Three Keys to Evangelization

Evangelization is a word that can make people uncomfortable – especially Catholics. This discomfort comes from having seen it done wrong far too many times. There are two extremes on the evangelization spectrum, neither of which are good. On the one end you have Catholics who are bad at evangelization because, well, we don’t ever do it. The opposite extreme is embodied by Jehovah’s Witnesses who evangelize constantly but go about it all wrong. Effective evangelization lies somewhere in the middle.

Before we go any further, however, we should first ask ourselves a question: as a Catholic, why does

it matter whether I evangelize or not? The answer: because Jesus commands it. Towards the end of Matthew’s gospel, we find a passage known as ‘The Great Commission.’ In this passage (Matthew 28:19) Jesus demands of His followers that they “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” So, we are required to evangelize by the express command of none other than Jesus Himself. Unfortunately, that doesn’t magically make it easy.

When we picture evangelization, many call to mind that one relative who is always bitter and crotchety. The type of person who judges the virtue of others based solely upon their mass attendance and who has a long list of things other people need to change about their lives. This relative is constantly giving advice they weren’t asked for – the literal embodiment of a ‘Bible Thumper.’

In American pop culture these Bible Thumpers have unfortunately become the caricature of Christians in the 21^st century. If we evangelize for no other reason, let it be an attempt at changing this stereotype. If bitter, judgmental Christians are the only people willing to speak out about the faith, then how can we expect the collective perception to be any different than it is?

The following are my Three Keys to Effective Evangelization.  I don’t pretend to be an expert on the subject, but I have seen plenty of examples of how not to evangelize. Hopefully this list can help you to avoid some common mistakes without having to first endure the trial and error.

1. Be happy. If you aren’t happy it shows. If the way you live your life doesn’t make you happy, why would anyone want to emulate you? People in commercials are always smiling because joy sells. If your faith doesn’t bring you joy, then you are not ready to evangelize. You should take some time to flesh out your own spiritual life before you attempt to share it with others. Finding a reliable spiritual adviser is a great place to start. You absolutely cannot successfully evangelize until your faith becomes a source of joy. If your faith isn’t joyful you run the risk of becoming that crotchety old Christian stereotype.

2. Don’t evangelize without a relationship. This brings us back to the Jehovah Witness dilemma. The reason that the door to door cold sell doesn’t work for evangelization is because you must first have a relationship. It’s not like selling a vacuum cleaner. A person’s faith is one of the most intimate aspects of their life. For most of us, we don’t discuss religion with casual acquaintances. For some of us, it’s hard to talk about our faith with even our closest friends and family. If you want to evangelize you need to be a people person and that takes time and effort. It doesn’t happen on accident and it doesn’t happen casually.  First build a relationship, then evangelize.

3. Don’t give advice you weren’t asked for. After completing the first two steps, it’s difficult to wait for that moment of evangelization. Once you have developed a rapport it can be tempting to dive right in - to force the conversation - but that can be a death blow to the relationship. When someone is open to what you have to say, they will let you know by asking those big questions. Until they ask, don’t answer. Nobody is receptive to advice they didn’t ask for, especially when it comes to religion.  

There is so much more to be said about evangelization. These three, super condensed principles are more of an introduction than anything – a starting point. It’s important to remember that evangelization takes time. It is over the course of many years that most people experience a conversion of heart. Our job is to be a source of joy in a world of suffering because joy is attractive. Once we develop a relationship, the source of our joy will eventually compel them to ask those deep questions. That is where evangelization takes place.

“Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope.” - 1 Peter 3:15

Jesus: The Original Savage

Savage: (’savij/noun/eng. slang): a person who is (without trying) an obvious legend and never fails to live up to his/her title as ‘a savage.’ (per: Urban Dictionary)

No other historical figure has come anywhere near leaving a social footprint as large and distinct as that of Jesus Christ - despite His humble beginnings. Jesus lived in a backwater district of a long-dead empire almost 2,000 years ago. He never held a political office, He worked as a common laborer for most of His life and was executed as a criminal after a court case that lasted less than twelve hours.

Many thousands of lives throughout history have met a similar end and yet none of them were remembered even one generation later. The contrast is mind boggling. Fast-forward 2,000 years and the name of Jesus Christ is known in every region of the world; He is worshiped as Divine by over 2 billion followers.

The claims put forward by His disciples in the aftermath of His execution were extraordinary, yet His followers went to their own deaths refusing to withdraw these shocking assertions. The disciples stuck to their story through persecutions that are unimaginable to the modern mind. They received no worldly power, wealth or acclaim in return. The fruits of their labor were suffering, ridicule and death.

