An imposition?

Many people equate evangelism with imposition - someone imposing their religious views on another person as a ploy for power or control. But this idea is mistaken.


• To equate evangelism with imposition implies that Christianity is only subjectively true - true and binding for me, but not for others. Christianity is not man's subjective opinion. It is God's objective truth, regardless of our subjective opinions.


• To equate evangelism with imposition implies that Christians are able to convert people themselves, which is entirely false. In fact, of all the religions in the world, Christianity is the one least amenable to such imposition because of its theology of conversion.


• Humanity is so entrenched in sin that unless God's Spirit does the converting work Himself, none of us would ever repent and believe.


• Therefore, Christianity is actually unique among world religions for the impossibility of imposing its belief structure on others. Only God convinces people to repent and believe.

(from 9Marks.org)

Thinking about Evangelism

"Ever since the inception of the Billy Graham Crusades in the 50's, the rise of the ecumenical movement, and the proliferation of parachurch groups, evangelism has come to mean different things to different people. To some, doing evangelism means inviting people to a church service or a Crusade where they are urged to walk an aisle and pray a prayer. Indeed, many can scarcely imagine genuine conversions happening otherwise. To others, evangelism is much less a monologue and invitation than it is a dialogue and conversation. The thought of a speaker imposing his own seemingly speculative views on a helplessly captive audience is too much for some broad spirits to bear. For others, evangelism has become equated with initiating conversations with strangers, sharing gospel tracts, praying a prayer, and sometimes even downplaying the importance of theological development. Waiting for unbelievers to observe something different in Christians is perceived in some quarters as naïve and even lazy. Still others leave evangelism to the pros - pastors, seminary professors, youth leaders, and the like. After all, if evangelism is so important, who am I to try it?"
(from 9Marks.org)