> 1. How would you explain what evangelism is to a nonbeliever?
>
I explain it as follows: I have seen a very magnificent display of Northern Lights. It has given me great joy. I want to show it to you because, as a human, i have an overwhelming desire to share my good experiences with others. I come to you in excitement and tell you what I saw and ask you to come with me and see it too! You have choices in response to my "evangelism:" You can say "I'm not interested in these lights," "I've seen lights like that before and wasn't impressed," or "I'm too busy." You can come with me and say "So what? What's the big deal?" and walk away untransformed or you can say "I don't see anything. You must be imagining it. You must be psychologically disturbed" and walk away, or you can give me a patient scientific explanation OR you can share my joy and transformation and want to show all YOUR friends. Evangelism is not about forcing people to see what we see, but about an overwhelming desire to share our central experience.
> 2. How would you explain what evangelism is to someone who is already a
> Christian but not a theologian?
see above. Maybe more explicitly, the desire that other people have the transformation in Jesus, the life change, that we have.
>
> 3. In presenting Friends faith and practice, is it more important to
> emphasize the central role of Christ and then introduce issues of ethics and
> discipleship at a later point, or do you find that the ethical and social
> concerns are a more effective introduction to Friends' Christian faith? If
> the answer is "it depends," what does it depend on?
To me, it always has to be the central role of Christ, no question.
>
> 4. In the history of your Friends meeting or yearly meeting, did the
> earliest Friends consider this question (#3)? What was their answer?
I do not know abut my meeting, but given the fervor of early Friends, I imagine Christ was central to their faith and practice.
This page is moderated by Johan Maurer as part of the "Evangelism and the Friends Testimonies" project, supported during the academic year 2003-04 by the Ferguson Quaker Fellowship program of Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre. Johan has a minute of service from Reedwood Friends Church.
