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]

Your point is very well made. In no way would I ever imply that you have to be Christian to care about others. Even worse, I'd have to be blind to say that all those who call themselves "Christian" do care about others.

But, being a Christian is first-and-foremost about caring about God and the things that are important to Him. And what's important to Him is that people turn from that which takes them away from Him -- their sin -- and that they turn to Him.

I have nothing to gain from writing these words. I'm certainly not winning a popularity contest. In fact, if you want to win a popularity contest do NOT do what I'm doing.

I don't know if you're married, but if your spouse were to write you a bunch of love letters and you never even opened the envelopes, how unkind would that be ? God could have left us all guessing as to what He requires to be with Him, but He didn't. He gave us 66 Books that tell us how loving, kind, good, and righteous He is. The Bible says He takes no pleasure in the death of the those who reject Him.