Home » Mind & Soul » Anglican - Episcopal » Evangelism

Evangelism

© Michael P. Spencer

I struggle with evangelism. It's definitely not my forte, and evangelists make me uncomfortable. Folks my age who were raised in the Episcopal Church often consider evangelism as something that is demonstrated by Christian love, rather than by explicit action. I still think that's a good part of it, but I believe now that evangelism must be more than, "They will know we are Christians by our love."

Yet, I'm still put off by evangelism. Once, when I was a freshman in college, some Christians came to my dorm room. They knocked on the door, and when I answered it, two adult (not college-age) women were standing there with children in tow. They asked me how I was and what I was up to. I told them I was fine and that I was watching television. They shot the breeze with me a bit until it was time to ask the question:

"Have you been saved?"

Well, of course I thought I had been, but I knew I didn't consider it in the same sense they did, so I said:

"From what?"

Yes, this was a bit flippant, but I wondered just what they meant by "saved." After all, they could be thinking along the same lines as me; I just needed to find out. Of course they took it to mean I didn't know what they were talking about. They thought they had a big fish on their line. They answered:

"From sin."

Oh, from sin. Okay, I knew about sin. And I knew that we were all sinners, and that many of us are very good at it, myself included. So I responded:

"Sin? Sin is my specialty."

They stared at me, alarmed. A moment of silence. Then I grinned at them, and they realized I was playing a little joke. So they chuckled a moment, until the woman on the left suddenly looked at me very seriously and said:

"No, really. Have you been saved?"

Well, considering as I've already said that I believed I had been, I responded:

"Yes."

Calm and relief came over their faces. The other woman asked:

"Wonderful. When was it?"

Now here's the kicker. She was waiting for something like "last year," or "a few months ago." So I answered, truthfully:

"About two thousand years ago on a Friday afternoon."

This time they didn't laugh. The first woman asked me if I went to a bible study. I told her I was a member of the Episcopal Ministry at MSU. She eyed me curiously and asked if I prayed to Mary. I said I personally didn't, but that I knew some nice people who I suspected might.

The copyright of the article Evangelism in Anglican - Episcopal is owned by Michael P. Spencer. Permission to republish Evangelism in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.