Evangelism: You're Doing it Wrong!

My oldest child had to present a research paper on a controversial topic recently. She chose same sex marriage. Because the culture in our small town is dominated by people who believe in the government's right to limit the rights of the individual (while oddly and inexplicably claiming to be Libertarian), she was told by her classmates that one cannot be Christian and support gay marriage.

I'm used to this; I've long been a heretic. A person cannot be Christian and support gay marriage, a person cannot be Christian and support the right of choice to be reserved as a medical decision, not a political one (note: I am NOT prochoice; I am pro-"I won't make medical decisions for others"), a person cannot be Christian and support a living wage (I could give you hundreds of verses supporting that last one, but have been told I use a "liberal bible", whatever THAT means!). But when you spend years trying to instill your children with an understanding of true faith, and a firm foundation to go through in life, it's deeply disheartening to see them questioning their faith not because of reason but because of (get this): the evidence that they have seen in the lives of their friends who claim to be Christian.

Here's the rub: the vast majority of our high school students binge drink every weekend. Yet the churches that have spent so much time telling them that those who believe in the rights of homosexual couples to marry are going to Hell have conveniently forgotten to tell their kids that drunkenness is a sin and carries equal penalty. The churches that spend time teaching followers that it is their moral obligation to deny a woman the right to abortion even if it is medically necessary have turned a blind eye to the rampant sexuality of their Christian youth, consigning themselves to the fact that "it's what kids do", and ironically ignoring the fact that the one action actually leads to the other becoming a concern!

I don't worry for the faith of my daughter; I welcome it, although with a little nervousness. Like all parents, I want the best for my children, and I want them to understand the hope of salvation that comes through the cross without having to go through the pain I did to find it. But I also understand it's her faith journey, and, like that proverbial lonesome valley, one I cannot walk for her.

But it is equally my hope that she understand that there is a real Christian faith, and you can often find it in some of those who have been willing to be ostracized in order to stand for what they know to be right even against a culture that condemns them for it.

As for the faith community: when your tools for evangelism drive people from the cross rather than towards it, you're doing it wrong!