Allow me to introduce you to Suzan. Suzan grew up in a Christian household where her parents brought her to church every Sunday morning, encouraged her attendance to their church's high-school youth-group and to the best of their ability instilled into her what they believed to be Biblical values. Suzan never was against going to church as her church is where she met a lot of her friends. She also agreed with the morals that were taught to by her parents and also quite a bit that was taught from the Sunday morning pulpit.
However like in every church worldwide there were people in her church who seemed to be disabled in finding that fine line between their passion for obedience to Christ and finesses. There were people in her local church who bulldozed her with their beliefs on evangelism, Biblical interpretation, proper Christian conduct and so forth. For an example, one Sunday morning Suzan met one man who just after learning her name he asked her if she was going to die that day, where she would go: heaven or hell? Moreover, she had a Sunday school teacher in highschool who insisted that she was not a true Christian unless she was willing to do "door-step-evangelism". (Going 'door-to-door' evangelizing to people on the front doorsteps of their homes). It was, among other things actions like these that caused her to ultimately leave the church and the Christian faith all together.
Christians are called to represent Christ and be used by Him to create disciples of all nations, (cf. Matthew 28:19). However needless to say it is the *how* in many Christian's evangelism that has been the problem. There are many Christians who adopt methods of evangelism that in some cases work but in other cases are detrimental; and unfortunately too many Christians don't consider the latter reality and proceed to use their method of evangelism to the detriment of their ministry. So there are now three questions that need to be addressed:
- To what extent should Christians go in evangelism and how should they do it?
- The answer to this question of course is on a case-by-case basis. It should come to no surprise though how Suzan responded to this man at her church as he didn't seem to have any interest in any sort of investment in her life; he just wanted to push his dogmatic views onto her.
- How should a Christian respond to people who they are ministering the Gospel to respond when they are accused of misconduct either by the person or others?
- This man should have simply watched Suzan's response so to know how to respond: apologetically and become more personally inquisitive. Before he strikes her again with the other side of his Bible he should show interest in her as a person who is currently alive and as it stood that day, that moment going neither to heaven or hell, but rather out to lunch with her family. He should show her that he cares for her as a person who has interests, ideas, struggles, and perhaps a lot of questions and not another notch on his evangelism belt.
- Should evangelism stay in the church sanctuary or the public street of a society that allows freedom of speech? Or would it be okay to bring ones Christianity to the proverbial office water-cooler or in the classroom at school?
Journalist David Barrett from The Telegraph records the story of "Victoria Wasteney, a senior occupational therapist in one of the country’s most racially diverse areas, was ... accused of bullying [a] colleague after giving her a book about a Muslim woman who converts to Christianity."[i] Wasteney ministered her Christian beliefs to a Muslim co-worker by the means of inviting her to sport related church functions[ii] and giving her a book that told the testimony of a woman who left Islam and entered into a relationship with Christ as God in the flesh (cf. John 1:14).
What is the background to this work-relationship? Barrett explained that these women knew of each other's beliefs straight from the beginning and that both of them are proud of their theological leanings. This was a common denominator in their relationship that allowed their relationship to flourish, despite the polar opposite nature of their theological views. Barrett writes that Wasteney's co-worker was intrigued by her church's fight against human trafficking; and as their relationship developed Wasteney invited her co-worker to church events and she even prayed with her. And then when her co-worker was about to take time off for a hospital stay Wasteney gave her the book that was mentioned above. Barrett records that at the end of this ordeal Wasteney was found guilty of three offences:
- Praying with a colleague. Barrett records Wasteney explaining that when the Mulsim woman came into her office distraught about news about her health, she said to her co-worker: “...I can pray for you?’"[iii] of which she replied: "OK"[iv].
- Giving to a colleague a book about a woman's story of a conversion from Islam to Christianity.
- Inviting her to events at her church.
This is what was 'wrong' in the eyes of her employers: the conduct between two people who met as co-workers and developed at least a work-based-friendship - a friendship that involved religion. Wasteney did what the confrontative man in the story above should have done with Suzan: invested into her life.
To conclude as Christians we are not to keep Christ in church but bring him everywhere we go: school, the store, the office, etc. However we are to invest into the lives of everyone we meet as that is what Christ wants to do - restore back to himself a creation that has been broken and that is in need of restoration (cf. 2nd Corinthians 5:20) - and not treat the Gospel message like a door-to-door sales-pitch. This isn't to say that we have to become best friends with everyone; but as you can, show everyone that you care; and this is to be done even in the face of a world who can't look past political-correctness; a world that believes that giving someone a book and inviting them to social events with a religious overtone is inappropriate conduct. So here are the answers to the aforementioned questions above:
- To what extent should Christians go in evangelism and how should they do it?
- ANSWER: To the extent where the truth is not compromised and obedience to Christ is honoured and offer said truth in an non-offensive and investing way.
- How should a Christian respond to people who they are ministering the Gospel to when they are accused of misconduct?
- ANSWER: If the accusation has merit: repent; if the accusation is from a place of political correctness: fight against moronism; and if the accusation comes from a place of ignorance: teach, (cf. 2nd Timothy 3:16)
- Is it okay to bring Christ into the classroom or the office?
- ANSWER: Yes.
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[i] - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/10933206/NHS-worker-who-bullied-Muslim-by-praying-for-her.html - accessed July 12, 2014
[ii] - Ibid. - accessed July 12, 2014
[iii] - Ibid. - accessed July 12, 2014
[iv] - Ibid. - accessed July 12, 2014
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