I still remember when, in the early days of our relationship, Emily was telling me all about what Bahá’ís believed. This religion she belonged to taught the essential oneness of humanity nationally, ethnically, and spiritually. They were also against proselytizing. They wanted adherents to talk about their faith, of course, but only in ways that don’t make hearers feel as though they’re being encouraged to convert.
Instead, the thinking went, people would see the value of the principle of oneness and how it changes the world, and want to make that principle their own.
So, proselytizing.
But, like, super low-key about it.
Is Proselytizing Really a Bad Thing?
It might seem like I’m poking fun, but I actually resonate with their discomfort with proselytizing. For many people, the term has some baggage. It whiffs of snake oil—of manipulation or coercion, especially in a religious context. (To which much of the blame belongs to the many hucksters posing as heralds.)
But proselytizing is simply about persuasion—encouraging a person to join a cause, a mission, or a way of life. Which means it is impossible for us to not proselytize. All people, everywhere, do it all the time. Whether we’re talking about religion, politics, technology, coffee, cars, cinematic universes, or graham crackers… We’re trying to convince others to see our perspective, and, usually, to agree with us.
Prosletyizing is acting as an advocate, ambassador, or evangelist for what we care about.
The (Not Always So Natural) Act of Talking About Jesus
This idea of being advocates or ambassadors is familiar to Christians. It’s essential to our calling in the world. We are to be ambassadors for Christ, pleading “on Christ’s behalf, ‘Be reconciled to God'” (2 Corinthians 5:20 NKJV). We are to go into the world and make disciples from all people groups (Matthew 28:18-20).
And what needs to happen for someone to be a disciple of Jesus? Someone needs to talk about him.
In one sense, this should be as natural as breathing for all of us. But whether it’s because we feel the weight of the subheadings in our Bibles or because we’ve been pummeled by poor and, sometimes, manipulative teaching, many Christians struggle to talk about Jesus with anyone—even with other Christians!
That’s why I sometimes describe myself as one of the world’s most timid evangelists. I even joke that God was so serious about me sharing the gospel with people that he once gave me a job with “gospel” in the title. But, in truth, I’m only timid in the sense that I am concerned about talking about Jesus and the gospel naturally.
I don’t want to sound like I’m following a script, and I try not to shoehorn Jesus into a discussion about a great meal, a fun movie, or a good book. Instead, I try to be contextually appropriate, with Jesus and the gospel being a part of what I talk about regularly because Jesus is someone I care about.
The Persuasive Promise
And that’s really what it’s all about: it’s not about knowing the right words to say or having any special training. It’s talking about what you care about. And if you are a Christian, no matter the “yeah buts” that might be coming to mind as you read this, you can do this. And you can do it without coming across as fake or manipulative.
So when we think about proselytizing—or, really, genuine evangelism—we need to remember that the attractiveness of the gospel doesn’t come from the way we present it. Its power comes from its promises.
Jesus died for our sins, he was raised, and he was raised on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). That is the gospel that saves us. The gospel gives all who believe a new life, with new desires, a new identity, a new purpose, and a new future.
It’s a promise for our future, and for our present. Because of the gospel, we experience the world differently. We live as people with hope, even when hope seems to be in short supply. We live as people who experience true community, seeking one another’s best and loving one another as Christ first loved us (John 13:35).
That’s a promise worth sharing. It’s a promise worth experiencing. Let’s not be afraid to talk about it. Let’s invite others in.
