The
Crusades; a subject that most are at least familiar with. The term
Crusades generally refers to the series of wars that were fought by
western European countries against those in Asia Minor between 1095 and
1291. In these wars, Christian countries in Europe were convinced that
through the sword they could bring the truth to Asian countries. I know
for the history buffs among us, this is an overly simplistic view of
the Crusades. However, it is enough for me to continue with the
original question.
One of the most popular mission fields in this
country right now is the Internet. It is extremely easy to log onto
social media sites and find people who disagree with you. Combine this
with the fact that we have a generation of youth that have been raised
to be strong in their faith and confident in their views, and we have a
power that the world will soon be forced to reckon with. However, this
is a dangerous place to be, in my opinion. When one studies the effects
of the Crusades, it becomes apparent that it is impossible to convince
people they are lacking the truth with violence. In Asia, the native
people would see the invaders come in and kill those who would not
convert, and would be further convinced they (the natives) were right in
their thinking.
What does this have to do with what we are
facing today? I believe that the Internet is a dangerous evangelism
tool. In 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 we find the familiar passage of Paul as
he speaks about becoming all things to all men. Many people have a hard
time understanding what this passage means, but after some research I
believe that its meaning is very simple. Paul is suggesting that he
alters his behavior to match those he is in contact with. He
specifically references becoming a Jew when he is with Jews. This means
that he would not do things that would offend their sensitivities as
Jews. Does this mean that he abandons his Christian faith? Absolutely
not! As a matter of fact, this action allows him to fulfill the
ultimate requirement in Christianity: Love. In order to love people who
disagree with you, you must be able to overlook their differences. You
must be able to see them as a child of God, and not as an enemy. It
cannot be said any better than the old saying: “Love the sinner, hate
the sin”. In order to love someone, you must have a personal
relationship with that person. It is impossible to develop a personal
relationship with a stranger through the Internet. Therefore, it is
impossible to love a person well enough for them to accept your
criticism of their lifestyle.
It is much easier to share your
faith with strangers while you sit behind your keyboard. Likewise, it
is much harder to demonstrate love to people, since words typed out
online cannot carry empathy or emotion. I have come to the conclusion
that in order to share the good news, we must go out into the world and
make disciples.
I have long suspected that people are turned off
by Internet evangelism, but it was confirmed for me when I ran into a
person that I would classify as “dying to be Christian.” This person
read the Bible and understood what it said, for the most part. However,
she had an errant view on a particular doctrinal issue which, in her
zeal to share her faith, she posted on her Facebook page. She was then
attacked viciously and without mercy by other “Christians” trying to
root out heresy - to stick with the Crusades analogy. Several years
later, she meets me and I claim to be Christian. Immediately the
conversation becomes very tense and she informs me that Christians are
the biggest hypocrites in the world. Under the circumstances, I was
forced to agree with her. You cannot approach unbelievers without love
and call yourself a Christian. It is impossible to love people
wirelessly, and it is impossible to evangelize without love.
In
my assessment, our generation is in danger of committing the atrocities
of a second Crusade if we continue to take our Faith online. There is a
reason that Jesus said to “go out into the world and make disciples.”
This reason is, face to face communication is the only way one can build
the relationship necessary for evangelism.
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ReplyDeleteExcellent post! Great way to start out your blog. :) (which I am glad to see you do!)
ReplyDeleteI REALLY liked your last sentence, "It is through love, not well reasoned arguments, that we are given the chance to address a hurting world." I feel like God is really teaching me about this one lately, what His love means. How deep it is. And how powerful! Good viewpoint!
~Rebecca
Great post!! ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm now a follower of this blog and can't wait to see the other posts you come up with. :)