In a recent discussion about the idea of winning souls, Proverbs 11.30 was brought into the discussion. The Hebrew word translated "winneth," is a primary root with a very wide application, so there is no telling what is meant.
I have been bothered by what I have come to call "flimflam evangelism."
I suppose I should tell you where I am coming from. The idea of winning souls may sound very Biblical, but in the last couple decades, that hasn't been the case. There is no more reverence to the idea of "winning souls" than there is to winning a baseball game. It has lead to the marketing of Christ as if He is nothing more than a commodity you can buy at a super-market.
Some time ago, a milk marketing board had a campaign to sell milk. It featured billboards, and bumper stickers, etc., with the message, simply "GOT MILK?" Not long after that some Christian nutcase came up with the brilliant soul winning idea of selling Jesus in the same way. Billboards popped up all over the place, people started to put bumper stickers on their cars, and so called Christian women even started to wear slacks with the message on there rear ends. Of course the message was simply, "GOT JESUS?"
Jesus is far more precious than to be treated like a commodity. So, winning souls has become nothing more than a sales ploy to get people to accept religion. And that makes me so very angry.
Another part of this is the idea of trying Jesus like your going to test drive a car. In recent years I've been hearing people telling other people to "TRY JESUS." As if Jesus was just one more way you can try to solve your problems.
In these things we are seeing the commodification of Jesus. This is not the evangelism of Christ and the apostles. This is religious capitalism running amok. So called evangelicals trying to capitalize on the weaknesses of other people to sell their brand of religion which they call Christianity. But it is not the Christianity founded on the foundation of Christ and the apostles, there fore it is not Christianity at all.
In a way, I'm glad a door was opened for me to introduce this topic. And I am hoping that Christians everywhere are just as disgusted as I am with this flimflam evangelism.
And, if I have offended anyone - good.
