Christ consciousness. These philosophies were prevalent in
the "hippie" culture and very compatible with the drug experience. I began
traveling with this group of people seeking to start a new commune. It was called the
"Love Family." They read the Bible, but interpreted it in an eastern way. Jesus
was the way to God, but the only way to get to Jesus is through the Guru. The
only positive things that he said about ethics and morals was that sex before marriage was
wrong. The cult eventually kicked me out because I wouldn't conform to their very strict
standards and control.
Joined a band of 70 hippies
I later joined about 70 hippies who were all trying to get some money together and
start the perfect commune. We were hitchhiking together to find that perfect place
"somewhere." One day we all decided to just go to this park outside
Portland, Oregon.
Unusual man with a "message" approaches us in a park
One afternoon we were camped at a park when a Christian man in his 50's began sharing
with us about how much Jesus loves us. He offered us a place to stay in what was called a
"Jesus people commune." Only a couple of us decided to go, while most everyone
outright rejected his kind offer. The man’s name was Nick Gray, a Texas saddle maker
who had a shop in Portland, Oregon. We also didn’t know that he had a passion to help
bring young people to Christ. The other person who went with me was convicted about his
wayward lifestyle since he had at one time in his youth been a follower of Christ. He
ended up rededicating his life to the lord. All of this, however, was quite new to me.
Discovery of the "truth"
I told some of the Christians at the "Jesus commune" about my involvement
with the Love Family. They told me that I had been deceived. I then became quite
defensive and argued with them. I don't know why I was so adamant about defending the
cult? What impressed me with Nick and the others was that they told me to just ask God to
show me the truth. Nick had started the Jesus house next to his business. I immediately
identified with these Jesus people since they also had long hair and beards (that is
except the women). And they had been saved out of the drug scene. The concepts about
salvation, being born again, heaven and hell, were all new to me because I was Jewish.
I don’t know if I understood initially that much of what they were saying.
Thus, I prayed to God. After my prayer to know the truth, I started seeing things.
I had been concerned that I wouldn’t be deceived again. How was I to
know this religious truth was "the" truth and not just one of "many"
possible truths/religions? I had believed that all religions led to God.
In my travels I had met a lot of so-called Jesus people who said they had been saved,
but they were still doing drugs. There was no repentance. Now, these people seemed for
real. They were the first group that told me that I had to actually give up my sin. I
considered myself both a "seeker of truth" and a "seeker of pleasure."
I did really desire both at the same time. Ultimately, when confronted with the Truth, I
had to choose between the two.
They explained in detail how Jesus died on a cross for me, and that I could be born
again and have a new life. I need to trust in Jesus and not just mentally believe. They
helped me to understand what the word "believe" meant. As I prayed that night,
God gave me some understanding in 1 Ti. 2:5, "For there is one God and one mediator
between God and man, the man The Messiah Jesus." I remembered that Scripture. I
had read the New Testament a number of times in the cult and even in college. I
didn’t understand it back then. Now I understood that Scripture.
There was a real change in my life; I knew that I was born again. I had trusted Christ.
I didn’t pray a memorized "sinners prayer" but I was a new person.
Jesus is my Jewish Messiah
Over the next few days, God began speaking to me that Jesus was the only way to God.
The Christians showed me Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah, which helped
convince me of the truth of Christianity. I committed my life to Christ.
I called my parents and I must have come off like I was some crazed fanatic. I had
letters filled with Scriptures. They had just dealt with me in the Love Family 3 months
before. They had come out and were freaked out, and now I’m in another cult, they
thought. To them it was just another communal thing. We all had long hair and outwardly
didn’t look any different from the cult hippies. I didn’t know how to reach
them. I didn’t know any other Jewish believers initially, but I kept praying for
them.
