The eCrozier

In our baptisms, we’re sent out to proclaim the Gospel by word and deed. That means we’re evangelists. But how do we evangelize in today’s culture in a way that follows the model of Jesus while also humbly recognizing our own failings, sinners that we are?  Otherwise, our arrogance and a “holier-than-thou” attitude will be front and center rather than our trust and faith in the grace of God in Jesus.

Well, first, in a diverse social and religious landscape, we can remain true to our calling while also staying open to other cultural voices. We can root ourselves in Jesus while not disregarding what we might learn from others. We don’t hold a monopoly on truth. We worship and follow the One who is “the way, the truth, and the life,” but we ourselves aren’t even remotely that. Vaclav Havel, the former President of the Czech Republic, noted nearly thirty years ago that the biggest challenge facing western culture was to remember that we aren’t God. But our culture has become increasingly narcissistic and self-focused, so it’s hard for us not to be affected by this. So, we must remain true to who we are and the One we follow while also remaining humble in our relationships with those who believe differently than we do. No easy task.

Second, as we evangelize, we should be careful how we share the Good News in this polyreligious and spiritualized culture. Many who claim no religious affiliation these days still describe themselves as “spiritual.”  They may not see the need to be part of a church or a religious tradition, but they do recognize a spiritual core to their lives. These people are primarily under 40 years old and we’ve not done a good job of sharing the Gospel with them. I think we’re well suited to invite and welcome such people in our church. We’re a tradition with both breadth and depth. We need to be clear about who we are and what our mission is, while remaining open to the new and the challenging.

And third, as we invite people into a relationship with God through Christ, we should do so in a way that transcends the culture wars. These wars are fought over the issue of who has the correct belief on a given topic. And its logic goes like this: If I can convince you I have the correct belief, then whether I act on that belief is unimportant. Whatever I do or not do has to be correct because I have the correct belief. This is a logical result of 300+ years of Enlightenment thinking that more recently has been basted in post-modernism. It holds that what’s most important is what we think. I’m sure that some scientist who is an ape expert will one day teach them to communicate completely in human language. And soon after that some well-meaning person will teach them to how to communicate: “Jesus Christ is my Savior.” But what will that prove? A Jesus-modeled evangelism will get us out of our heads. Spouting propositions about Jesus means nothing if there aren’t also corresponding practices that go with such propositions, practices such as humility, hospitality, forgiveness, and compassion.

My hunch is that people outside the church are longing to belong to a community of people that engages intentionally, faithfully, and humbly in these practices. In other words, people need to see our faith, not just hear us go on about it.

+Scott