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Jul 16 2020

Non-Proselytizing Evangelism: The Heart of the Church

by The Rev. Ken Howard


This is a busy week for FaithX (a major webinar and two videocast presentations at a major conference). So we are publishing one of Ken Howard’s earlier blog posts on the difference between evangelism and proselytizing.


When I broach the subject of evangelism to members of my own Anglican-Episcopal tradition, I get two distinct kinds of responses, depending on whether the hearers are conservative or liberal in their theology. Conservatives Anglicans, while a distinct minority in the denomination, are pretty gung-ho on the evangelism thing. The notion of non-proselytizing is almost completely foreign to them. They make jokes like, “to most Episcopalians evangelism is a ‘four-letter word,'” and try to encourage the rest of us to get out there and start making converts for Christ. Liberal (and even moderate) Anglicans, on the other hand, tend to be rather uncomfortable with the whole idea of evangelism. Oddly enough, they tell the same evangelism jokes as conservatives but they sound a bit more nervous when they do, because to them it really does feel like a four-letter word.

Several years ago, when I began to suggest the possibility of a non-proselytizing evangelism, my clergy colleagues looked at me I had just started to speak in tongues. My liberal friends were like, “Is it even possible to engage in evangelism without proselytizing? And do we even want to do it if it isn’t?” Meanwhile, my conservative friends were like, “Why would anyone even want to do that? Isn’t proselytizing the point?” And both of them were like, “Isn’t that a contradiction in terms?”

Indeed, the two terms do sound a little discordant when we first try to say them together. I’m guessing that’s because evangelism equals proselytizing is pretty much the only kind of evangelism paradigm that the Church and most of its members has in its institutional memory. Most of us have no other concept of evangelism other than as a way to convert people: to get them to change their religious affiliation from another faith tradition to Christianity or even (sadly) from one Christian denomination to another. But I prefer to think of it as more of a paradox than an oxymoron. Because it wasn’t always this way…

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Written by Ken Howard · Categorized: FaithX Blog, Posts by Ken Howard · Tagged: Anglican-Episcopal Tradition, conservative christianity, conservative theology, evangelism, evangelism paradigm, Liberal Christianity, liberal theology, paradigm shift, Proselytizing

Aug 15 2019

Tribal Politics Be Damned: A Pastor’s Plea for Civility Among the Brethren

 A Guest Post

By Ron Davis
Ron is the Executive Pastor of Cramerton Church, Charlotte, NC

The hope of the world has never been a political party, politicians, or our ability to leverage political power. It has, and always will be, the beautiful gospel of Jesus Christ. As a pastor, I long to see brothers and sisters who are so driven by their love for one another that the gospel becomes more important than winning an unholy tribal war between Left and Right. Below is my call to civility — and maybe, just maybe, it will find its impact far beyond a late-evening Facebook post:


Dear Friend, 

I think our Lord is much more grieved by the attitudes and actions of believers toward one another in Western society, where each side believes they have the “answer” to America’s problems. Both liberal and conservative Christians seem to forget they exist in a secular culture and both of their politics necessarily reflect these same secular points of view. Jesus made it clear: the world will know we are his disciples by our love one for another.

This kind of interaction we find on Facebook is, sadly, fodder for the skeptical mind, as they see the Christian world being so divided over things like politics. The hope of the world is the gospel of Jesus Christ not our ability to prove each other wrong. From my observation, there seems to be very little civility or objectivity from either side. Just a desire to “be right” and to look at almost every single issue with a particular set of glasses (and not gospel-centered ones at that). To me this is shameful and heart-breaking. The early Christian church was not concerned with achieving political dominance over others. It was concerned with making disciples, loving one another, their neighbors, their enemies, everyone – under peril of persecution, torture, and even death.

[Read more…]

Written by Ken Howard · Categorized: FaithX Blog, Posts by Guest FaithX Friends · Tagged: christian infighting, civility, conservative christianity, early christian church, Facebook, Liberal Christianity, tribal politics

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