Letter; Thoughts about Evangelism and returning to school
Letter; Thoughts about Evangelism and returning to school
Topics:
Posted by editor Tue Nov 30, 1999 00:00:00 PST
Viewed 279 times
0 responses 0 comments My first granddaughter started pre-school this week in another state so I called her the night before to wish her well. I could hear the excitement in her voice; but I could not see the “blue skirt” or the “new shoes” she chose to wear for her school debut. So I was excited to receive pictures of her first school day via email only twelve hours after they occurred. Her mother, my daughter, is very prompt about downloading pictures and sending them out immediately so adoring grandparents can almost feel like they share their grandchildrens firsts in real time. Since the day after my granddaughter’s birth, (when her father emailed pictures) through the first tooth, the first step, and the first camping trip, I have shared the vicarious joys of my granddaughter's journey through life.
“Evangelism” is a word that many Christians have come to believe involves, at the very least, knocking on doors and promotional church flyers and can sometimes deteriorate into confrontational theological discussions and even war. After 9/11 some media blamed “Muslim evangelism” which is a theological oxymoron because Muslims do not have a concept of evangelism as we Christians understand it.
Today I would suggest that we need a more moderate, less confrontational definition of evangelism which is truer to the original meaning of the word's Greek root, euangelion, which means “good news.” Instead of the “my way or the highway” approach to evangelism which unfortunately inspires many to travel the highway alone, we might do better to think of evangelism as sharing the joys of our faith with others in real time, as my daughter does by sending me pictures via email. The joys of our faith — any faith — are great! Why not share them with others in such a way that takes the joy in our hearts and adds joy to the hearts of others?
| Send to a Friend | Report a Violation |
