[[This meme is what fueled the fire for this post. In my opinion, it screams condescension, and thus, creates a barrier for making anyone interested in what we have to say about God.]] 

Thanks to my evangelism class this semester, I've begun to reconsider how I understand Christianity and the ways that it's perceived in the world. Sometimes I think Christians get defensive before there's anything for us to get defensive about where our faith, faith practices, etc. are concerned. We think that anyone who doesn't profess to be a Christian--or heck, just doesn't think the same way we do within Christianity itself--is somehow the enemy. Now, we may not consciously articulate such a thing, but I do believe that many of us (including myself) are very capable of securing such a mindset if we're not careful.

 I found, through my professor, the resources for his class and the assignments we were given to do outside of class, that people--for the most part--are totally cool with you believing whatever it is you want to believe.....as long as you do so in a way that's respectful. This doesn't mean we shouldn't talk about our faith (that's a whole other issue--not sharing our faith for fear of offending someone who thinks differently than we do); however, I think it does mean we have a responsibility to share our faith in a way that invites others to voice their own perspective and in a way that creates a space for dialogue--rather than one-sided conversation. 

It's pretty fascinating, really--to hear how others come to their conclusions about the Divine.

I think if we focus more on listening, rather than defending, that faith sharing is something that can be more easily accomplished without giving Christians a bad rap. And we might (and should, if we're doing it genuinely) just learn a thing or two as well! We might even spark someone's interest to come to church with us or get involved in community outreach. And our own interest will probably be sparked in some way to become more involved in the life of God's Kingdom as a result of such conversations as well. 

God is always seeking and always finding ways to extend invitations to those who don't know God. We can either be a part of that invitation process or we can become a barrier. The choice is ours for the making.