Should Catholics do more evangelizing like Protestants?

[Alycin]

It saddens me that so many people think that we should evangelize in the same way protestants do.

Haven't yall seen Kirk Cameron's little ministry thing? He basically walks around, tells people they are going to hell because they have broken one of the ten commandments, and then convinces them that they need to ask jesus into their heart that very minute. And then he walks away and leaves them.

His form is the most extreme, but every protestant form of evangelizing I have ever witnessed has been akin to that. That is soooo fake and so... empty.

People need to realize that "being saved" is more than praying a prayer once in your life. It's about living every day for Christ, with Christ, in Christ. Evangelizing should not be about [i]saying[/i] a prayer, but about [i]living[/i] a prayer.

[IrishSalesian]

[quote name='Alycin' post='1553969' date='Jun 2 2008, 12:46 AM']It saddens me that so many people think that we should evangelize in the same way protestants do.

Haven't yall seen Kirk Cameron's little ministry thing? He basically walks around, tells people they are going to hell because they have broken one of the ten commandments, and then convinces them that they need to ask jesus into their heart that very minute. And then he walks away and leaves them.

His form is the most extreme, but every protestant form of evangelizing I have ever witnessed has been akin to that. That is soooo fake and so... empty.

People need to realize that "being saved" is more than praying a prayer once in your life. It's about living every day for Christ, with Christ, in Christ. Evangelizing should not be about [i]saying[/i] a prayer, but about [i]living[/i] a prayer.[/quote]

[kujo]

[quote name='Alycin' post='1553969' date='Jun 2 2008, 12:46 AM']It saddens me that so many people think that we should evangelize in the same way protestants do.

Haven't yall seen Kirk Cameron's little ministry thing? He basically walks around, tells people they are going to hell because they have broken one of the ten commandments, and then convinces them that they need to ask jesus into their heart that very minute. And then he walks away and leaves them.

His form is the most extreme, but every protestant form of evangelizing I have ever witnessed has been akin to that. That is soooo fake and so... empty.

People need to realize that "being saved" is more than praying a prayer once in your life. It's about living every day for Christ, with Christ, in Christ. Evangelizing should not be about [i]saying[/i] a prayer, but about [i]living[/i] a prayer.[/quote]

You speak beautifully of a spiritual reality: being "saved" is not a one-time event, but rather a continual process by which we strive to be God's children. My old YM used to tell me that, when someone asked me if I was "saved," I should say "I am saved. I am being saved. I will be saved. Have a blessed day." Or, as I once wrote:

The answer is YES, in three parts… [list]
[*]“Yes, I have been saved through Jesus’ death, Resurrection and Redemption." (Acts 4:12, Ephesians 1:7)
[*]“Yes, I am being saved, striving to walk with Christ, through the help of the Holy Spirit, conferred upon me in my Baptism and Confirmation." (Phil. 2:12, Heb 3:14, Rom 6:3-5, Gal 3:27)
[*]“Yes, I hope to be saved when Christ comes again.” (Mt 25:31-46, Rev 20:11-15)
[/list]
And, if they say that I cannot lose my salvation, I would say that true, grace is an unearned gift, but that doesn’t mean that it cannot also be rejected and thrown away through grave sin. Further, as a sinner, the scriptures themselves warn that it is possible that we will slide into post-Baptismal mortal sin (1 Cor9:27, 1 Cor 10:12, 1 John 5:16-17, Mark 13:13). Finally, I would point out that God keeps His Word when it comes to Heaven, but it’s important for all Christians to remember, when it comes to this subject, that while Scripture does teach a “moral assurance” of Heaven…“moral assurance” is NOT a guarantee.

[Alycin]

[quote name='kujo' post='1553978' date='Jun 1 2008, 11:53 PM'][list]
[*]“Yes, I have been saved through Jesus’ death, Resurrection and Redemption." (Acts 4:12, Ephesians 1:7)
[*]“Yes, I am being saved, striving to walk with Christ, through the help of the Holy Spirit, conferred upon me in my Baptism and Confirmation." (Phil. 2:12, Heb 3:14, Rom 6:3-5, Gal 3:27)
[*]“Yes, I hope to be saved when Christ comes again.” (Mt 25:31-46, Rev 20:11-15)
[/list][/quote]

LOVE THAT!!!!