New life in the Messiah
I became discipled by this group, Shiloh Youth Revival Centers, and found out that this
ministry had a nationwide network of communal Christian houses. Everybody in our ministry
witnessed on the streets, so I considered it a natural part of being a Christian. After I
got over the initial fear, I loved to witness and did so at virtually every opportunity
I spent the next 4 1/2 years in this Christian ministry, studying the
Bible and learning to follow Jesus. I also learned to do street evangelism. Once I
overcame my fear of witnessing, I loved sharing my faith with others and knew God had
called me to this ministry.
I read the book, "Messiah in the Testaments" and that really helped me and
the questions I had and how Jesus fulfilled these prophecies. It strengthened my faith as
a new believer.
I started in this journey into hedonism (a life with a philosophy centered on sex,
drugs, rock and roll) and realized it was ultimately unfulfilling. It involved the use of
other people to please self. Any relationship between two people with each seeking to use
the other to please self inevitably leads to conflict and will not last. The Spirit of God
living inside us gives us the ability to love in an unselfish manner—to desire to
help another person with no ulterior motive.
As Jesus said, it is more blessed to give than to receive. God has given me a purpose
in life, to help others by offering them the greatest gift anyone can give them, something
that can change them now and for eternity, life in Jesus Christ. Nothing is more
important. I now dedicate my life to this purpose.
Call to share Jesus with street people
When I first came to San Francisco at age 28, I started attending a local church that
was known for being evangelistic. They had a full-time minister of evangelism and most of
the church members had been through an extensive evangelism-training program. As I met
people in church, I would invite them to go witnessing with me. Usually they would agree,
and we would set a time and meeting place. Almost every time, the person wouldn't show up.
Finally, I realized that most of these Christians, even though they had a lot of teaching
on evangelism, had virtually no experience witnessing to strangers and were terribly
afraid to do this.
Pioneering a brand new ministry in San
Francisco
In 1975, God called me to return to San Francisco, where I had
previously spent much time using drugs. I knew God wanted me to witness to people, but had
a hard time finding other Christians willing to join me in witnessing on the streets.
After a few years, I met some Christians who wanted to help organize outdoor evangelistic
concerts in San Francisco. In 1980, a dozen pastors and evangelists, including myself,
organized the first SOS-San Francisco outreach. Over 1000 Christians joined us in a
week-long outreach involving evangelistic concerts and street witnessing throughout the
city.
Some Christians I knew had a band and they had started doing
evangelistic concerts in parks. It seemed like a good way to reach a lot of people with
God’s Word at one time. So I found out how to get permits, borrowed a small PA system
from a church, and asked some friends who had a Christian band to play at Union Square, a
small park in downtown San Francisco.
During a single afternoon, several hundred people would walk through
this park. There were businessmen, tourists, drug addicts, homosexuals, teenage runaways,
and prostitutes. When the Christian rock group started to play, they drew a good-sized
crowd. People would eventually realize that these musicians were singing about Jesus, but
most would stay because they liked the music. The musicians shared testimonies about how
they got saved and someone would preach a short message. A local ministry called His Way
gave us New Testaments to give away and people took as many as we had.
As we did these concerts, I met many Christians who thought this was a
great idea, and wanted to be involved. One brother, Ron Woodruff, was doing outdoor
concerts in the East Bay and had a large PA system. He also had contacts with other
Christian bands, access to a computerized mailing list, a typesetting machine, and a
Christian printer. Ron had just formed a non- profit corporation for his ministry called
Shama Sound Ministries, Inc. ("Shama" comes from the Hebrew word meaning
"to hear" or "to proclaim.") So we started printing up fliers of our
concerts and mailing them out to Christians as well as giving them out at Christian
concerts.
Evangelism outreaches expand in San
Francisco
In a short time, we met leaders of several churches in the San
Francisco area who wanted to do evangelism outreaches in San Francisco. We would schedule
a weekend outreach and each group would bring 30-50 Christians from their church. We got
another 30-50 Christians from our mailings, bringing the total to about 200. On Friday and
Saturday nights, we met at a church for worship and prayer, and then went to some area to
witness. On Saturday at noon, we had an outdoor concert, usually at Union Square, and then
witnessed downtown. We started writing and printing our own tracts.
