Non-Fundamentalists: Is Evangelism Necessary?

by leavingwt 42 Replies latest jw friends

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  leavingwt

  I might take a bit of exception with the supposition that Christians might accept that there are alternative roads to salvation, since that would be a direct contradiction to carrying the name Christian.

  I'm increasingly becoming aware of the reality that there isn't really 'Christianity' today, there are 'Christianities'. Moreover, these change over the years. Many modern 'Christians' would be considered heretics, according to the Christian norms of centuries past, etc.

  Evangelism can include things as simple as helping a neighbor, volunteering for a project to help inner city residents do home improvement, collections of supplies for food banks..

  Those are very positive things and thankfully, even non-Christians often particpate in such works.
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  PSacramento

  The why's of miracles?

  A valid question.

  Personally, I don't focus much on the miracles outside the context they were performed - the show of faith by those that had the miracles done to them. That was the point Jesus was trying to make when he said "your faith has cured you".

  He way of showing how faith in Him can "conquer all".

  The miracles were by-products of faith, they did not create faith,though they may have strengthend the faith of some, like Thomas.

  For the people of that time, they were also evidence of Jesus's "power".

  Nowadays, if Jesus wanted to "flex his muscles", he'd probably choose something far more spectacular like, fixing the economy of the USA.

  ;)
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  Terry

  The why's of miracles?

  A valid question.

  The miracles were by-products of faith, they did not create faith,though they may have strengthend the faith of some, like Thomas.

  John 20:29 (New International Version)

  29 Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
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  leavingwt

  PSac -- I'm reading John W. Loftus' new book. You'd be what he calls the beleiver willing to "reinvent" Christianity, as needed, as more data becomes available. Moreover, the author maintains that Christianity has continually done this over hundreds of years. Science and politics have made it absolutely necessary. Obviously, the author would prefer that believers take the contradictory data as fuel for doubt or a new path, but I gotta say, I'd rather be neighbors with a 'Reinventor' than a flat-earther. (Unfortunately, you'll get scorn from both Fundamentalist and rabid anti-theists.)
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  leavingwt

  The JW evangelizing work is simply a work to spread the offer of eternal life. It's not a warning of any eternal punishment. From an outsider/Fundamentalist perspective, it's hard to see the urgency in such a message.
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  tec

  You'd be what he calls the beleiver willing to "reinvent" Christianity, as needed, as more data becomes available.

  I don't really think that's a fair statement, at least not in the way Loftus is applying it. Does he call learning new things about the natural world, new things about science, a reinvention of the laws of nature? Christians are learning more about the truth of God and Christ as they learn more about the world. Faith in God remains the same.

  Tammy
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  tec

  The JW evangelizing work is simply a work to spread the offer of eternal life. It's not a warning of any eternal punishment.

  Agreed. Otherwise, I suspect the message would not have been received with joy in the first couple centuries, but rather with fear and anger.

  Tammy
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  leavingwt

  Tammy -- Loftus' website is open for comments and he welcomes feedback. I see your point. For the sake of argument, I think most believers would have to pre-emptively tell themselves that such a book is not 'fair' and then proceed examine it. Loftus has actually had a number of theologians/professors use his first book in their classrooms. They want their believing students to be very familiar with modern non-belief.
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  PSacramento

  PSac -- I'm reading John W. Loftus' new book. You'd be what he calls the beleiver willing to "reinvent" Christianity, as needed, as more data becomes available. Moreover, the author maintains that Christianity has continually done this over hundreds of years. Science and politics have made it absolutely necessary. Obviously, the author would prefer that believers take the contradictory data as fuel for doubt or a new path, but I gotta say, I'd rather be neighbors with a 'Reinventor' than a flat-earther.

  I saw John getting his butt kicked by Suresh on youtube ;)

  I don't re-invent Faith, Faith is not dead nor is it static, Faith MUST conform to what we know.

  That is why I believe in Evolution for example, and it doesn't effect my faith at all.

  Religious doctrine, that is another matter.

  Jesus's message, as we can see in the NT Gospels and letters, wasn't always "absorbed" the same way by all his followers, look at Paul, Peter and James.

  When John wrote his Gospel, the other ones had been cirucalting aound for a bit, suppsoedly, so John decided to "clear somethings up" and to mention things that they others didn't. That was John's way.

  Paul's way was unique to hm also.

  Modern man's mistake, if you will, is believing that DOCTRINE trumps faith, it doesn't.

  There is ONE Word of God, and it is Jesus Christ, not a book or collection of writings.

  People can call me wishy-washy as much as they like, the one thing you will see in me and my beliefs are they constants:

  Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savious, the Son of God, God in essence and our Judge and all salavtion is through him and NOT ANY organization.

  Jesus told us, commanded us, to love our neighbours as ourselves AND as Jesus loved us, and by neighbours he means EVERYONE.

  Jesus commanded us to NOT Judge anyone.
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  JWoods

  The JW evangelizing work is simply a work to spread the offer of eternal life. It's not a warning of any eternal punishment. From an outsider/Fundamentalist perspective, it's hard to see the urgency in such a message.

  Well, of course, the insider JW view is that their evangalizing is "urgent" in the light that people will be killed at Armageddon if they do not heed the witness message. Of course, since they do not really SAY this in the door to door work (actually go to quite a length to hide this or parse it away) - it makes the urgency a lot less than credible. Sort of like Noah telling the neighbors - Oh, that is just a new barn I am building over there. So a cynic like me would say the urgency is really to sell literature or gain recruits to sell literature.