Salvation on the Street (Fair)
Last weekend, I went to the Carlsbad Street Fair – apparently the largest one-day street fair in the US, which I believe after spending all afternoon wandering around the booths, looking at all the interesting things for sale and trying not to spend too much money. I bought a tote bag for the beach; I registered to vote; I had a mango smoothie; and I stopped to chat with some evangelizing Christians. That’s where it got interesting.
I saw their banner first, emblazoned with the letters FBI, which on approach turned out to stand for Firm Believers in Christ (which would really be FBiC, but I guess that didn’t fit their theme). A smaller banner asked “Are you going to heaven when you die? Find out by answering two questions!”
My first reaction was repulsion. Those evangelists represented everything I had disliked and distrusted about Christianity before I became a Christian. While I used to identify myself as an agnostic if I didn’t feel threatened, I’d invariably responded to this kind of evangelism by taking an aggressively atheistic position.
With that background, my thoughts on first sight were along the lines of “I’m really glad that I’m not like them… I’m glad my church is so much more approachable, more intellectual, so much better than theirs.”
And then I thought: Oops.
Yeah, I struggle with a streak of elitist snobbery… so I gritted my teeth and went over to say hi. I ended up having a nice chat with one of the FBI evangelists, who turned out to be a cheerful woman with a sense of humor – someone I’d have liked as a person even before I was a Christian… except that before I was a Christian, I’d have shied off so fast that I’d never even have spoken a word to her.
Her message was one that I’ve accepted: that Jesus Christ is my Savior. But in the past, the more I’d heard the good news preached at me, the more Jesus was thrust forward as the Way, the more the Bible was emphasized as God’s truth, the less I was willing to listen to the Word.
Why?
Part of the answer lies in the tract the evangelists pressed into my hands, the kind intended to be carried around and handed out to unchurched friends and neighbors (or passers-by). It contained little blurbs explaining that Jesus offers salvation, with biblical quotes about sin and redemption helpfully presented in red type. Additionally, a little cartoon diagram showed my options: accept Jesus and go to heaven; reject Jesus and go to hell. (The latter option was illustrated with a colorful drawing of little flames.)
I can tell you exactly how I would have responded, two years ago.
I would have said “Fuck that!” and promptly tossed the booklet in the trash.
Did I offend you with my language? Then you have a glimpse of how I would have felt: disgusted and offended.
But why?
Before I became a Christian, I believed that both my existence and my consciousness were basically accidental; I would live a certain amount of time, and then what I identified as “me” would end, like a light being switched off. There were certain things this naturalistic worldview didn’t explain very well (like why I had a strong sense of morality) but it was quite workable overall. Sure, I didn’t particularly like the thought of ceasing to exist, but liking or disliking it was irrelevant: that’s just the way it was. So where was I in relation to Christian truths?
Since I didn’t believe in God, it meant nothing to hear that Jesus is the Son of God.
Since I didn’t believe in God, the concepts of sin and salvation were meaningless.
Since I didn’t believe in God, I thought my existence ended at death, and therefore it was pointless wish-fulfillment fantasy to talk about choosing a particular destination in the afterlife.
But most evangelists start by telling me that Jesus is the Son of God, my Savior, the way to heaven. None of these concepts had any meaning to me whatsoever before I came to terms with the existence of God in the first place.
I did not become a Christian in order to go to heaven. It was becoming a Christian that taught me that heaven exists at all.
I did not become a Christian in order to be saved from my sins. It was accepting Jesus as the risen Lord that taught me that I am a sinner and need salvation.
I became a Christian not because of what Christianity offers, but because of who Christ is.
The street-fair evangelist wants me to ask “What’s in it for me?” What I ended up asking was “Is it true that God exists?” One question made me turn away, repelled. The other started me on a journey to find the truth. On that journey, salvation was a discovery, not the starting point.
Related posts:
- Speaking Up and (Not) Being Heard
- Praying Where I’m At
- Trick or Treat
- Meditating on the Apostles’ Creed, Part 2
- Choose This Day
3 Responses to “Salvation on the Street (Fair)”
Dr Holly Ordway came to Christ through reason, in the pursuit of truth. "In your hearts honor Christ as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 15).
She writes about her journey from atheism to orthodox Christian faith in her book "Not God's Type: A Rational Academic Finds a Radical Faith" (Moody Publishers).
Amen! This is like looking into my own past. Before becoming Christian almost exactly 4 yrs ago, I would have reacted to this in the same repulsed way. The christian message meant nothing at all without the existence of God. Nothing. Once I learned the Truth and joined a church, I continued to be annoyed at Christians (lovely people) who only focused on the gospel message. They knew nothing of arguments for God’s existence from design, morality, consciousness, contingency . . . and they didn’t care to learn. Why not? Most believed, including my very wonderful priest, that pretty much everyone knows there is a God. I was told that what we need is to share the Good News and back it up with scriptures. (If you can rattle off the scripture address that will really show them you know what you’re talking about.) Holy Cow! Why, why why, couldn’t they see that everyone doesn’t believe in God? Maddening! While there were several very informed, intelligent, logical people in church, more often I heard “the Bible says it, I believe it, that settles it.” Aaarrgghh!
