Ways NOT to evangelize!
 

I wanted to be respectful of the other thread about evangelism, so I thought i'd start a different one.

I personally don't believe in evangelizing, I don't believe in forcing your religion upon someone else, I don't believe that anyone has a right to tell me that i'm going to hell because I don't believe exactly what they do, or that being Catholic is evil (this came from a Christian- okay, the religions are close enough, you're lucky that I at least believe in the same basic stuff as you do). I've seen some youth groups that are like a cult, and they're constantly recruiting like a cult mentality.

But on the other hand, I believe in the freedom of speech that allows them to do so.

But I'm sure a lot of college students have had funny experiences with so-called evangelists. The crazy man who stands on the corner with some big signs, tells us we're all going to hell, and draws a crowd that is entirely there to mock him.

My own favorite memory is from my freshman year. I'm walking past the student union, some girl comes up to me (never seen her before in my life) and compliments me on my sandals. Okay, that's nice. She keeps talking to me about random stuff. I seriously start wondering if she's hitting on me and begin to find it funny, 'cause hey, it'll make a great story to tell, my first time getting hit on by a woman! After a few minutes (I couldn't figure out how to get away politely!), she asks me to a bible study. This is out of the blue. I say no, I don't have time, she's like, "don't you don't have time to study God?" See, i think that's just rude and wrong. It's none of your damn business.

The other funny experience is when I was with a friend, and these 2 guys were out evangelizing. It was pretty late at night, we were going to 7-11 along Forbes Avenue (one of the busy roads around campus). It's late, it's dark, sometimes there are some unsavory characters around. These 2 guys stop us to ask us something like what time it was, then basically corner us and lecture to us about God, etc. etc. That was just plain scary.

That's kind of my rant on evangelizing. I don't know, you have a right to do it, but I really don't appreciate it, and it makes a bad impression on me of whatever particular group that person belongs to.

Not a fan of it, either. I don't appreciate being accosted at all, but especially when it comes to religion.

I think that many of us have had bad experiences with evangelism and I have had good experiences as well. Much of it comes down to approach. I have a deeply personal relationship with Christ and am a non-practicing Catholic. For me, that relationship truly is a personal thing and isn't anybody else's business most of the time. My kids have very strong faith and go to their Dad's church but question some of the teachings (because they are very intelligent children who understand that scientific evidence and the Bible don't always agree). We work to find a way for both to co-exist. There are days that I pray probably 50 times a day. There are days I pray only a few times. I thank the Lord for small things and big things and don't ask for much other than to know his Will, and to receive strength and grace to cope with life's hardballs. I have never really believed that it is necessary to follow one denomination but do feel that there are times that I need to participate in an organized religion and receive the Eucharist in church (which is why I still consider myself Catholic).

All that said, I have been told that I was not Christian because I am Catholic.
I have been told that I was suffering from Crohn's Disease because I wasn't praying hard enough.
When I was 8, I was told I was going to hell because I hadn't been "saved" while attending a Vacation Bible School with a friend. Even more worrying was that my whole family was going to hell, which seemed to bother me more than worrying about just me.

I thought I had a very good friendship with the woman who told me I wasn't praying enough about my Crohn's. I feel uncomfortable around her now. It was a horribly mean and offensive way to speak to me. During my most ill time, I was praying every few minutes to get me through the next hour of pain... One Day At a Time was too much .. I was taking it One HOUR at a time. The audacity to tell me I wasn't praying enough or I wouldn't be sick! I was eternally grateful to those who said "I will pray for you", because I needed it! There are definitely ways to go about it and ways to not go about it. The person who I admire most in this area is from my kids' church. She runs the youth choir and babysits my kids when they are on summer break and school breaks. She LIVES Christianity more than anybody I know. She gives service to so many, houses missionaries who are in town for short periods, is non-judgmental of others, and extends a helping hand to anybody who needs it whenever she can. She evangelizes through lifestyle and truly is an inspiration to many, without ever criticizing others.

It just depends on the method, to me.

Dee

My school is United Methodist affiliated. So people are constantly talking about bible study or OCF (fellow ship group) and word of god and the like. Well, I made a choice to become Catholic when I was 17. So whenever I tell people that I'm Catholic they always ask me things like, "why do you worship statues" or "why don't you talk directly to God?" or the kicker, "Have you ever been raped by a priest?". Things that are backhanded like that are very very annoying. And whenever I try to explain the reasoning/theology behind it, they always yell and scream "God isn't enough for you? you have to have saints!? or "Your church harbors child molestors because it isn't in God's plan". Seriously, I'd like to just bite their heads off. Don't ask a question if you don't want to let me answer. My soul is FINE, thank you, how's yours?

.

Gotta agree with all of you... while I believe in God and in Jesus Christ, I cannot stand anyone who proselytizes his or her religion upon me. I'm a baptized but not a practicing Roman Catholic, though nowadays I'd probably fit in better with the Episcopals, since I'm at odds with some Catholic teachings, and my active membership in the Masons precludes me from receiving Communion.