Since those early days in San Francisco, we have continued a weekly
street outreach in San Francisco and Berkeley. Every Friday night we witness in the
various neighborhoods of San Francisco. Twice a month, we hold "church in the
street" rallies in downtown San Francisco involving music groups from various
churches. Once a month, we witness on Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley. And for the past 21
years, we have organized an annual week-long SOS-San Francisco outreach, involving
hundreds of Christians in a concerted effort to reach this city for Jesus.
After several years of organizing weekend outreaches like this, which
involved 100-200 Christians every six weeks, twenty leaders who had been involved in
planning these outreaches met together in January 1980. At that meeting, we decided to
plan a major, week-long outreach for August, which we called SOS-San Francisco. People are
constantly asking us, "What does SOS stand for?" An SOS is a distress signal, a
call for help. We wanted to send out an "SOS" to Christians all over the United
States to come to San Francisco to witness for the Lord. People have suggested various
meanings to the letters, but the only one I like is "Serve our Savior."
We printed up thousands of posters and other literature inviting
Christians to the outreach. Our mailing list grew to 5000 and we sent newsletters out all
over the country. We set up booths and gave out fliers at every Christian event we could
find. We shared about the outreach at churches and on Christian radio stations.
Writing a book to help others learn how to share the messiah with other
lost people.
I eventually wrote a book, You Shall Be My Witnesses: How to
Reach Your City for Christ, which documents our evangelism outreaches sin San
Francisco. It also gives practically ways to reach the supposed "unreachable" in
your community
One summer, David Wilkerson, founder of Teen Challenge ministry and now
director of World Challenge, brought a team of thirty workers to San Francisco. They gave
out 200,000 copies of a booklet David wrote called "Two of Me: the Struggle with
Sin." They also established a Christian coffeehouse in the heart of the Tenderloin
district, the skid-row area of San Francisco. This coffeehouse continued as an effective
ministry for four years.
About 1500 Christians were involved in the first SOS-San Francisco
outreach. Every day and night we sent teams of Christians throughout the city to witness
for the Lord. We printed up and gave out about half a million tracts written specially for
San Francisco. We put up hundreds of SOS posters around the city. Every afternoon we had
an evangelistic concert in a downtown park. Everywhere people went that week in San
Francisco, they would run into Christians who would witness to them about Christ.
Looking back, I still marvel at the way God used some very ordinary
Christians to establish a powerful street ministry in San Francisco. When God called me to
San Francisco, I never expected to do anything but witness on the street with a few other
Christians. I knew nothing about establishing a ministry, setting up a non-profit
corporation, putting out newsletters, or coordinating evangelism outreach involving
hundreds of Christians. But after five years of witnessing on the streets, getting little
response either from unbelievers or Christians, I became a leader of a ministry that was
having a significant impact for Christ on one of the wickedest cities in the world.
As I look back on my life these last 30 years, I would have considered
myself the most unlikely candidate to be God’s "social worker" on the
streets of San Francisco. I was interested in psychology mainly to figure out my own
problems. I was a hedonist who didn’t think that there was any answer to man’s
sin, selfishness and despair. I could have never dreamed that God would use "me"
to reach so many people in San Francisco. I guess in a way I did become a Jewish
"doctor," except instead of offering a cure for broken bodies, I am sharing the
good news "cure" for broken souls. I have witnessed broken hearts and lives that
have been restored and made whole by the transforming power of a risen Jewish Savior,
Jesus.
Why don’t you stop relying on yourself and let the Great
Psychiatrist, the lover of your soul, be first in your life?
If you have further questions about anything written in the testimony, please send
me an email, write, or call me. I will also
provide Larry with your email address if you would like to talk to him directly. - -
- Jon Lieberman
