I am back from my Facebook experiment. I don't know why I thought that would work.
I listened to a recent podcast of This American Life - which I highly recommend - called Bait and Switch. One of the stories was from a guy that use to do Campus Crusade type evangelism, which is essentially a Bait and Switch model. I was never involved in this type of evangelism, but I have heard about it from others. You essentially bait people by pretending you are doing a survey, which you really aren't, or you stage a fake party. Once they take the bait, then you pull the switch on them by preaching to them or talking to them about God in some way. Sort of an Amway approach.
When I did street evangelism years ago, we just went right up to someone and asked them point blank if they knew Jesus. We skipped the bait and the switch. I had problems with the way we did it back then, but I think it was at least more honest. Then there is relationship evangelism, perhaps a more sinister type of bait and swith. In this, you actually develop a relationship with a person as a means to evangelize that person.
In the podcast, the Christian guy they were interviewing said he no longer uses the bait and switch approach. He now just develops relationships with people, sort of a bait without the switch. Do the ends every justify the means? Maybe it is all about the means and less about the end.
We are doing that with Eugene. We are developing a relationship with him for no other reason than our paths crossed. Their will be no switch. I just live my life with him; I come along side of his life and love him.
We give beds to poor kids that are sleeping on the floor. The beds are not bait, they are beds to keep the kids comfortable and warm at night with some dignity - a correction of a small injustice. There also is no switch. It is an act motivated by compassion. When we drop off those beds, that's it. We are there in love, drop off the beds, and then leave.
Maybe in the kingdom, God is about going to the oppressed, correcting injustices, and showing them His love. The wind of the Spirit blows, looking for attentive and obediant Jesus followers to carry this out. Maybe that's it. Maybe exceptional love and mercy is the means and the end.
2 comments:
Interesting Mark. Weren't we just talking about "bait and switch" the other day?
Yes, bait and switch has been on my mind.
I understand where this type of evangelism comes from. Nate and I were talking about it tonight. If, indeed, people that are not saved in the evangelical sense of the word are to spend eternity in hell, then we should to whatever it takes to get a committment.
Trouble is, not very many people, including evangelicals, believe this. This is evident by how few are actually out evangelizing at all costs.
I recognize that this post is incomplete. It is more my attempt to argue with myself. Most of my teaching over the years has been of the evangelical type. This would be the "they don't need beds, they need Jesus" approach. I am trying to counter that either-or type thinking.
I think we underestimate the power and completeness of love. It speaks for itself. It is the end. Without it you have nothing. It surpasses what is added to it.
Hmmm...I need to think this through some more.
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