Even skeptics and atheists must admit: the life of Jesus Christ is a story without equal, an event the likes of which has never been paralleled.

What is baffling however, is that so many well-intentioned believers attempt to reduce Jesus’ story down to a quaint little nursery rhyme. They condense the entirety of His teachings down to two words: ‘be nice.’ They want us to picture Jesus in a Hawaiian shirt patterned with peace signs and flowers in His hair.

As nice as Jesus may have been at times, you don’t suffer the death He suffered for politely asking people to be nice to each other. As loving as Jesus could be, nursery rhymes don’t end in crucifixion. Jesus was a rebel. His teachings were revolutionary. His followers were zealots. Jesus was the original savage.

Not buying it? Let’s open our Bibles and try to picture ‘Hippy Jesus’ saying some of the following:

·  Questioning your faith? Better not mention it to your kids, or else: “… it would be better for that person to have a large millstone tied around his neck and be drowned in the deep sea.” (Matthew 18:6)

·  Or remember that time one of the disciples wanted to bury his deceased father and Jesus’ advice was, “Let the dead bury the dead.” (Matthew 8:22)

·  Or that other time, when Jesus assured us that sinners would be thrown ‘into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ (Matthew 13:50)

·  Are you having trouble overcoming temptation? Jesus has some advice for you: try cutting off your hand and gouging out your eye! (Mark 9:43)

These events are not in isolation. Jesus once called his best friend Satan. He promised to bring ‘not peace but a sword,’ and to set the world on fire, to turn fathers against their sons and mothers against their daughters. He told one of His followers that he would have been better off if he’d never been born.

Jesus was a radical and His message was polarizing. In John 6, we see many of His followers abandon Him because His teachings were ‘hard.’ If you aren’t made uncomfortable by the gospels, then you haven’t read them thoroughly enough. If the only message you take away from the gospel is that we all need to be nice to each other, then you have the wrong perception of Jesus. Jesus wasn’t a tree hugging flower child.

Jesus was the original savage.

I, Zacchaeus

For most of us the story of Zacchaeus is one of our earliest biblical memories. I can only assume this is because of the annoyingly catchy song that we all grew up singing (Zacchaeus was a wee little man). And for most of us, we had the same bland themes drummed into our heads: Jesus loves everybody, Jesus is willing to seek us out, Jesus was a friend of sinners, and so on.

Those themes are all present in this story but to say that the story of Zacchaeus is about ‘Jesus loving everybody’ is like saying that Harry Potter is the tale of a boy who got bullied by his cousin. There is so much more to the story. We tend to focus on Jesus when we read stories from the gospel – which is understandable. The real spiritual exercise for the Zacchaeus story, however, is found in the character of Zacchaeus himself.

Before we go any further, let’s take a minute to refresh ourselves on the story (Luke 19:1-10).

Jesus comes to visit the town of Jericho. There lives a man named Zacchaeus who is a sinful, tax collector and who is also very short. Zacchaeus is curious about this Jesus character and wants to get a look at Him; the only problem is that there is a large crowd and Zacchaeus is short. So, to solve the problem Zacchaeus runs ahead and climbs a Sycamore tree. Out of everyone assembled that day, Jesus singles out Zacchaeus the sinner and invites Himself over to Zacchaeus’ house for dinner.

If we focus solely on Jesus then yes, the theme is that of Jesus seeking out the sinner, the lost sheep, the lost coin, etc. But we must place ourselves in the shoes of Zacchaeus if we truly wish to grow.

 It’s easy to picture Jesus seeking us out. It’s a comforting thought and it’s true; God is constantly seeking relationship with us. If that’s all we learn from the story, however, then we are headed for disappointment. If our approach to the spiritual life is to sit back, kick up our feet and wait for God to come find us then we are setting ourselves up to fail. More importantly, if that’s our approach then we didn’t learn anything from the story of Zacchaeus.

Remember: Zacchaeus is short. Rarely if ever, do we see the gospel writers go to such great lengths to emphasize someone’s physical characteristics. There is a reason why they accentuate his height. It is a stumbling block that prevents him from encountering Jesus. 

What things prevent you from encountering Jesus?

Maybe you are struggling to pay attention to the gospel and the homily because of a new baby. Maybe you are having trouble forgiving a family member and often find your quiet time disrupted by irritated thoughts about the situation. Maybe you are angry at God because you have suffered tragedy or loss. Whatever it is that may be hindering you, it puts you squarely in the place of Zacchaeus – so learn from him.

Don’t sit back and wait for God to break down your door. Don’t cross your arms defiantly and wait for a miracle to bring you back into the fold. God is searching for you always, but He won’t force Himself against your will. Put yourself in a place – physically and spiritually - where you can encounter Him. Keep in mind, it may not be easy.

