Sibling Rivalry (Evangelism rant part 2)

In the interest of further discussion, a response to a comment made by Valparaiso on the earlier post dealing with this subject matter:

So true! someone told me they call this approach to evangelism "relational evangelism." I do believe it is the best kind. It's the way Jesus himself went about it. He of course did lots of preaching, but it was his personal relationship with the twelve and with the apostle Paul that empowered them to go into the world. Good Lord, Christianity is itself a personal relationship with Him!
But I have to defend my t-shirt, bro. ok. I don't own one, but I love it when people do. it's an expression of who they are... of what they like, of what they believe in. I'd like to defend all of them Jesus Paraphernalia lovers :) !!

First, thank you, and yes, it is called "Relational Evangelism," and it is by far the most effective form. But, let me clarify my position on the T-shirt thing, just so you know where I'm coming from when I make a statement like that. I was referring more specifically to the "I agree with _____" campaigns that Campus Crusade for Christ is fond of setting up on various campuses around the country.

In general, I personally think that there's a better (and more tasteful) way to express your faith than by wearing a T-shirt... especially given the reactions I've received when I've done it myself from non-Christians. Yes, I used to be that guy... most of what I've learned about evangelism I've learned by doing it the wrong way first.

And yes, I believe that in some cases, there is a wrong way to evangelize. T-shirt evangelism, especially of the campaign type, has the potential to do more than merely put off non-Christians... it can (and often does) makes Christians seem flaky and a bit shallow in the way they treat their own faith. And that prevents the believer from ever sharing the only solid reason to be offended and get put off from the Christian faith: Jesus Himself.

Basically, I just don't want to let things like that get in the way of the gospel. And while many consider wearing T-shirts like that a bold statement of faith and a great opportunity to start conversations, those I've talked to view them as turnoffs and are less likely to talk to that person at all. They feel alienated from the outset, place certain expectations on that person, cram them into a behavioral heuristic, and allow whatever prejudice against Christianity they have to surface and condemn the T-shirt wearer long before they ever have a chance to open their mouths and speak a greeting.

Part of this may also be due to the fact that many of the people I've witnessed to have had bad experiences with Christians in the past, and have a lot of baggage they've brought to the table when we've talked. Perhaps some people have been able to start conversations as a result of wearing their T-shirts. Or perhaps it's my own vicious determination to show the world that Christians can be intelligent, reasonable people (ah, my private axe to grind).

I just believe that there is a better way.

Perhaps I am too hard on them.

Perhaps not.

In the case of the "I Agree with Lee" campaign, I don't think I was harsh enough.

I remember meeting with the director of Campus Crusade for Christ at the University of Kansas the year that they decided to run their "I agree with Lee" campaign. I tried to sit down and explain to him why I thought he was doing more harm than good. I remember that he was indignant with me and flat out asked me if I wanted people to go to hell. I remember the two of us arguing back and forth in front of my campus minister and my pastor. I remember telling him he was making a huge mistake, and that he would be completely alienating his intended audience. I remember him looking down on me as an inferior believer. I remember feeling like I wasn't talking with a brother, but with a businessman. Numbers, numbers, numbers. It was all about how many they reached and how quickly they could do it. It was all about starting conversations and putting people on the spot. It was all about getting people to "step out in faith." I remember them not changing a thing about the campaign.

Time passed.

Then something really wondeful happened.

I ran in to a friend of mine who I've known since my freshman year. She was studying for a Western Civ final, and was having a tough time with some of the material on Freud. I stopped, and took some time out to help her. We wound up discussing Freud's views on God, and I explained to her why I thought they were untenable. I also explained to her what I believed about Jesus, and the reasons he came to die on the cross. I wound up laying out the whole gospel during the course of our discussion.

After we were through talking, she got up to leave. Before she walked off, she told me that she wished other Christians were more like me. I asked her what she meant. She said that when she talked with me, she could see that I knew why I believed what I did, and that she didn't feel talked down to or put off when I spoke to her about the Gospel.

It was the best compliment I have ever received.

But please understand my point, here. I don't say this to toot my own horn, because while it was very encouraging to me on a personal level it was also one of the most frustrating things I have ever heard.

I remember how my friend had viewed the "I agree with Lee campaign." When she said what she did, she was specifically referring to the campaign, as it had come up in our conversation.

If every person who had put on one of those blasted T-Shirts had just taken the time to take a friend out to coffee and really talk with them, really listen to them, really share with them both the joys and the traumas of their life and the power of Jesus to save, the campaign would have been far more effective. But instead, the director of Campus Crusade for Christ decided to treat people like my friend as arguments to be won with the T-shirts.

Val, I'm sorry. I'm not trying to rip in to you or disqualify your right to defend your friends who like to wear Christian T-shirts. You know, perhaps they are effective in some situations, and in some cases it really may just be a nice way to express yourself. It's just that I've seen so many people miss the point of sharing the Good News with people and replace the joy of the personal witness with cheap tricks and deceptive rhetoric that completely loses the message of the Gospel itself: "In this is true love, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Perhaps I am too hard on my brothers and sisters.

Perhaps not.

Perhaps, in some cases, I am not hard enough.