Mainline Evangelism

In a review in The Christian Century of a book on evangelism in mainline churches (it's tempting to suggest it's probably a slim volume) by Martha Grace Reece, Unbinding the Gospel: Real Life Evangelism, the reviewer says:

It has long struck me that the same mainline church members who pass resolutions on gay marriage and propose solutions to conflict in the Middle East suddenly shrink in silence on the subject of their faith, and they do this—here's the irony—so they won't offend anyone. For too long, our noble impulses toward tolerance and inclusivity have turned us into spiritual illiterates who, being out of practice, have forgotten how to speak the words of our faith.

We ask our church members to vote on the most complicated social issues, but we let them off the hook when it comes to inviting a neighbor to church. We relegate that duty to the pastor, the professional Christian who speaks about the faith on everyone's behalf and hopefully has a whole lot of neighbors.

It's true but not as ironic as it sounds. It isn't as easy to share about one's faith when it can't be summed up in a couple of sound bites. I find it helpful to stay away from "this is what I believe" and focus on "this is why I go" and "this is what I get out of it." But it sounds like the tide is beginning to turn. We are slowly remembering how to share the good news as we understand it.