The story of Zacchaeus implies a certain level of physical exertion. They use the verbs ‘run’ and ‘climb’ when they describe Zacchaeus’ efforts to encounter Jesus. Don’t overlook this detail: Zacchaeus must work to make it happen. It’s easy to become frustrated, especially if you have tried and failed in the past, but Jesus is speaking to you through this gospel.

Jesus is reaching out to you in the promise He gives to Zacchaeus – the promise He is extending to you, this very second. “Today salvation has come to this house, because this person, too, is a child of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what is lost.” – Luke 19:9-10

Jesus is waiting.

Find your tree and begin your climb.

Judas Was a Protestant

When most people think of the first protestant they call to mind Martin Luther. Some people like to give John Calvin the credit. Still others consider the twelve apostles to be a form of proto-protestant. My claim is that the apostles as a whole were not protestants, but one of their number – Judas Iscariot – seemed to have a very protestant-esque theology.

Now before I go any further allow me a disclaimer: this article is deliberately tongue in cheek. I do not believe that Judas was actually a protestant (although there are conspicuous similarities). As Catholics we have many beliefs in common with our protestant brethren and a much smaller number of theological differences.  

It is, however, with one of the aforementioned points of contention that I begin this reflection: sola fide. Protestants believe that we are saved ‘by faith alone.’ As Catholics, we believe that having faith is a necessary prerequisite, however, what gets us into heaven is the works we did (or didn’t do) while we were alive. Another common way of articulating faith alone theology is with the expression: ‘once saved, always saved;’ meaning that once you acknowledge Jesus as your personal Lord and savior, then you are going to heaven, period. It doesn’t matter what sins or shortcomings you might display afterwards – it’s all good – you’re still headed for the pearly gates.

Now let us consider Judas.

We moderns are quick to deride poor Judas. It’s always easy in hindsight to criticize decisions made in the moment. For example, when Simba went to that Elephant Graveyard after Mufasa strictly forbid it – obviously a terrible decision in retrospect. Even those with a cursory knowledge of the gospels could tell you that Judas made a terrible decision; hindsight is 20/20 after all. But as a protestant it would be easy – dare I say compulsory - to make the claim that Judas, despite betraying the Son of God, still made it to heaven… somewhere in the world, a protestant just spit out a mouthful of coffee after reading that – but humor me.

According to the tenets of ‘once saved, always saved’ theology, Judas has a strong case. Did he accept Jesus as his personal Lord and savior? You better believe it. Judas dropped everything to follow Jesus; he literally gave up hearth and home to travel around the desert in the footsteps of Christ. He suffered persecution, poverty, hunger and thirst. No one alive today could claim a more intimate relationship with our Lord and savior than did Judas Iscariot. Sure, he flubbed things up pretty bad there at the end, he had his ‘Elephant Graveyard moment.’ But the theology of ‘once saved, always saved’ is very accommodating to Judas (and Simba, I’m sure).

The Catholic perspective is pretty cut and dried. The Church will never claim to know for certain that any one person went to Hell. But the Church does claim the possibility that anyone (even baptized or ‘saved’ Christians) could wind up in Hell. At the end of the day the decision is God’s and God’s alone, but the status of salvation is dynamic and subject to change based on our actions (a.k.a. works).

Jesus frequently references the ‘vine and branches’ analogy. He is the vine and we – Christians in a state of grace (a.k.a. ‘saved’) - are the branches. But does Jesus say that those ‘saved’ Christians (branches attached to the vine) will stay in that state forever? Negative, ghost rider. Jesus addresses this issue in the gospel of John, Chapter 15. He says the branches that do not bear fruit will be “taken away” by God and the people will “… gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned.” Jesus doesn’t sound too optimistic about the ‘faith alone’ cause.

Now let’s return to poor Judas, hanging in the balance all this while. Is he saved or not? According to protestant theology it would be difficult to claim that he isn’t. According to Catholic theology however, his odds appear much less certain. Why leave it up to us though? Let’s ask Jesus Himself, since He already addressed this very question 2,000 years ago (open your Bible to Matthew 26:24 if you want to follow along).

Me: “Jesus, did Judas go to heaven?” ß Not an actual Bible quote.

Jesus: “Woe to that man [Judas]… It would be better for that man if he had never been born.”

So, there you have it folks. Whether Judas was truly a protestant or not, he was certainly led astray by protestant-like theology. Which then begs the question: Is hindsight really 20/20? I guess I can’t answer that. I can however, leave you with this piece of advice: don’t be like Judas.