[kujo]

[quote name='Alycin' post='1554009' date='Jun 2 2008, 01:13 AM']LOVE THAT!!!! [/quote]

All glory to God!

[abercius24]

[quote name='CrossCuT' post='1025260' date='Jul 16 2006, 01:34 AM'][size=1][color="FF6699"]I never liked those door to door people.
They always carried this desperate air to them.
Like, "We need more people in our religion and since it smells of elderberries this is the only way we can get people!!"

I kinda think that whole door to door thing is low...
Religion isnt something you can buy in a catalogue.

Just my opinion.
[/color][/size][/quote]


I did door to door for 2 years for St. Joseph's Radio and a local Catholic parish in Orange County. Catholic door to door work is different. Catholics aren't like the Adventist religions who believe "Jesus is coming at any time now and we must rush to 'save' as many as we can before its too late." We have a greater faith in Divine Providence. When we would approach a door, we'd simply ask the person who answered if they had any questions about religion they may have wanted to ask somebody, particularly if they have any questions about the Catholic Church. We would also ask them if they were Catholic, and if they were, we'd invite them to come to mass on Sunday. There were enough fallen away Catholics to have conversations with than there were non-Catholic, frankly. But we would always approach it as asking somebody if they wanted to talk about religion. Those who did want to talk did, those who didn't we said "God bless you" and we went to the next door.

One of the keys I've found in talking to people about religion (and politics) is to always use "unitive language" instead of "divisive language". Unitive language is speaking with somebody as though they are on your side, even though you both disagree about many things. Divisive language is speaking to somebody emphasizing your differences with a negative tone, which ends up drawing a line between the two of you. Divisive language almost ALWAYS turns people off, or at least motivates them to hold a defensive position they will refuse to back away from. Unitive language is constructive. It build people up and encourages them to be faithful and open-minded. As Catholics we believe in Unity (One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic). We believe all people are brothers and sisters that we seek to reunite into the Family of God. That goal of unity and family should be something that comes across in the way we talk to people! Combat is out; friendship is in! Once you adopt this approach, you'll find the other person open to the challanges you seek to share with them, and you'll also be open to learning something new and constructive from them!

Edited June 2, 2008 by abercius24

[samfran08x3]

since i live in the protestant belt i'd like to. so my protestant friends dont think im not a good christian

[LouisvilleFan]

[quote name='Alycin' post='1553969' date='Jun 2 2008, 12:46 AM']It saddens me that so many people think that we should evangelize in the same way protestants do.

Haven't yall seen Kirk Cameron's little ministry thing? He basically walks around, tells people they are going to hell because they have broken one of the ten commandments, and then convinces them that they need to ask jesus into their heart that very minute. And then he walks away and leaves them.

His form is the most extreme, but every protestant form of evangelizing I have ever witnessed has been akin to that. That is soooo fake and so... empty.

People need to realize that "being saved" is more than praying a prayer once in your life. It's about living every day for Christ, with Christ, in Christ. Evangelizing should not be about [i]saying[/i] a prayer, but about [i]living[/i] a prayer.[/quote]

For one, Protestants also know that you must live every day for Christ and that it's much more than saying a prayer.

I answered yes, but then, I've mostly experienced good models of evangelism among Protestants. Most of my experience is in college, inviting people to a Bible study, a movie discussion group, or some kind of theme outreach like one we did based on a book called "Jesus With Dirty Feet." This street preacher known as Brother Jim would make his rounds about every semester and that was always interesting, but even then we could use the crowds he attracted as opportunities to present the Gospel in a balanced way. There was one girl in our group who got into a little debate with Brother Jim in front of a crowd and when she returned the next day, someone yelled out for everybody to shut up so they could listen to her!

Outside of the campus, those opportunities aren't so abundant, but it is relatively easy to offer tracts and prayer at public festivals and events (remember St. Francis de Sales invented tracts to convert Calvinists), to promote groups like Theology on Tap, community campaigns, even cleaning sidewalks or having a neighborhood block party for kids (instead of a fundraiser to compensate for tightwad parishioners), etc. These healthy styles of evangelism are what more parishes and dioceses should be organizing.

