Evangelism Options

[yummy_delight]

A good friend of mine and I recently got into a heated debate about evangelism. We're both Christians, but we have very different ideas about evangelism. When my friend started getting really involved in church a few years ago, he also became a rampant evangelist. He believes that by bringing more people into the church he is not only saving them from eternal damnation, but also doing his duty as a Christian. He has often quoted Charles Spurgeon, saying "Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter," essentially stating that you can't truly be Christian without evangelizing non believers.

I, however, don't like the idea of evangelism at all. Although I'm a devout Catholic, I dislike the idea of evangelism because I don't believe that anybody, myself included, has the right to force his or her beliefs on someone else. I think that everybody has a right to be whatever the religion they choose. Perhaps it's because I have a different idea about God than other people. I don't think that God sends honestly good people to Hell just because they don't believe in him. There are such things as Christian people who are hypocritical, paying lip service to God at church on Sundays, and still go about causing harm to other people. In my opinion, these people are less deserving of heaven than the good-hearted people whose only "fault" is that they don't believe in God. I think that my duty as a Christian is to be a good person and have a positive impact on the world, which doesn't necessarily mean that I HAVE to be an evangelist.

I'd just like to know what everyone else's opinion is on this, not merely from a Christian standpoint, but from another religion's or atheist's perspective as well. Do you approve of evangelism? Are you an evangelist? Do you think that evangelism is a necessary requirement for all good Christians?

[splitnightsky]

to answer you without quoting (geez that was long)

funny thing is, I really didn't feel like reading all that.
ho'crap and c'mon.
another thing, I made very general statements.
I really don't care
what you think about me.

yes, you are right on some points.
but I'm a lot less inclined to listen to you.
why? you attacked my opinions.
this is why I hate door-to-door.
most people go about it the wrong way.
"you are wrong, this is right."
I'm not gonna believe you from a 4 year olds argument.
sorry.

to me, full blown Christian means I am born again,
yes, but also how I believe Jesus would want me to live.
not by some guidelines you or anyone else decides to make up.
and I'll never fake it. ever.

how I got saved? one day I was just sitting in my room
and figured, hey, I'm pretty much a sinner, why not get saved?
it wasn't as "callouse" as that..but you get what I'm saying.
no one influenced me. I didn't even tell anyone for 4 days.

and evangelism is not all about going door to door.
you wish to refer to scripture, give me the scripture
where it says that we have to go door to door to "save" people.
truth is, it says to go unto the world and make followers and baptize them.

I hate using scripture in arguments, because things can taken however they will be.
so I'm not gonna pull any in here.
but I believe what I believe.
you are going to be frustrated because I don't agree with you,
and I'm going to be frustrated the same back.

that's life.