Worst Religious Idea Ever?

I tweeted this blog post which answers the question, “What’s the Second Worst Religious Idea of the Decade?”. Gonna make you click to see, but suffice to say I agree with the sentiment if not the precise numbering.

In any event, Sid (always good for a barb) posited that it might be Evangelism. Both Mer and I reminded him that it was just the last decade that was in discussion. I think perhaps though he has a point. Evangelism, at least the way many folks do it these days, may well be the worst religious idea ever.

So let me paint a picture. I’m Mr. Happy Atheist sitting in my den, drinking vodka from a fifth, chain smoking, and unwinding after having just eaten a baby. Maybe I’m relaxing, trolling the internet looking to pick a fight when my doorbell rings. I throw on my bathrobe and answer the door in a blue rage at having been interrupted. There stand Billy and Bobby Baptist ready to share with me the Good News. They’re all clean cut and shining in their off the rack suits and wielding well worn Bibles in new cases. Depending on how crappy my day has been I might trigger the bucket of bat excrement I’ve been saving for just such an occasion, or I might tear their theology a new one with my ready wit and the knowledge I’ve gleaned from perusing the Skeptic’s Annotated Bible. In any case I am not ready, willing, or able really to hear what it is they’ve got to say.

Now this picture is painted mainly for humor’s sake and for the satirically impaired I know that atheists don’t actually eat babies. The fact is though, the door to door approach hardly seems to be the best approach. Does it work? I honestly don’t know. I don’t have any hard numbers. I will say, however, that I’ve been in Happy’s position after a fashion. We Christians don’t have flashing neon signs over our doors letting our brethren know that we’re in like Flynn. Even if we did though, that wouldn’t stop those from other denominations/religions/etc from knocking on our doors. When that happens my first thought, even provided my own reveries have not been interrupted, is hardly “Let’s have an open mind, shall we?”. I’m ready to either a) shuffle them off as quickly as possible or b) argue with the proverbial fence post. I’ve done both and neither party wins in that situation.

I do believe that we as Christians are called upon to evangelize. It is not optional. We are given a great amount of latitude as to the hows and wherefores. I think that stuff like what Mr. Hume gets taken apart for here:

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is a bad idea. Not so much because he’s wrong in saying what he did (other than the thing about proselytizing), but because I can honestly see no clear reason for choosing that particular venue to do it in. He certainly wasn’t confronting Mr. Woods directly and he made a blanket statement about a religion with no person of that religion present to defend themselves. He then gets a little self-righteous about a negative backlash, indicating that it was to be expected. Yes, if you use your bully pulpit to demean another religion you’re going to get crap for it. It’s got nothing to do with Jesus Christ and everything to do with the way you used his name. So all in all, this is an “evangelism” fail.

If you’re going to share the good news with someone there’s a time and a place for it. Yes Jesus went about the country and spoke to the masses. In most cases, so far as I am aware, he did so in places where that was appropriate/expected (and in doing so… still got crap for it). He also talked to individuals, willing individuals. He didn’t harass anyone. He answered questions when asked and generally loved the people he came into contact with (provided they weren’t being jerks about their religion). I don’t think that he, or Paul, or anyone else in the Bible or in much of Church history walked up to random doors and handed out leaflets.

I think what you need to do is love the people you’re around. You put yourself out there in places where you will run into people that don’t agree with you. You make them aware of who you are and what you believe, preferably by your actions more than your words. Maybe you wait to bring up the subject once you’ve gotten to know them. Maybe you invite them to church. Or maybe you just ask them over for supper. God will open the doors that need to be opened. It’s not as “sexy” as walking on the beach and pestering people who are on vacation. It takes time. It’s hard work, the work of a life, not a Sunday afternoon or a Spring Break. I think that’s the Evangelism we’re called to do.

Now here’s the hard part for me. All of the above? I could be wrong. Maybe you’ve had an instance where this has worked for you. Maybe this works well and I’m just not seeing the why or the how. Please, clue me in. Let me know how this works for you and let me know how you spread the good news.

  • http://chrisbowsman.wordpress.com/ Chris Bowsman

    Evangelism would be best approached the same as good story telling: Show, don't tell.

    In other words, I agree with your “love the people you're around” sentiment. You will never, ever, ever talk someone into joining your team, and if you do, you probably don't want them.

  • http://www.salguod.net salguod

    I do agree with you, mostly. People are converted by relationships, but those relationships have to start somewhere. I think you are right, 'love the people you're around' is perhaps the most effective method, but not the only one.