Unfortunately, there are way too many people in the world who have absolutely no understanding of any religion other than their own, and wind up spreading lies and misconceptions passed on to them by their preacher at the pulpit or their teacher in Sunday school.

As a young catholic I get accosted regularly on campus by people who think that I am going straight to hell because I don't feel the need to attend campus crusade or bible studies. I attended catholic school for way too long to need help in studying the bible, and I regularly read the bible. I get really annoyed when people send me nasty campus mail about being sent to hell for not worshiping the correct christian religion.

I don't feel the need to broadcast my religion as I feel it is a personal thing between me and God. I regularly pray and I regularly have my own spiritual time. I don't think it's healthy when people can't joke about their religion either. People get too uptight about religion and can't laugh about it.

I recieved the best advice ever from a priest when I was in high school. Fr. Jack told me, "Personally I don't think God gives a damn about what we do as long as we live life right and to the best of our ability. He accepts you for what you are because he created you." This was in response to me slipping up and eating red meat on a Friday during Lent, but it's stuck with me as applying to everything in my life.

I feel that if people spent more time on making sure they live their own lives correctly instead of worrying about everyone else on earth then they might just be happier. But then I'm just a crazy catholic so what do I know? ;)

When I was a teenager, I was pursued by a mainstream church group--I think they just wanted to be able to use our big ol' house for parties and such. They sent over their youth director. He said he'd heard I was looking around and said, "Are you going to try the Methodists?" and I said maybe and he insulted them. Then he mentioned a couple more groups and he insulted them. Finally, he asked if I'd be trying the Unitarians and he said, "You'd like them, that's the church of the devil."

Okay, I was probably the most innocent kid in my school. AND--my grandmother, a Unitarian, was in the next room. She came out screaming at him, he left in a hurry, and my father was on the phone to the church before their youth director could've even gotten back to the church.

He got in a ton of trouble. How did he think he would recruit me by saying something like that?:confused:

This is an article everyone should read:

Convincing the Unconvinced

The guy is a computer science professor at the Blue Zoo (aka the U.S. Air Force Academy).

When I think about what a "true Christian" is, it's the description you gave of your friend. To me, it's about being good to other people--not telling everyone how good you are. It's about treating people how you would like to be treated. As I get older, I find that fewer and fewer people are Christians in the sense of performing good deeds. Jesus, according to what the Bible says, opened his heart to everybody--including society's outcasts.

I've had terrible experiences with people evangelizing to me. In (public!) high school, I had a teacher who would bring her husband (a Charisamatic Episcopal Rector) to come in and talk to us. This was the same woman who told me that I would join a cult if I went to a certain (very liberal) college for undergrad. I have a family member who is one of those snakewater Christians who believes that God doesn't love you if you're homosexual--but being materialistic and shallow is just fine! :rolleyes: He likes to use family gatherings as his pulpit--but I think we all realize that he's basically a con artist.

Interesting stories. One of the best things I was ever told concerning evangelism was that, "more Christians with good intentions will ensure that others go to Hell than Satan does."

In other words, you need to know to whom you are speaking, if they are searching, and what would be the best way of helping them come to the Lord. Screaming on a street corner won't work, as we've all noticed, but talking to someone who has questions about eternity will.

There really is a time and a place for everything (as in "to everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the heavens"); the best way to be a good evangelist is to be sensitive to each person, and their time to be reached.

The best part of that article (in my opinion):

If you were invited to talk about your faith, then by all means go ahead. But if you were invited for some other reason, then offering religious testimony insults your hosts. I’ve given plenty of public speeches, many at the request of audiences who don’t share my religious views. Imagine if I told a crowded high school auditorium my joy in knowing that Jesus was not my personal savior. Christians in the audience would be deeply offended; I’d never be invited back. And rightly so.

There was a woman whom I saw (heard!) on the subway two or three times a week who would evangelize at the top of her lungs all the way from Nevins Street in Brooklyn to 14th Street in Manhattan. She probably continued north, but thankfully I got off the train at 14th Street. She was LOUD! Plus, she had a very spooky, monotone voice. It was like the Chinese water torture; it JUST WOULD NOT STOP.

And somehow she ended up in my car very often. I was just lucky, I guess :(

everything is represented by good and bad examples.
i definitely think that evangelizing by telling someone they are going to hell is a definite NO NO. that is the quickest way NOT to get your point across.
i also think that forcing your 'religion' on someone is the wrong way to evangelize.
evangelism is bascially just telling someone about your faith.


honestly, i detest the word 'religious'. it is NOT 100% equal to christianity. i, myself, am not religious. my church is not religious. when i think of religion, i think of a set of rules that you must follow or you will go to hell. a lot of christians think that way. and a lot of people think that christians are that way. it is the biggest misconception. to be a christian means to be free in Christ. of course, they are guidelines that you should live by. but it does not ultimately separate you from Christ. it is so much more than that.
it is too bad that christianity had to be separated by denominations, but the beliefs in christianity are so vastly different. honestly, i think that denominations do more harm than good.


and obviously, i know that christianity is not the only belief out there. i am just speaking what i know.




and thanks kddani for respecting the other thread