How Much Do You Have to Hate Someone to Not Proselytize?

Two items on the subject of evangelism that deserve some consideration:

1) The video below by Penn Jilette (of Penn & Teller fame) describes his encounter with a man who gave him a Bible after a show. As an atheist, Penny says, "I don't respect people who don't proselytize," and "how much do you have to hate someone not to proselytize?" Penn seems to have a mature view of what it means to live in a pluralistic society while believing in truth.

2) Jacob Baron, class of 2010 at Dartmouth, made a similar point in The Dartmouth last year in his article Sociopathic Scripture:

"But what of those devout believers who do not proselytize? What of the woman on the subway, who expressed indifference at the idea that my friend would suffer infinite agony forever? What of the devout millions nationally and worldwide who revel in the righteous damnation of their neighbors? I cannot see how this religious behavior is anything other than sadism and sociopathy on a grand scale."

The point that both of these non-Christian men make is that it is supremely unloving towards our fellow human beings to fail to speak the Gospel to them if we truly believe it ourselves. Contrary to the prevailing cultural assertion that it is selfish and arrogant to proselytize, these men reveal that, done properly, it is the only selfless and humble option for the true believer. Selfless in that the gain you have in mind is for your neighbor, not yourself, and humble in that you are adhering to what you believe to be the truth, not your own mere opinion. This may well be why Penn describes his evangelist as "not defensive."

You may note as well that what has been discussed in these two pieces is a purely horizontal phenomenon, meaning that it has to do with love from one human being to another. For the Christian, there is also the awareness of the vertical dimension to these issues, namely that we have a debt of love and obedience to God Himself, who commanded His people to represent Him and preach the good news to all the earth. If anything, the horizontal illuminates the greater prominence of the vertical dimension of evangelism for the Christian.

HT: Dashouse