Devoid Evangelism

Does anyone else have a problem with impersonal evangelism, that is, evangelism seperated from at least a basic relationship with the other person? Boy, I do.

This weekend I was highly pressured to participate in a program whose premise I felt was all wrong. I was led to believe that the people in question "needed" me to be their friend. But not to be their friend because they are, as I am, created in the image of God and endowed with an inherant value that comes from that very fact, but because they are "lost" and, apparently, need my help to be found. Wrong. Now, I will never entirely build a relationship with another person uninterestedly, but I do believe that being someone's friend simply for the sake of proselytizing that person is dehumanizing, and what's more, unnecessary in God's economy.

I flatly refused to participate. Since I am a missionary, I will add the disclaimer that this had nothing whatever to do with my job or the organization that employs me. But I have often had problems with "random" evangelism. Although I believe that God can and does use this type of evangelism (that is, evangelism divorced from a basic relationship between the two parties) in the lives of individuals to draw them to Himself, I also believe that nothing is done outside of relationship. So while God may use an open air type ministry to finally draw us to Himself, it is not the only deciding blow. And we must be careful ourselves when participating in this type of activity that we don't look at others as simply a notch on our spiritual belt.

It was interesting then that I should come across this passage in a book I'm reading by Francis Schaeffer called "True Spirituality":

"We are not to stop with a proper legal relationship - for example, to think of a man as legally lost, which he is, in the sight of a holy God - without thinking of him as a person. Saying this, we can suddenly see that much of evangelism is not only sub-Christian, but subhuman - legalistic and impersonal."

Now, I'll be intellectually honest enough to say that this particular quote did in fact cause me to throw up my arms in victory and adopt a sort of "yes, I'm right!" stance, but even though I am imperfect in my reasons for pointing it out, I still thought it was a valid point. A very interesting, valid point.