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 Carl Medearis with Sheikh Nabil Qawouk Hezbollah’s number two leader.
July 24th, 2011
01:00 AM ET
My Take: Why evangelicals should stop evangelizing
By Carl Medearis, Special to CNN Let’s do an exercise. I want you to fill in the blank on what you think you know about me based on what I’m about to tell you. Here goes: Twenty years ago, I became a missionary. My wife and I left our home in Colorado Springs, Colorado to move to Beirut, Lebanon. Our job description was to plant churches and evangelize to Muslims. Based on what I just said, Carl Medearis is a ______________ . Depending on your background, the blank may look something like this: Carl Medearis is a... hero of the Christian faith, a saintly super-man willing to sacrifice the comforts of home in order to share the love of Jesus Christ with those who have never heard the gospel. Or this: Carl Medearis is a... right-wing extremist who destroys cultures, tears apart families and paves the way for neo-colonialist crusaders to invade, occupy and plunder the resources of local populations.
Quite a range, isn’t it? For one group of people, the words “evangelist” and “missionary” bring to mind pious heroes performing good deeds that are unattainable for the average Christian. For another group, those same words represent just about everything that’s wrong with the world. I understand the confusion. Based on my experiences of living and traveling around the world, I know that religion is often an identity marker that determines people’s access to jobs, resources, civil liberties and political power. When I lived in Lebanon I saw firsthand how destructive an obsession with religious identity could be. Because of the sectarian nature of Lebanese politics, modern Lebanese history is rife with coups, invasions, civil wars and government shutdowns. When I tell my Christian friends in America that some of the fiercest militias were (and are) Christian, most are shocked. It doesn’t fit the us-versus-them mentality that evangelism fosters, in which we are always the innocent victims and they are always the aggressors. This us-versus-them thinking is odd, given that Jesus was constantly breaking down walls between Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor, men and women, sinners and saints. That’s why we have the parable of the Good Samaritan. Jews in Jesus’ day thought of the Samaritans as the violent heretics, much the same way that Christians think of Muslims today. The idea that a Samaritan could be good was scandalous to first century Jews. Jesus was the master of challenging religious prejudice and breaking down sectarian walls. Why do so many Christians want to rebuild those walls? Even the Apostle Paul insisted that it’s faith in Jesus that matters, not converting to a new religion or a new socio-religious identity. What if evangelicals today, instead of focusing on “evangelizing” and “converting” people, were to begin to think of Jesus not as starting a new religion, but as the central figure of a movement that transcends religious distinctions and identities? Jesus the uniter of humanity, not Jesus the divider. How might that change the way we look at others? This is more than just a semantic difference. When I used to think of myself as a missionary, I was obsessed with converting Muslims (or anybody for that matter) to what I thought of as “Christianity.” I had a set of doctrinal litmus tests that the potential convert had to pass before I would consider them “in” or one of “us.” Funny thing is, Jesus never said, “Go into the world and convert people to Christianity.” What he said was, “Go and make disciples of all nations.” Encouraging anyone and everyone to become an apprentice of Jesus, without manipulation, is a more open, dynamic and relational way of helping people who want to become more like Jesus — regardless of their religious identity. Just because I believe that evangelicals should stop evangelizing doesn’t mean that they should to stop speaking of Jesus. I speak of Jesus everywhere I go and with everyone I meet. As founder and president of a company called International Initiatives, my work is aimed at building relationships among Christian leaders in the West and among Muslim leaders in the Middle East. It may come as a surprise to many Christians that Muslims are generally open to studying the life of Jesus as a model for leadership because they revere him as a prophet. But now that I’m no longer obsessed with converting people to Christianity, I’ve found that talking about Jesus is much easier and far more compelling. I believe that doctrine is important, but it’s not more important than following Jesus. Jesus met people where they were. Instead of trying to figure out who’s “in” and who’s “out,” why don’t we simply invite people to follow Jesus — and let Jesus run his kingdom? Inviting people to love, trust, and follow Jesus is something the world can live with. And since evangelicals like to say that it’s not about religion, but rather a personal relationship with Jesus, perhaps we should practice what we preach. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Carl Medearis. soundoff (3,792 Responses)« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 Next »
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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Editor's Note: 
Who is the problem?
