A few weeks ago, I was evangelized in my front garden. There I was on a balmy Sunday evening quietly cultivating a few weeds when it was done to me. I was presented with the gospel of environmental salvation. It was very appropriate really, being Sunday and my hands creating new life in mother earth. But I hated it. I always recoil from evangelists, even this very pleasant Greenie. The only way I could cope was to tell him I too was an evangelist and to show off the battle scars from our common despised vocation.
Christians have a communication problem. We want to tell people of the gracious loving Father who has given up his Son to make them his children, but evangelists are perceived as narrow-minded, bigoted, moralistic ratbags who infringe upon other’s civil rights. The stereotype puts us on the back foot from the outset. We have a poor public image.
Christian Public Relations
Study these passages and work out: what should be our Christian ‘corporate image’ or ‘public relations profile’?
Take the time now to look up these passages:
- Matt 5:43-48, 7:1-5
- Rom 12:14-21, 14:13-18
- 1 Cor 9:19-23
- 2 Cor 4:1-6
- Gal 4:17-20
- Eph 5:1-20
- Phil 2:14-18
- Col 4:2-6
- 1 Thess 2:1-12
- 2 Tim 2:22-26
- Titus 2, 3:1-11
- 1 Peter 2:9-17, 3:13-17
If we lived like this, describe how would we come across to people:
Titus 2:5, 8, 10 would be a good PR goal: … so that no one will malign the word of God … so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us … so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Saviour attractive.
Good PR in a hostile world
Good PR may work in telling people to buy a new toothpaste, but we are telling people that their lives are going the wrong way—to hell. It’s never going to be popular. The gospel will always divide and create conflict.
Jesus was perfect in human relationships and look where he ended up. And Paul wasn’t exactly a model of healthy public relations. We see them contending for the true God, tearing down idols and falsehood and so becoming an intolerable threat to the religious power brokers of their day.
However, it is a distortion to make their battles for the faith the model for our evangelism. Both Jesus and Paul related very differently to the false shepherds and the lost sheep. Lost sheep are to be sought out, nurtured and protected. This is the atmosphere of evangelism, reflecting the tenderness of the Shepherd calling and comforting his lost sheep.
Hostility and rejection will always be a part of our PR, but consider these two questions:
- What is the focus of the hostility: God’s gracious invitation or a caricature of the gospel?
- Are we obscuring the message of God’s Fatherly love by our speech, behaviour or corporate activity?
Fishing, not big game hunting
Jesus called his disciples to be fishers of men, not game hunters. And in his day, he would have had in mind something a bit smaller than a two metre marlin. I’m sure Jesus did not intend the implications I am drawing (especially since the disciples were professional fisherman using nets). For Jesus, the image of fishing expressed God’s work of salvation and judgement. However, fishing with a line and hook captures an image for Consumer Friendly Evangelism. Fishing requires a certain subtlety and finesse. We could blast the river with a few kilos of nitro, but that’s not exactly fishing.
Evangelism can be reduced to this sort of blasting, firing facts and arguments at a rapid rate, exploding the dynamite in the first few seconds. We get excited and nervous when the opportunity for the gospel arises, and we go for it.
The essence of fishing is getting a slippery customer onto a hook, and the main trick is to use the right bait. How can we get people hooked by the gospel—listening, curious, letting down their guard, nibbling at the line? How can we attract people so they want to talk with us about Christ?
What bait will draw people to Christ?
The compelling Jesus
Jesus himself captivates. His humanity is impressive and demands scrutiny. He never changed his mind, made a mistake, backed down or apologized. He had extraordinary self-assurance. Those who met him were never the same. He always divided his audience. And beyond his humanity he claimed to be God and manipulated the created order as if he was.
Expose people to the gospel accounts of Jesus by reading and discussing a gospel. Drop Jesus’ opinion into topical conversations: “Have you ever looked at what Jesus Christ said about superannuation?” (Matt 6:19-21)
Sometimes our gospelling is reduced to presenting a theological catechism and a totally impersonal Jesus. We start with creation, sin and judgement, and Jesus fits in as a piece in a theological jigsaw. We certainly need to communicate the theology, but gospelling is announcing a Person.
