Edmund was the King of East Anglia, one of many kings to various parts of modern-day England. Around 870, the Danes invaded, plundering the countryside and burning monasteries. When the Dane leaders found Edmund they offered to share the booty, if he’d be their figurehead leader and forbid the practice of Christianity. Although his army was outnumbered, Edmund refused. Eventually Edmund was captured, tortured and executed. The site of his remains became a place of pilgrimage for the faithful, particularly faithful monarchs. Edmund lived and died professing and protecting the Christian faith.
The appointed reading from I Peter is appropriate, both for Edmund and me today. It outlines a three-step process for evangelism. First, always be ready. This requires thinking about your faith, and spending enough time that within your own head, you have a defense, or an account of your God-gifted hope. Why believe in God? Why be hopeful? Where is Christ on the hard days? Why are there hard days? The first step to effective evangelism is to for each of us to have thought through the hard questions of faith. Why?
The second part of the formula is to be willing to make your defense of that faith, if asked. Tell people about your faith. Explain your why. Engage in dialogue. Answer questions. Prompt questions. Be in places where you’ll be asked.
Finally, offer the defense with gentleness and reverence. Be kind, inviting, and listen reverently to the words and understandings of the other person.
In my experience, we fail when we don’t practice all three parts. Failure in any one of these areas, renders the resulting evangelism less effective. Some people aren’t prepared, although they talk a lot, and are kind. Their thoughts haven’t been formed and tested, and it’s as if they’re formulating their theology as they’re moving their mouth. That’s not ideal, or at least it wouldn’t be for me.
Some people are challenged because they’re not asked for a defense, or if they are asked, they’re reluctant to offer it.
Finally, there are those who are thoughtful, in places to explain, and outspoken, but they are not reverent or kind. I’ve seen finger wagging, name calling and yelling, all from well-intentioned Jesus-followers.
For me, I am ready. I have thought about God’s love and grace, and there are times when I have a sense of hope or joy that I attribute solely to my faith in an ever-present, ever grace-filled God. God provides the hope, when I otherwise might have little. Sometimes I have a sense of hope and love and light that is out of place, given both my actual situation, and society’s seeming expectations of how I should be, given my situation. I have my ‘elevator speech’, my ever-updated, 3 minute explanation if anyone asks.
I believe I’m also gentle and reverent. Rarely, if ever would I approach a faith conversation with anything but reverence.
What I lack is the opportunity and eagerness to offer my prepared, kind, gentle defense. I don’t tend to run in circles where talking about faith or offering defense is a thing. There are places where faith in God is presumptive in my job for the church. No need to offer my defense there. I spend time in ‘the world’, but I’m not outgoing enough to strike up a conversation about faith, even if I was talking with people who clearly needed some.
So while Peter’s counsel is a simple three-part recipe for evangelism, I don’t see evangelism happening this way, which probably means it’s not as effective.
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