Is there a problem? What seems to be the problem? Who is the problem? Aren't we all the problem?
Some thing is puzzling me here by the author he says;
" As founder and president of a company called International Initiatives, my work is aimed at building relationships among Christian leaders in the West and among Muslim leaders in the Middle East.".
Meeting Hezbollah leaders as Muslim Leaders in the MidEast...
Then how come they are listed and fought up as Terrorists ??
Seems as been said each Coin has Two Sides or Faces "One Face is The Secular face and the other side of the face is Religious face"...bite with one and cool the bite with another...!?!
You people are the problem
No you are the problem.
We all are the problem..
Actually no. The people killing each other over their beliefs are the problem.
Well every body has a belief to defend....what ever belief might it be and nit strictly religious...!
Well every body has a belief to defend....what ever belief might it be and not strictly religious.. Take for example non religious beliefs that has followers introduced by there prophets such as Hitler/Marx's/Lenin and so on..have beliefs.
Others of non heavenly religions such as Pagans/ Fire / Sun Worshipers and so on have beliefs.
Heavenly religions such as Judisem/Christianity/Islam have beliefs...
All those will protect and fight for them to remain as a "Survival kit" for eternity...I mean see how the politicians,political parties and presidents cling to their ruling seats and would not let off it even if had to lose their whole country population in internal wars and conflicts....but as you say Evolution and Natural Selection choses to select the fittest...
@Muneef I have no idea what you are saying. Your English is horrible.
Not Jesus's words
hey Lenny im still waiting, did the Christ come in the flesh,live ,die and ressurect?
Thoese quoting any Bible teachings up to Malachi are very sadly mistaken if they believe Jesus said thoese words. Just saying. If Atheists belive God is such a folly why are you even commenting, it would be as if somone would be talking about a pink elephant. Why is it that atheists have such an issue with God. The answer is that they have made themselves a God and to believe in anything greater than themselves would diminish that.
You're tearing up straw men, 308man. Atheists do not believe in gods, which includes themselves as gods. Atheists often feel the need to comment on these kinds of topics because some atheists are anti-theist, they believe theism to be dangerous and maladaptive. Many would agree with the second description Medearis gives: that missionary and evangelizing work is destructive.
I thought they worshiped Marx's or Lenin or Hitler or the Ex Korean President... Those worship people... no one worship him self...not even pharaoh did worship him self but worship his ancestors ..while he was worshiped by his people....
Carl Medearis has a mental illness, Carl Medearis is living with a self enforced delusional fantasy that is born out of our instinct to fight for our survival (After life --there will be another life!, Im never going to cease to exist!) couple this with a persons greatest emotional need...to feel valued (God loves me and I am important to the universe!).
Then again, religion tends to keep most followers in check.. it provides a moral good conduct code. Political ideologies tend to kill. In the end we are better off if the masses are subdued with the promise of heaven if they behave...whether its true or not...
according to the same bible your reading out of lenny that makes you anti-Christ!
There is no Christ or anti-Christ.
And it makes you pro-slavery, no matter what Jesus did.
when you answer no does that make you anti-Christ?
lol.........
It means you are avoiding the question, which means you can't answer the question. Try to stay on point.
Hey lenny answer me this question honestly,did Jesus Christ come in the flesh,die and live again on the third day?
@c Lenny try reading it in context! not by vrs.
Oh, providing context. Do you mean interpreting the English translation?
When a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod so hard that the slave dies under his hand, he shall be punished. If, however, the slave survives for a day or two, he is not to be punished, since the slave is his own property. (Exodus 21:20-21)
Please provide context.
Lenny, Lenny, Lenny,
This isn't just about slaves. For instance
Exodus 21:18-19 (NIV)
"If men quarrel and one hits the other with a stone or with his fist and he does not die but is confined to bed, [19] the one who struck the blow will not be held responsible if the other gets up and walks around outside with his staff; however, he must pay the injured man for the loss of his time and see that he is completely healed."
The same thing for free men fighting. The difference is the free man is compensated for his lost time. The slave is not because he is the property of the man who hit him. Why are you complaining about slavery? Slavery was often better than the alternative, death or famine. People often requested to be slaves back then.
One problem – Jesus was a divider, not a uniter. If you don't want to be a Christian, fine, just go be a Buddhist, or a Muslim, or an Atheist. But don't try to pervert the religion to fit your own views. If you can't find one that fits, I suppose you can always be an Agnostic.