The compelling Christian
Distinct
If you were imprisoned for being Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? Our distinctive Christian lifestyle is a bait to non-Christians. We have just as many problems as them, but fewer ulcers. We enjoy relationships more, including marriage because we know how to forgive rather than seek revenge. Take, for example, my friend in Adelaide, who, when rammed by another motorist, got caught up talking about Christ and forgot about the damages cost! We are not racist, sexist, ageist, homophobic or elitist. We work hard; we use ‘honest scales’. People are more important to us than organizations and bureaucracy. The only thing that bothers us about being poor is being a burden to others. If this sounds like Alice in Wonderland, think about it; it shouldn’t.
Honest
Christians sin and do evil like others, except we know how to deal with it. We know the one we have offended, we know his forgiveness even for the most gross evils, and we know to stop. We don’t have to cover up the past or present. People think we are claiming to be perfect, so we cower in embarrassed silence in the face of our hypocrisy. In reality, our openness in admitting to our sin, and how we deal with it, is gospel bait. Facing sin has its advantages.
Real
“Does it work for you?” People are pragmatists: they want what works and makes a difference. They want to know how following Jesus works for you. How were you convinced it is true? What difference does it make today?
Think like a fish
There is only one rule for fishing: you have to think like a fish. Where do they swim? What time of day do they come out? What do they eat? Do they suck or bite? Do they swim with the line or fight? …
We get so filled up with what we want to say, it just pours out all over the place and leaves quite a mess. Instead, listen, chat for hours and days. Think carefully about the person with whom you are talking
- Who is this person and makes them tick?
- What are their beliefs and values?
- What influences have shaped them?
- What motivates them?
- What persuades them something is true: logic, people or experience?
- What is their religious background?
- What do they know about Christianity?
- What is their attitude to Christianity?
- What are the big implications for them if they follow Jesus?
Best bait
Doing Consumer Friendly Evangelism is like finding the best bait for that particular type of fish. If they never take worms, it is useless to thread the hook with one. If they love worms, why would you use anything else?
The gospel of Jesus addresses the whole of life. God’s word shines into every crevice of our lives, illuminating the prevailing darkness. There will be certain aspects of an individual’s life to which the gospel is especially pertinent. These are the best bait.
The gospel addresses our many roles and situations. It addresses us as fathers, mothers, children, wives, husbands, citizens, employers, employees, orphans, divorcees, widows, power brokers, victims, manic and depressive. It addresses our many and varied concerns: fear of death, boredom, suffering, anxiety concerning the future, needing a cause worth dying for, dealing with guilt, raising kids.
In Christ are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. His word is sweet like the honeycomb. Search for the best bait—look for a person’s tender spots: where will they be impressed by the wisdom of God and soothed by his comfort?
Fishing co-ops
The best fishing is with mates, dragging each other out of bed at 5 am; giving each other advice on the best bait, tackle and spots; swapping tall tales of tiny catches. It’s the same with evangelism.
Why not form an evangelism co-op? Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Find 3-6 others who could join you in evangelizing a particular group. Some examples: work colleagues reaching your office or factory; your co-op joining a sporting club; three couples evangelizing your school community; four of you living in the same street or block of units.
- Meet regularly for prayer, Bible study and friendship
- Start praying for everyone in the group you are reaching.
- Think about the people you want to evangelize using the questions in “Think like a fish”.
- Work out how you can make a positive contribution in the lives of your target group. e.g., meeting practical needs, organizing social events, remembering birthdays. Become the social centres of the group rather than the social misfits.
- Aim to get into meaningful conversation about things other than the gospel with each person. Jumping from light banter about the Melbourne Cup into evangelistic conversations is quite a social hurdle!
- Work at naturally letting individuals know you are Christians.
- Invite the group to a dinner party at one of your homes—purely social, no evangelism.
- Work out ways of introducing the gospel with each person in private conversation.
- At some stage invite the group to your church or a dialogue meeting or something that puts Christianity squarely on the agenda.
Working in a team like this will keep you going when the results are slow in coming. It also allows people to see how Christians relate, and to discover that you are not a ‘freak’.
How to use this issue
- Read through the article in your study group, church committee or on your own.
- Look up the references given and answer any questions that are proposed.
- What does your Christian ‘public relations profile’ look like? In what areas could you improve it?
- Think of some non-Christians you know. Work through the questions under ‘More fishing tips’ and work out how you might best communicate the gospel to them.
