~Guy on the corner with the bull-horn and sandwhich boards yelling at women, telling them they’re “whores” and that they’re going to Hell.

~Men on the bus sit down next to you to explain Jesus; you can’t leave the bus, you want to go home, but you’re trapped.

~Valedictorian at a public high school graduation using her speech to invite those in the audience to come to Christ; you’re there to celebrate the educational achievements of your child, but many in the crowd like what she has to say. For a brief time, they turn the graduation ceremony into a triumphal Christian pep rally.

~Airplane pilot who uses the airplane intercom to explain that non-Christians are crazy, and that Christian passengers should use their flight time to witness to their neighbors.

~You’re sister invites you into a Christian bookstore and points out a book that purports to tell the tale of a five-year old that died and went to heaven, and then came back to earth.

Most of all, I detest that strange Evengelicals approach me not as a human being with my own interests and beliefs, but as a lost soul, a project if you will. They’re not interested in me per say, just in another generic loser who is going to Hell.

What is effective, is living the example of Christ, and waiting for non-Christians to develop curiousity about how and why you behave the way you do. Especially powerful are live examples of grace and magniminity. For instance:

~The Amish directly forgiving the man that killed six of their little girls, and then showing empathy for his widow.

~Reg and Maggie Green, two Northern Californian Christians were touring Italy with their small son, who was shot and killed during a highway robbery; his parents donated his organs to sick Italians.

~Gregory Alan Williams, an African-American who risked his life to save a Japanese man who was attacked by Crips gang members during the L.A. riots.

~Shane Claiborne and those Red Letter Christians who’ve moved into the slums of Philadelphia to help improve the lives of its residents.

For this world weary agnostic, exposed to the athiestic arguments of Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins, I’m not going to be won over by intellectual arguments about the inerrancy of the bible or tales of personal relationships with Jesus Christ. Sincere, powerful examples of Christian self-sacrifice, grace and magniminity are the only things that might make me believe once more.

I love the post, though, because although I didn’t feel like that approach was effective, loving or genuine, I think I would feel much like the guy in the Starbucks story — without a great alternative! I feel like I grew up in the Christendom mentality but realize that those methods of evangelism do not work Now I live in this place of tension where I am trying to re-learn how I think about my faith in order to live it out everywhere I go. And hopefully tell the story as I go.

Sorry for the scattered thoughts! Thanks again for this series.

Thanks for these posts. As we search for a new *tool*, I’m reminded of an influential preacher in my life who emphasizes the power of stories. I’m wondering on what your thoughts are on the ability to evangelize using stories, in much of the same way the parables explain yet also challenge the hearers to partake in the roles of the story?

In a post-Christendom western world, there is no memory of camp meetings, revivals and Billy Graham. And no real fear of a future hell. Just as well, it was a selfish motivation anyway. We were never supposed to fear hell. We were supposed to “fear” God.

Maybe the good news will finally have to stand on its’ own. Maybe, in a post-Christendom world, we’ll have to give up on the “scare the hell out of them” routine…