Obviously, this guy wasn't good at his job.
The Great Commission says:
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (Matthew 28:19 NIV84)
That means convert people to following Jesus.
As for Jesus being a uniter, Jesus himself said:
Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. (Luke 12:51 NIV84)
Jesus himself was concerned with who is in and out, given a couple of parables. He is the one that said "I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father but through me".
Of course Jesus meant for Christians to evangelize. This article is silly
@ jay,sorry but there is a time to tell these apostates just the way it is. Shake the dust of the ole sandles
When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she will not be freed at the end of six years as the men are. If she does not please the man who bought her, he may allow her to be bought back again. But he is not allowed to sell her to foreigners, since he is the one who broke the contract with her. And if the slave girl's owner arranges for her to marry his son, he may no longer treat her as a slave girl, but he must treat her as his daughter. If he himself marries her and then takes another wife, he may not reduce her food or clothing or fail to sleep with her as his wife. If he fails in any of these three ways, she may leave as a free woman without making any payment. (Exodus 21:7-11)
Is this at the heart of Christian teachings?
have you ever read it w/the Holy Spirits guidance? Oh never mind, you have to believe in God to relieve his Spirit!
Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. (Ephesians 6:5)
The Holy Spirit told me to check out why the Bible was used to excuse slavery. I did. I guess you like to avoid the messy parts.
Mr. Medearis and his insider movement theology is off base. Borderline heretical. Certainly not evangelical.
Hi everybody! Just a heads-up here, I'm not real! And, because I'm not real, I cannot, alas, be your friend, bridegroom or savior. You know how everybody today writes spy novels and stories about vampires and werewolves? Well, guess what? The same thing was going on 2,000 years ago, except that then, popular fiction was all about itinerant mystics, magicians, faith healers and virgin mothers. I would like to say I'm sorry for any inconvenience you may have suffered from this unintentional deception, except that, as I mentioned, I'm not real! You invented me! So, whatever else you do, never, ever, do anything in my name or for my sake!
BTW, just judging by the photos, if I had to trust my wallet with one of these two guys, I'd go with the sheikh.
dry up and blow away azzhole!
Thx, redeemed, for that very Christian response.
You're a nut!
Really? Correct me where I'm wrong.
However, you may purchase male or female slaves from among the foreigners who live among you. You may also purchase the children of such resident foreigners, including those who have been born in your land. You may treat them as your property, passing them on to your children as a permanent inheritance. You may treat your slaves like this, but the people of Israel, your relatives, must never be treated this way. (Leviticus 25:44-46)
Well said Markus. The author of this article seems to forget that Jesus called people hypocrites, blind, vipers, liars, and murders. Actually the author seems to pick and chose his beliefs and has conformed God to his image rather then vice versa.
Fhahsd, one day soon you are going to eat those words!
We keep hearing that every single thing Jesus said is at the "heart of his teaching", like evangelizing. Isn't that kind of silly. Jesus told masters to beat their servants, especially if the poor slave knew what he was doing was wrong. From Leviticus to Timothy, there are tons of references about slaves obeying their masters, all to the masters' benefit. Presto, the Biblical excuse for slavery. Why isn't everyone arguing that this bit of nonsense is the heart of Jesus' teaching? He said it. God said it. His followers said it.
you dont have a clue! just another dope who glanced at the Bible and is now an authority,dry up and blow away!
When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she will not be freed at the end of six years as the men are. If she does not please the man who bought her, he may allow her to be bought back again. But he is not allowed to sell her to foreigners, since he is the one who broke the contract with her. And if the slave girl's owner arranges for her to marry his son, he may no longer treat her as a slave girl, but he must treat her as his daughter. If he himself marries her and then takes another wife, he may not reduce her food or clothing or fail to sleep with her as his wife. If he fails in any of these three ways, she may leave as a free woman without making any payment. (Exodus 21:7-11)
You folks love name-calling and hate facts.
Lenny, The heart of Christian teaching is the Gospel. The heart of the Gospel is Christ Jesus. Not all who profess the name of Christ are His followers. Please don't think negatively of all Christians because some are false.
Lenny, you need to get a red letter edition of the bible. Jesus never made the statements you claim.