The "E" word

I am a middle East Coaster through and through.  I grew up learning that evangelization is oppressive.

From an atheistic point of view, evangelization is oppressive—one religious group tells another group to conform to the first group's ideologies and cultural practices.  It would seem that the first group has a superiority complex.  That point of view has unfortunately been supported by plenty of evidence—evangelization has historically been done very poorly by some religious groups.  However, it has also often been done very kindly and very well—a fact that history seems to ignore.

What?  Evangelization can be good?  This was difficult for me to wrap my mind around a few years ago.  Even today, sometimes the word "evangelization" causes me to cringe.  Its strong negative connotation is difficult to overcome.

Evangelization can definitely be seen as oppressive if the basic assumption of all parties is that God does not exist.  However, if anyone involved believes that God does exist, evangelization is a natural part of life.  It isn't an imposition of culture and ideology, but rather an invitation to know God more fully and enter into a deeper relationship with Him.   Whether you're Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, etc.—if you believe that your religion is the truth, and that knowing the truth is freeing, it is only natural that you'd want to share your beliefs with people!  Similarly, if you are an Atheist and believe God does not exist, you probably want to convince others of this so they can fully understand that what you believe is the truth.

Evangelization is an intellectual invitation to explore the truth.  If there is such a thing as truth, then the best way to find out what it is probably to learn as much as we can—then, using philosophy and reason (and guidance from the Holy Spirit), we can decide what makes the most sense to us and why.  In this way, evangelization can be used as an intellectual tool for society as we all seek to know the truth.  

(Learning doesn't change the nature of truth, just our own knowledge of it.  Whether we all decide to believe different things or the same things, God either exists or He doesn't.)

What does the Bible say about this?  "Test everything and keep the good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21).  Test everything.  That means don't ignore your friends when they disagree with you—listen to what they have to say and really think about if it makes sense.  How can we be passionate believers if we do not test our beliefs?

For those of us who do believe in God, there is an added incentive—not only do we want to everyone discern the truth, but we also want them to get to know the God who loves them more than they could ever imagine—just the way they are.  We want to share the joy that comes from a strong relationship with God.

A few years ago, I was on a retreat in Kumasi, Ghana.  One afternoon, we were told to go around the neighborhood and "evangelize".  I was taken aback.  We were evangelizing?  On purpose?  Ghanaian Catholicism was more charismatic than what I was used to back in the States, but this was taking it to a dangerous level.  Wary, I collected my Bible and followed a group of my friends.  But instead of preaching fire and brimstone, we asked our neighbors if they wanted us to pray with them.  The leader of our group had some Bible verses ready—verses that invited people to have a positive relationship with God.  There was no theology debate, no philosophical argument—just encouraging words and prayer.  Everyone really loved it.  One lady even evangelized back, inviting us to her church.

In the barrio in Santo Domingo, evangelization took on a new sort of urgency.  The youth group there was reaching out to get kids and teens into the church and away from the gangs and drug dealing culture.  They really wanted their peers to come to the church and join a positive community fueled by the love and mercy of God.  The most likely alternatives were actually pretty dangerous.

And in Maryland, the group Christlife has helped me to begin to overcome my fear of the idea of evangelization.  The purpose of this group is to bring people closer to God, to build them up and help them to feel His love.  Christlife is dedicated to evangelizing in a positive way—inviting, encouraging.  We do this by praying, by having intellectual discussions, by listening to others' thoughts and ideas, and even by just being inviting and kind.  When we evangelize, we are acting not as teachers, but as servants and friends.  These are things I had previously never associated with evangelization.

Last year, I went on an ACTS retreat—and I was evangelized.  I don't even know how to describe how loved I felt on that retreat.  I never felt like I was being patronized or told I was inferior.  What I felt was that I was wanted—by the group of women I was with and also by God.

I have been evangelized many times by people of different faiths also, and it makes me feel good that they want to share their beliefs with me.  Even if (after thinking it through) I don't agree with what they're saying, I am grateful that they are reaching out to me.  It is a lovely thing to feel invited.

Last week during a Christlife gathering, someone said, "This mission—it's urgent.  People are perishing without Jesus every day."  

That is a sentence I didn't want to hear, because it calls me to action.  I would be much more comfortable returning to the old way of life, where I was taught to speak politically correctly, to never offend anyone.  The life where the name "Jesus" was rarely uttered in mixed company, and where at best I was called to defend my opinion for the sake of my own reputation.  But the mission is urgent.  I have experienced the freedom that comes with knowing God and knowing that He loves us so much He sent down His son to free us from our imperfections.  I have experienced the joy that comes with physical union with Him in the Eucharist.  Sometimes I am so filled with that joy that I think I might burst if I don't share it.

Sharing the love of God doesn't always mean having theological discussions or asking strangers if they want to be prayed for in the street (although both of those things can be beautiful).  Most often, it is more subtle—an invitation, an encouraging thought, being a witness in a tough situation, respectfully agreeing to disagree, humbly admitting our faults.

But sometimes it isn't subtle at all.  Sometimes we are called to be loud!

Evangelization is not evil—it is natural.  And I am trying not to be so afraid of it.  Pray for me, my friends, that I might learn how to best share the truth about God with others.  And that I learn that "spreading the Gospel" is a good thing—an invitation to experience God's love more fully.