Are Catholics Chicken or Something?

[Pattylt]

The few times I’ve been approached by street preachers, it never became a pleasant encounter. They usually ask the pertinent question early on and they never accept my answer. Are you saved or do you have Jesus? Answer, No. If they would have said something like, Ok, I understand and if you ever want to explore this or learn more, here’s my card. Instead I get the You know you’ll go to Hell or comments about how wrong I am. This is such a turn off and leaves me disgusted with Jesus believers in general.

What has impressed me greatly are those Christians that live their faith and aren’t blasting it at me. Just quietly living it. Which is why I’m more impressed with Catholics than Protestants.

Everyone is different, however. The street approach may work better for some personality types. Some would rather see the fruits of the faith than the confrontation of it. Like me.

 

[Sarcelle]

Different strokes for different folks.

Personally speaking, I found that my faith strengthened when I discovered the Catechism of the Catholic Church. For me, just accepting Jesus and reading the Bible is not enough. Scripture only made sense when I also read the Catechism.

I also liked the idea of the Magisterium, the authority to interpret Scripture.

 

[rcwitness]

You still need to accept the Gospel first, no matter how much research and study is involved.

That is the way to knowing Jesus and being saved.

 

[Sarcelle]

That happened to me too when I was an atheist.

It’s like I’m supposed to understand what it means to get saved. I didn’t even know I needed saving. Saving from what? Repent from what?

 

[rcwitness]

I agree that is not charitable evangelization.

First you have to hear the Gospel message and let that sink in, before you can reject it.

Without rejecting it, you will not be condemned.

 

[rcwitness]

Exactly!..

 

[Sarcelle]

I disagree.

I will have to be convinced to accept the Gospel through studying and reflection and spiritual guidance. This is how I am wired. This is why street preachers do not work for me. The process of conversion is not a one time hit and preach episode nor is it a drive by preaching and conversion. It is an evolution from one world view to another and it takes time and commitment.

I am only speaking for myself however I am sure I am not a unique case.

 

[rcwitness]

But I’m saying salvation occurs when you accept the Gospel.

Seeking will lead you to meet Him.

 

[Sarcelle]

As far as I know I am not saved yet. Salvation is a life long process.

Remember about working our salvation with fear and trembling? Salvation is a process and its work is done when we reach heaven.

 

[rcwitness]

It is both. You are saved by belief and Baptism. And your faith is tested throughout life.

 

[Sarcelle]

Okay

I pray my faith passes the tests.

 

[rcwitness]

Amen! …

 

[Tis_Bearself]

My question is this: When someone does what the woman in that story did, when they accost a stranger in a public place and ask him point blank, “Have you been saved?”, what kind of answer are they expecting? Some possibilities that occur to me:
• “I don’t know but I hope so.”
• “Yes, thank you, I have been saved. How about you?”
• “We’ll all find out the answer to that question when the time comes, won’t we?”

If somebody I’d never met were to come up and ask me that question out of the blue, my inclination, I think, would be to go for option #3.

The truest answer would be something like what Joan of Arc said when asked if she was in a state of grace (the Catholic equivalent to “Saved”): “If I’m not, I pray the Lord puts me there, and if I am, I hope He keeps me there.”

However, this is not going to make sense to an evangelical who doesn’t understand about state of grace, purgatory, etc. and only knows “Saved” and “Unsaved”.

Therefore, I recommend saying what Marjoe Gortner (former child evangelist) told his camera crew to say in the documentary / expose on his evangelizing. The crew weren’t all Christian and Marjoe was telling them how they needed to dress and act to blend in at the prayer meetings they would be filming. Among other things, he told them they would be asked if they were saved. He told them to say,

“Yes, Brother, I’ve been washed in the same Blood as you.”

Referring to the Blood of Christ of course. Which is perfectly truthful and fine for a Catholic to say. So I made a mental note of it for next time some Evangelical asks me this question.

