Data Bases • Custom Term Papers • Free Term Papers • Free Research Papers • Free Essays • Free Book Reports • Plagiarism? Links • Top 100 Term Paper Sites • Top 25 Essay Sites • Top 50 Essay Sites • Search 97,000 Papers @ DirectEssays.com • Search 101,000 Papers @ ExampleEssays.com • Search 90,000 Papers @ MegaEssays.com Free Essays • Term Paper Sites • Chuck III's Free Essays • Free College Essays • TermPaperSites.com • My Term Papers • Get Free Essays • Essay World • Planet Papers	Search Lots of Essays Back to Subjects - Religion Philosophy of Evangelism Philosophy of Evangelism The word “evangelism” can arouse various feelings. Historically, practices of “evangelism” disrupted lives and caused deaths around the world. Today some would still attribute it to imperialism and intolerance. However, “evangelism” has also been known to bring hope, healing, and even financial confidence to many unfortunate lives. Essentially, this simple word unravels many complex definitions. Fundamentalists hold to its brighter meanings, while many skeptics frown from even the sound of it. In spite of anyone’s concept, it is a necessary task that deserves appropriate methodology when dealing with it. General logic should convince us of the importance of evangelism. Our world constantly changes through our beliefs. For instance, we gave the Constitution its birth—its laws and the powers to enforce it. Certain concepts such as “murder,” “slavery,” and “rape” we have simply defined as evil. We constantly share or enforce our ideas on others. Despite certain opinions, putting our ideals and beliefs into practice will happen. And evangelism is such a task. It is the goal of trying to have people come to faith in Christ. While the entire world is sharing its thoughts, we too must share our beliefs of our faith. It causes God’s presence to be near. It helps bring greater justice to the world. It can benefit countless lives. Thus, it logically makes sense that we should share God’s Word. The Bible also commands us to share our faith. Even if we accept the notion that evangelism is unnecessary, it contradicts the teaching of God’s Word. In a non-theistic world, society or government claims to be the standards of justice and morality. However, as Christians we are only obligated to the Bible. We know it to be the literal Word of God. It explicitly tells us that evangelism is not just a necessity, it is a command. Jesus Himself claims to have been given authority from heaven over this sensitive issue. He desires us to “go,” “baptize,” and “teach” to “all nations” all that He “commanded” us (Matt 28:18-20). These words came from His lips. The writer of the Gospel of Matthew records them as if Jesus spoke directly to us. It was one of His greatest commands. Thus, to ignore it would be a sin. The sharing of God’s Word is that important. Its relevance speaks from the mouth of the Messiah. It has also been preserved in the Bible. We must always remind ourselves of this fact. Evangelism is a commandment from Jesus Christ. We should then fulfill this commandment with care. As already mentioned, evangelism caused much social unrest. It became the reason for atrocities and death. The Inquisition, the Crusade Movements, and even small witch-hunts all had evangelistic motives. But should we blame these evils to the ideals of “evangelism”? In the Bible, Jesus never argued for us to kill, destroy, and wreak havoc in His name. As a matter of fact, to “baptize” and to “teach” others of the Gospels do not entail violence. Baptism is a symbol of renewed life from our sins. It offers the idea that humans can be forgiven for their wrongs—to escape punishment and death. Teaching involves the demands of empathy, patience, compassion, and care. And if we remove these qualities, these ethical traits, we lose the central purpose of evangelism. We will take away the love God desires to give. Repentance will become undesirable. Moreover, as history shows, Christianity will ruin its own reputation. Words such as “imperialism” and “intolerance” will be our prime. Thus, we should always take care in our methods to evangelize. Evangelism can also be systematic. There are false dichotomies to the secular and the sacred. Many believe that the secular involves the head and reasoning, whereas the sacred initiates from the heart and the faith. However, good evangelists would blend these ideas. We would unite these concepts into a personal and conceptual manner. It should then touch the lives of everyone, as the famous Christian theologian J.P. Moreland states: In every culture, to people from all kinds of backgrounds and personalities—well educated and not, rich and poor, thinkers and feelers, men and women…They all will testify that more than any single thing in their lives, Jesus Christ has changed them. (Strobel, Case for Christ 255) The emergence of truth is powerful. People everywhere testify to it. When we encounter truth, we respond to it with joy. And when we apply the right principles and the systematic methods to evangelism, results from God should be expected. I am a strong case to its power. Before facing the truth of the Gospel message, I was a man destitute to sin. Convicted of two felony strikes, I wasted six months of my life in jail. During incarceration, however, God sent a loving man to share the Word with me. Responding to the message, I left prison as a changed man. And I use my time diligently now to continue the grace God has offered me. I set out to people around college campuses, among youth students, and to my own family to share the Gospel. To train myself, I continually read books and attend classes that will build my faith. Sharing the Gospel is an ongoing process. I always try my best to become involved in it. Sometimes it is hard to encounter people cold to the message. But I know that it can bring wonderful changes. Holding onto such faith, I persist to share the Gospels. Today, there are humans around the globe that never even heard of the name, Jesus. We know that the consequence of Hell is real. We know that heaven is an alternative. As Christians, we also know that the love of Christ exists. He helped thousands of people in the past, and He can heal countless more in the future. With such reasons, we should never tire from sharing the Gospel. It is a life-changing news to announce. Despite what some may say or feel about evangelism, it is something necessary. It is the greatest hope for all humans. Though some have applied it terribly in history, it should not prevent us from accomplishing its message. Bibliography: none Word Count: 1023
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