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?

[sdingfelder]

Yeah, sorry. I get verbose. I hope you do get the chance to read the rest of my addressing your points.

As for attacking your opinions, please forgive me if that's the way it came off. You made statements that (as with all things) need to be compared to the Word of God. Are your opinions so sacrosanct that they can't be questioned ? Are you so sure your thoughts are supported in the Bible that they shouldn't be addressed ? If you see something I've written that contradicts the Bible, I need to know. Please show me the verses.

As for a "4 year old's argument": Logic doesn't have to be complicated. It just has to be true.

I'm very glad that you're born again. I'm very glad to know that you're 100% sure of your eternal destiny. I'm sad to know that you haven't been led to share the incredible gift that you've received with as many people as you can.

As for the guidelines by which to live, you're right. Not one single person on this Earth should tell you how to live. The Word of God should. I simply asked if you were living a Christian life that the Bible describes.

Bottom line is that Jesus Himself said that He would make you a fisher of men if you follow Him (Matthew 4:19). For some, that means fishing door-to-door. For others, it means fishing while walking in the mall. That said, by 4 year old logic, it seems pretty clear that if you're not a fisher of men, you're not following Him.

I agree that Scripture doesn't do much (again, forgive me in that I didn't know were having an argument, but rather a discussion) with someone who doesn't see the Bible as the Word of God. Addressing your post was my first real use of including Scripture. I did that because you said you were a "full blown Christian", so I made the assumption that you would respect the verses.

Because I know that I'm wrong in many ways at many times, I actually wouldn't mind if you would expose me to some verses to support what you believe in terms of sharing the Gospel. If I'm wrong, I'm willing to change. Actually, it'd be much easier and take much less time for me to not share openly and boldly. It would give me much less heartache to walk by people and not care that they're destined for eternity separated from God and suffering in the Lake of Fire.

Show me.