Well, since I joined the church and perhaps in part because of my whining about apologetics, but probably because God moves, All Saints’ taught a 12 week course on apologetics. Hurray right? Well, yes and no. The class was very difficult for all but a few. It caused great frustration for Christians who really cared and hoped to find ways to convince lost family members and friends but found the material too philosophical. They learned a little but no one else (40 people in class) found anything exciting in the material. Sigh.
Many believe that people don’t come to faith by reason. Unbelievers are hostile to Jesus and only God can change their hearts. OK, this is probably true, but God uses our reason in the process. At least that was my experience. My heart could never accept what my reason rejected.
Yet, I have to admit that far more people have come to faith without reason. They come through relationships, kindness, because they hit bottom and call out to the God who is there, through spiritual experience of God’s presence and (much as I hate to admit) through simply hearing or reading scripture. In reluctant acceptance that this is true I attended an evangelism seminar last Saturday. I did this because I tremble at the thought of evangelism (apologetic argument, yes – evangelism, shudder). So, I kicked myself out of my comfort zone and went. The program is called “Sharing Jesus Without Fear” and is based entirely on the work of the Spirit (not us) in reaching the person. We ask the right questions (the best being “If what you believe is wrong, would you want to know?”) – next we have the person read the relevant Bible scriptures that present the message, then we ask closing questions to see if the person is ready to repent, believe and surrender to Christ as Lord. We are supposed to look for situations where “God is working” and get out of the way and let Him. We will know if God is working by the response of the person we share with. It has nothing to do with how well we make the case it is only about the Holy Spirit working in the unbeliever. To my great surprise, I found the seminar moving, exciting and effective. Here is a very short video promo
http://www.anglicantv.org/blog/index.cfm/2007/5/9/Treasure-Coast-Hospices
Although I can’t imagine that this approach would have ever worked with me, my approach (logic and reason) fails with many. I have reluctantly learned to be open-minded about the power of scripture. The evangelical Christians you met are out there and I admire them (now). God clearly tells us to “go” and share the Good News. When we don’t, we are willfully disobedient. I want to be obedient – but I often find excuses. Much work to do here.
On another note, I have thought about why, like you, I was once “disgusted and offended” by tracks, and scripture and even hearing Jesus’ name. In fact it took me about a year to get over a remnant of this in Bible study. I was great, with talking about God, even the Holy Spirit, I loved theology, but when some talked about their “personal relationship with Jesus Christ” or said “thank you Jesus” during prayer — I squirmed a little bit. Crazy huh? I had accepted the whole deal about Jesus, physical resurrection, atonement, God incarnate – so why react like this? I think that before faith, I was indeed hostile to God and found Jesus in particular a scandal and stumbling block. I blamed it on college parties making fun of Ernest Angley, but I now think it was the darkened condition of my soul. Even after seeing the Light and accepting the Truth, it took some time to really get the Jesus thing. Now I look to Jesus as my master and my God. But the development of this relationship took time and is ongoing. N. T. Wright’s “Simply Christian” helped me love God the Son. Now I feel wonder and gratitude when someone says “Jesus Christ.” This is growth I guess and, God willing, the Holy Spirit will continue to renew me and draw me even closer to my savior.
(This is another longish comment – sorry.)
I was talking with my priest about this the other day. He emphasized that as Christians we are not obligated to go out and do the sort of street-corner evangelizing that some people think is a requirement. We are all different, and we are called to witness in different ways. Which is a good thing, because different kinds of witnessing touch different people!
There’s a CS Lewis quote that touches on what you mention (I can’t remember the book it’s from). He says that he recognizes that the “Jesus loves you” approach does, in fact, reach many people… but it didn’t reach him, and he isn’t any good at taking that approach with other people. That’s the insight that I think is missing for a lot of well-intentioned people: that not everyone is starting in the same place, or has the same concerns or blocks, and therefore there’s no one-size-fits-all way to teach them about Christ.
Frankly, the “evangelism” that got me started was simply interacting with people whom I truly respected, living lives that I admired, and learning that they were Christians. That was a powerful witness, all the more so because they never tried to convert me! But they were ready to talk to me when I was ready to start the conversation – not leaping to quote Bible verses at me, but meeting me where I was and genuinely caring about what I needed to work through, at my pace.
Can I “rattle one off” for you that pretty much sums everything up about witnessing the gospel of Christ? How about this one……..”But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to (every man that asketh) you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:” 1 Peter 3:15.
When I am driving my car at night I don’t have to stick my head out of the window and yell (I’VE GOT MY LIGHTS ON!!). Other people see your lights. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16.
Here is a bonus food for thought question. If Noah was a “preacher of rightousness” and the ark saved all that it was intended to save, how was he a preacher of rightousness?