Say evangelism and I picture a man in a sandwich board on the streets of our inner cities, shouting “Repent!” And in times past, the literal “city” was indeed the best place to be heard by the most ears. Today we have the internet, which unites us across cities, states and countries on one message board. When was the last time you tried to reach out?
I’m currently involved in an interesting discussion on MySpace. If you’re a MySpace member, click here to view it and even participate. I think you can view it even if you aren’t a member, but to comment you’ll need to sign in. So far in this discussion we’ve covered free will, drinking, moral relativism, evolution, and misconceptions about biblical womanhood inside and outside of church. You may want to skip the first page or two, since I got some obscene comments early on (see the last post). But since then it has been interesting and thought-provoking.
I wonder how many people truly hear the guy on the corner with the sandwich board? I have found it’s the same with the web — the best results come from personal relationship, which sometimes means hearing (or reading, in this case) things that I myself wouldn’t say. How else can we be the light in the darkness, if we’re not willing to engage the dark places?
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March 19, 2009 at 3:19 am
Peter Park
These vehicles, like myspace, are ways to connect with others, not necessarily build relationships.
March 19, 2009 at 3:25 am
annaldavis
That’s true, nothing substitutes for relationships in real (not virtual) life. Just because MySpace and Facebook call them “Friends” does not make them so.
I guess I meant that honest (even vulnerable) two-way dialogue is better than “drive-by” evangelism, where we drop a few verses and platitudes and then expect everyone to see God.
March 19, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Larry Who
One of my favorite salvation stories is told by R. W. Schambach about himself.
Schambach, a Texan, was a crewman in the navy and on leave in New York city. As he walked down the street, he heard a street preacher yell, “Sinner!”
Schambach was so convicted by this one word that he bowed his knees on the sidewalk, gave his life to the Lord, got up and continued walking down the street. The street preacher never knew the affect his word had on Schambach.
So, maybe a man with a sign might only touch one man, but that man could be an R. W. Schambach who might go on and touch millions of people.
March 19, 2009 at 4:17 pm
annaldavis
Larry,
That’s a great story, and inspiring to know that the seeds we’re planting may have an impact on people whether we ourselves see it or not. And certainly we need people with signs in our midst, as part of the body of Christ. They have an important job to do.
I guess I’m more drawn to relationship. On the web I have found a disproportionate number of atheists and agnostics, and a large number of people who just flat out don’t believe in sin. To call these people “sinners” and tell them to repent just rolls right off their backs, as does saying things like “the Bible says…” since this Book holds no authority for them.
Many of them have been so jilted by Christians in their past, that I think they just need to see us be real, with opinions and struggles of our own. I’m not sure if my conversations have done anything for the Kingdom, but like the man on the corner I hope that God will use my words to bring change for even one person.
March 20, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Larry Who
annal,
No doubt about it. We Christians have a life-giving message, but sadly, we tend to be the worst sales people in the world. We can’t even give it away.
So, God bless you. May your efforts produce fruit.