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A Liberal Christian’s View of Evangelism

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Question: When is a Christian most like an atheist?

Answer: When that Christian is a liberal Christian.

I happened upon an article critical of my evangelism training ideas from a blog called “Confessions of a Former Conservative.” The writer took issue with my coaching of evangelists at a Christmas Parade. Here’s a sample of what we do:

One of the things that the Former Conservative hates is that we hand out tracts. This is what he wrote:

You see when I go to parades there is this long progression of people who wish to hand me pieces of paper advertising crude word deleted that I don’t care about. About 50% of these are related to a church or some kind of tract. The first thing I do when returning home from a parade is do a great purge of all the crude word deleted handed to me by random people, because I don’t want to take karate classes for 7 year olds nor do I want to attend the Sword of the Lord Pentecostal Bible Faith and Freedom Church.

The fact that you make your kids do this crude word deleted creeps me out, Steve. Why don’t you let your kids be kids and enjoy a Christmas parade like normal children would instead of making them go around handing out religious propaganda? Allow your kids to have a normal childhood. I have wonderful memories of everything surrounding the Christmas season as a child. Somehow I doubt your kids will have the same, because you’ve made Christmas parades about harassing strangers.

As I read his article, which is well-written, I smiled and shook my head. As a liberal Christian the writer has no belief in Hell, therefore, there is no urgency to get the Good News out because everyone ends up in Heaven.

When it came to our evangelists preaching the 10 Commandments to the spectators to show the nature of sin, Former Conservative would have none of it.

My how festive! You’re just like Linus in a Charlie Brown Christmas if Linus was a holier than thou expletive deleted instead of an adorable little child.

“You’re going to hell for being a filthy thief and that’s what the true meaning of Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown!”

Though he takes me to task for using rather unorthodox methods when evangelizing, the real bottom line of his criticism is that he thinks I don’t need to share my faith. It’s a waste of time. Why bother?

Again, when is a Christian most like an atheist?

“Have you no wish for others to be saved?
Then you are not saved yourself.

Be sure of that.”
—Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892)

Read his two part critical analysis of my evangelizing  by clicking here for part one, and here for part two. (Caution: Because of his liberal views about faith, you will find some PG-13 language in the articles.)

 

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