How long should one be a Christian before trying to evangelize? - Page 2

Uriah_Betrayed · #16 Apr 16, '12, 3:16 pm

HA!

Nowadays there isn't anyone left to evangelize, everyone is perfectly content to be godless secularists and will shout you down to stop infringing on their rights to be a godless secularist without persecution!

SuscipeMeDomine · #17 Apr 16, '12, 4:23 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uriah_Betrayed

HA!

Nowadays there isn't anyone left to evangelize, everyone is perfectly content to be godless secularists and will shout you down to stop infringing on their rights to be a godless secularist without persecution!

I doubt that calling someone a godless secularist would be an effective way to reach them.

Considering that former Catholics are one of the biggest religious groups, I think there's lots of room to evangelize. How can we reach out to people who have walked away from the Church?

Uriah_Betrayed · #18 Apr 16, '12, 5:22 pm

Quote:

I doubt that calling someone a godless secularist would be an effective way to reach them.

Considering that former Catholics are one of the biggest religious groups, I think there's lots of room to evangelize. How can we reach out to people who have walked away from the Church?

Well I personally don't have any intention to evangelize. I'm simply stating that in today's culture it seems to be far more "my way or the highway" when dealing with the Church.

That's the last I'll say on the matter, I'm sorry OP for entering without giving an answer. It really was pointless in retrospect...

yellow8yellowM · #19 Apr 17, '12, 12:05 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by JRKH

The title pretty much says it all...

How long should one be a Christian and maybe - how knowledgeable should they be BEFORE they try to seriously evangelize others.

Peace
James

I thought the original post was intended to mean evangelize in the active sense. I think we would all agree that we should passively evangelize at all times by imitating Christ and being good Catholics. But to answer the question...

I think of it like a doctor might, and that is to do no harm. We should do whatever we can, however we can, but always moving people in the right direction. I think wisdom here is more important than knowledge. There is a best way to evangelize every person but it may take more people skills than knowledge to figure out the chink in each person's armor so to speak.

PeterJohn · #20 Apr 19, '12, 5:37 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuscipeMeDomine

Some of the best evangelizers I know are people who are not yet baptized and maybe not particularly knowledgeable at all.

Folks in RCIA are showing by their lives how important their faith is. I hear comments from them all the time where someone invites them to something and they say they can't go because they're in RCIA and have a class or some other activity. Sometimes people are shocked that someone wants to become Catholic (in this day and age!) or that they'll put other things on hold to be able to attend their classes. And then when people hear that these folks aren't in RCIA for a few days or weeks, but for months or over a year, they're still more shocked.

Evangelization isn't a matter of being able to recite facts. It's showing with your life what is important and leading other people in the direction of Christ and his Church.

This is the "Joy" PJPII talks about in his encyclical on evangelizing. If you love Gid, don't hide it. I know we live in a secular world but we must be like our church forefathers and Bradley proclaim the glory of god.

Chuck Finley · #21 Apr 21, '12, 2:31 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by JRKH

The title pretty much says it all...

How long should one be a Christian and maybe - how knowledgeable should they be BEFORE they try to seriously evangelize others.

If someone saved you from a burning building, how long should you wait before you tell others that he saved you from a burning building?

Quote:

St Paul Spent 3 years after his conversion in "Arabia" before coming back and beginning his ministry.
How does this compare with some of the evangelical groups that put people on street corners after only a few weeks???

All believers are called to evangelize. The difference is that all believers are not called to a ministry like Paul's.

TrueLight · #22 Apr 23, '12, 8:56 pm

In John chapter 4, after Jesus had been speaking to the Samaritan woman by the well....
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/...+4&version=NIV

Quote:

28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him. ........

39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.

You receive from the Lord and you share it with others. Of course someone knew ought not to get into a big debate with an apologist. That comes later.

But just saying, look how God answered my prayer to a friend is evangelizing.