Evangelism
You know … I’m a chronic griper. It’s true. I’ll confess. And it can be a problem sometimes, but a lot of times … I think there needs to be a griper … someone to make everybody second guess themselves. I, more often than not it seems, am that man.
The past few months have seen me engaged in two very different debates concerning Christian evangelism. In the first debate, it was me amongst other young Catholics. The debate was framed around the idea that evangelism was just about useless in America … that society was so ontologically estranged from the ideas of Christianity let alone Catholicism, that “evangelism” – apologetics, theology, philosophy, and I imagine philanthropy to some extent – was useless. Instead, we needed to take on the lives of the Saints … engage culture as truly helpful and wisened friends … and hope to lead people to the Church out of curiosity about who we are.
My response was that I’m all for what they are setting out to do … except the whole abandoning evangelism part. I think we need to stay tied into that. I think it’s important to be ready to meet a person wherever they are, and the fact that we all know apologetics, theology, philosophy, and the benefits of philanthropy says that there are probably other non-Christians with similar and hopefully receptive minds. Not to mention that to know those things helps us in living our lives and understanding where people are in theirs. Eventually I was told to not be so bothered because no one is REALLY advocating what I feared I heard. Call me a doubting Thomas.
Lately, it was a debate over at Adam’s blog. Though I hesitate to say it over there, Adam has just re-hashed typical evangelical prostelytizing. Get folks to read the Bible, and that’ll solve all our problems. I imagine Adam would resent my characterization of that, but that’s the boiled down version.
And of course, I don’t think the Bible solves problems. I think the Bible causes more problems. Only because of the umpteen thousand denominations in Protestant-land floating about. It gives people the idea that Adam just reads his Bible – and/or thinks anyone can just read the Bible – and get all the answers you ever need in life. Case in point, a young fella stopped by Adam’s blog and more or less confessed to just that … though he was looking for something of a church now.
I called Adam’s evangelization gnostic. I still think that’s a fair assessment. If people have the idea they can be (lone) Christians by simply staying “true to the Bible”, then that’s gnosticism through and through. Furthermore, I’m starting to think that gnosticism – in the sense of secret, sacred knowledge – burns more than just an ember in the fires of evangelical land. Reference the the Sage and his musings on pulpit idolatry.
Anyways, probably should file this under a rant … but it’s not meant to be … I just think people need to stay anchored to what it is they believe in. Jesus. And in Him, the Church. And in the Church, the Bible. Not the other way around.
And when we start talking about evangelism, it’s better to be holistic than to look for a shortcut to make it easy. Which is really what bothered me about Adam’s whole approach … and bothers me about most approaches for that matter.
Sola scriptura does not have to be a disconnected, gnostic proposition, however, even if much of Evangelicalism’s captivity in modernity has made it that way. Look for a forthcoming review on my blog of Kevin Vanhoozer’s new book The Drama of Doctrine for a way to preserve sola scriptura without lapsing into dead gnosticism.
I dunno Sage … I’ve been thinking about how far the gnostic theme can and does go, and I think there’s something even in the very fabric of the Reformation that’s gnostic. I’m thinking of posting my thoughts on it, but I have a memory that says St. Francis de Sales had similar thoughts on it already … so I plan on checking him out a little before I start chasing that bunny.
Ah! another blog that proves it’s better to be thought a fool than do a blog and prove it.
oh englightened gnostic muse, illumine my mind with thine unworldly, ethereal, divine, and close-kept knowledge and banish all sense of my self-esteem.