[Socrates]

In the past I've done some door-to-door evangelization work with the Legion of Mary. It can be embarrassing, it's true most people will simply turn you away, but it can bear good fruits. If it starts even one person visited on the path to converting or returning to the Faith, it's worth it.
Obviously, this is not the only form of evangelization, but it should not be disparaged.

Jesus Christ sent His Apostles into towns to spread the Gospel (see Luke 9), and the Apostles did much of their work traveling around actively preaching the Gospel, as recounted in the Acts of the Apostles.

Unfortunately, I keep seeing this attitude on here which seems to almost disparage any kind of active spreading of the Gospel to others, saying that people should instead simply lead good Catholic lives, and this will attract others.

While it is true that evangelization will be worthless if Catholics don't practice what they preach in their day-to-day lives, this certainly doesn't preclude proactive evangelizing.

Christ told His Apostles to go out and preach to all nations (Matt. 28:19), not simply live good Christian lives and hope others will join.

[kujo]

[quote name='Socrates' post='1555249' date='Jun 2 2008, 11:20 PM']In the past I've done some door-to-door evangelization work with the Legion of Mary. It can be embarrassing, it's true most people will simply turn you away, but it can bear good fruits. If it starts even one person visited on the path to converting or returning to the Faith, it's worth it.
Obviously, this is not the only form of evangelization, but it should not be disparaged.

Jesus Christ sent His Apostles into towns to spread the Gospel (see Luke 9), and the Apostles did much of their work traveling around actively preaching the Gospel, as recounted in the Acts of the Apostles.

Unfortunately, I keep seeing this attitude on here which seems to almost disparage any kind of active spreading of the Gospel to others, saying that people should instead simply lead good Catholic lives, and this will attract others.

While it is true that evangelization will be worthless if Catholics don't practice what they preach in their day-to-day lives, this certainly doesn't preclude proactive evangelizing.

Christ told His Apostles to go out and preach to all nations (Matt. 28:19), not simply live good Christian lives and hope others will join.[/quote]

I think it's very important to both walk the walk AND talk the talk.

That being said, I would probably urinate if Socrates came to my door....

[Socrates]

[quote name='kujo' post='1555270' date='Jun 2 2008, 09:27 PM']I think it's very important to both walk the walk AND talk the talk.

That being said, I would probably urinate if Socrates came to my door....[/quote]
(As long as you don't urinate ON me . . .)

[jeffpugh]

lawl!

If Soc came to MY door (it would be a strange alignment of... something), I think we'd have some good times. The someone put it above, the door to door thing doesn't sound so bad.

[Alycin]

[quote name='LouisvilleFan' post='1554454' date='Jun 2 2008, 02:33 PM']For one, Protestants also know that you must live every day for Christ and that it's much more than saying a prayer.[/quote]



I was a protestant for quite some time; I'm well aware that most protestants realize the importance of living every day for Christ.

However, when you run into OSAS people, you run into problems with "evangelizing." This is why I referenced Kirk Cameron. It's all about getting as many people to "pray the prayer" as possible. The work is not done when one "asks Jesus into the heart." It's only the beginning.

Edited June 3, 2008 by Alycin

[LouisvilleFan]

[quote name='Alycin' post='1555779' date='Jun 3 2008, 02:20 AM']

I was a protestant for quite some time; I'm well aware that most protestants realize the importance of living every day for Christ.[/quote]

Cool... just making sure, since I don't assume people know even common sense things unless they acknowledge it

[quote name='Alycin' post='1555779' date='Jun 3 2008, 02:20 AM']However, when you run into OSAS people, you run into problems with "evangelizing." This is why I referenced Kirk Cameron. It's all about getting as many people to "pray the prayer" as possible. The work is not done when one "asks Jesus into the heart." It's only the beginning.[/quote]

True, although in all honesty, I think the same kind of attitude happens among Catholics who worry more about getting a baby baptized as soon as possible after birth than instilling a faithful prayer life in them as they grow up.

[LouisvilleFan]

[quote name='kujo' post='1555270' date='Jun 2 2008, 11:27 PM']I think it's very important to both walk the walk AND talk the talk.

That being said, I would probably urinate if Socrates came to my door....[/quote]

My Catholic aunt once prayed in tongues against some JWs who came to her door. That sure got rid of 'em!