    I will say that 'cold calling' does work, although the ratio of converts to refusals is pretty low. I grew up in church, but as soon as I got to college I gave upon it. Someone stopped me cold on campus and invited me to a Bible study and I went. That's the start of what I consider my conversion. Also, I personally converted someone the same way, as well as getting into Bible studies with many others.

    Part of the reason it's effective is sheer numbers. Know on doors or stop folks at the mall and you can meet dozens of new people in an hour or two. The thing is, those who respond positively are going to be folks that have already been thinking about finding a church or studying Christianity. You aren't going to convert a devout atheist by knocking on their door.

    On the other hand, be building a relationship of love and trust with someone who is an atheist, you open a door for dialog that you'd never open by standing on their porch and knocking.

    If you're going to do the cold calling, be polite and take no for no. Some people are going to be offended simply by the interruption, but that'll be fairly quickly forgotten unless you have to get confrontational.

  • sidfaiwu

    Oh your god, that third paragraph was hysterical. That's some great satire there, Scott.

    Actually, when I thought about my response tweet to you, I realized it was not evangelism that was the worst idea, but dominionism. While it's older than a decade, it arguable reached it's pinnacle in the US during that time. I was confusing the desire to convert with the desire to control.

    You make some great points about evangelism. I read something similar on a website you linked to a while back. Yes, here's the post. The type of evangelism you're decrying in your post is what they call “soul winning”. The author wonders why this salesman approach has become the preferred method and answers with what I thought was fantastic:

    “I would posit the theory that the average fundy simply doesn’t have relationships with a large number of certified genuine sinner types that he can use as a basis for witnessing. Indeed, having built the castle of Holiness and dug the moat of Separation, fundamentalists are then left with the task of launching raiding parties of two or three hearty Christians soldiers out into the wild to club as many hapless sinners as they can and drag them back into the fold while trying not to be infected with their prey’s immodesty and bad language.”

    Your solution – real relationships and interactions with those of different beliefs – solves the root cause of this kind of evangelism.

  • spiritualtramp

    That's a good analogy Chris. Thanks!

  • spiritualtramp

    Relationship evangelism is certainly not the only method, you're right. I realize that cold calling probably does work on some level or else noone would do it. I have a few problems with it. FIrst it becomes a “numbers game” as you suggest. We have to knock on x numbers of doors to get y results. That along with all of the studies that churches do and the consultants that some use to figure out what programs they need to get in order to get butts in seats still strikes me as running contrary philosophically to what the Bible teaches.

    Secondly it just seems so shallow. “Pardon me, I don't know you or anything about you, but I'd like you to come to my group.” I mean yeah you're gonna get the curious and of those you'll “bag” one or two and yes that's absolutely worth it, but do we put too much energy in that direction? I'm not saying we throw it out, but maybe rather than people cruising into strange neighborhoods, we should encourage people to get to know their neighbors more and invite them to a back yard barbecue rather than a Bible study. I'm not so sure that's being emphasized the way it should be.

    Like I said though, I could be wrong. Maybe not as many churches are involved in Evangelism Explosion techniques as I think are. Maybe more are doing relational evangelism. If so, I'm happy.

    Oh the other thing that bugs me? Let's invite folks to the church to watch a football game/movie/big supper. That's usually so bait and switch. Just have people invite their neightbors to … but I repeat myself. You get the picture I think.

  • spiritualtramp

    Glad you found it funny. I hope everyone did.

    Dominionism is probably worth a post in and of itself. So I think I'll do one and we can talk about that there.

    That post is absolutely spot on. Glad to see I'm not the only one who doesn't get it (or suspects that they do get it but desperately hopes we're wrong).

  • http://www.salguod.net salguod

    Actually, now that I think about it, relationship evangelism is the only way, it's just that there are many ways to start a relationship. Some are more 'natural' if you will than others, working together or living in the same neighborhood vs. knocking on someone's door.

    I think that if we approach it from the standpoint that we are building a relationship, not conquering for Jesus or building a church or whatever, then no matter how we start we are off on the right track.

    As I think you know, I've lived the numbers game before, and it's not the work of God but the work of man. Oh, and I'm with you on the bait and switch stuff, rude, plain and simple.

  • http://lifeslittleinspirations.com/ Wendi Kelly

    I don't think Jesus was a pest. People came to Him. HE wasn't chasing them down, beating them with a stick. And did He say Go Proclaim the Good News? Sure. But he didn't tell them to go hunt down new believers either.

    The best evangelism (In my opinion) is a life lived where His light shines so brightly from a person that others are compelled to stop and ask why.

  • spiritualtramp

    Agreed (although some Pharisees may have disagreed re: Jesus being a pest). Letting your behavior/personality be a draw is a good approach I think.

    Mt 5 14“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

  • spiritualtramp

    thanks Doug!

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