 

[steve-b]

[snip for space]

I could tell that the gentleman was nervous at the beginning of our conversation, so I did my best to set him at easy and signal that I wasn’t threatened or put off. While I didn’t have a lot of time (I was, after all, getting in my car to go somewhere), I engaged the subject with him happily and enthusiastically, and we had a great (if brief) truck-side conversation.

It brought back pleasant memories of my own time as an Evangelical.

And as I drove away, there was a prominent thought in my head:Catholics almost never do what he just did.

Why?

Why Catholics so seldom work up the courage to approach a total stranger with the message of Jesus.
One might think it’s because Catholics are chicken, that they’re afraid to do so. And of course they are. Evangelicals are, too! You have to screw up your nerve to do this kind of thing. That’s only human!

Yet Evangelicals do it and Catholics—for the most part—don’t.

Why is that?

What are your thoughts?

There are many different ways to engage the public effectively on faith. When a one on one opportunity presents itself, then Catholics should be prepared to give answers.

 

[0Scarlett_nidiyilii]

I wear my Miraculous Medal.
People know what that means.
Hopefully, my walk-and-talk don’t turn people off to Jesus.

 

[goout]

We are saved by Christ. I know you probably don’t disagree with that but it’s good to say it that simply lest we parse what faith and sacraments are.
We are saved by a person, not by participating in a sacrament or professing a creed or a “saying”.
( By participation in baptism we come through the waters of salvation with Christ, and then we must walk with Christ throughout our lives. It is not our participation that saves us per se, it is Christ himself.)

 

[RobynP]

As an introvert, I’m not inclined to strike up a conversation with a complete stranger about the weather, let alone the gospel. It’s just not my style.

I used to have a lot of anxiety over this fact, partly because I read a lot of articles and blog posts like Jimmy’s that implied there must be something deficient about my faith if I can’t talk about it with strangers. I thought I must not really believe in Christ’s saving power if I’m not sharing it with others every chance I get. Maybe that’s true, I think everyone is always in need of deeper conversion, and who knows maybe someday I’ll receive the grace to witness like that. But for now I’ve come to accept that I’m just not wired for that type of evangelism. And that’s not a bad thing. That is how God created me. I prefer thinking and exploring questions deeply. I need to know a person before I’m comfortable talking with them about serious matters. But while that makes me not suited for street evangelization, that does make me more suited to witnessing to other introverts who don’t want to converse with a stranger either.

So yeah, anyone reading this who is like me and feels guilty for not being brave enough to preach to a stranger, you are not defective or lacking faith. We need all types of people. You have your own unique gifts that will make you an effective evangelist for someone out there. Just love God and trust that he will put you where you need to be and will give you an opportunity to witness that matches your temperament. He never wants or needs us to be something we are not. <3

 

[rcwitness]

Right. The question usually means “How are you personally saved?”

 

[rcwitness]

Not all are called preach.

Let your answer, if questioned, be simple and respectful. But you dont owe it to convince anyone.

 

[steve-b]

The truest answer would be something like what Joan of Arc said when asked if she was in a state of grace (the Catholic equivalent to “Saved”): "If I’m not, I pray the Lord puts me there, and if I am, I hope He keeps me there."

a good and saintly answer

Tis_Bearself:

However, this is not going to make sense to an evangelical who doesn’t understand about state of grace, purgatory, etc. and only knows “Saved” and “Unsaved”.

In extension, if they don’t know about state of grace, it would be presumptuous of them to presume they are saved.

Tis_Bearself:

Therefore, I recommend saying what Marjoe Gortner (former child evangelist) told his camera crew to say in the documentary / expose on his evangelizing. The crew weren’t all Christian and Marjoe was telling them how they needed to dress and act to blend in at the prayer meetings they would be filming. Among other things, he told them they would be asked if they were saved. He told them to say, "Yes, Brother, I’ve been washed in the same Blood as you."

Referring to the Blood of Christ of course. Which is perfectly truthful and fine for a Catholic to say. So I made a mental note of it for next time some Evangelical asks me this question.

My 2 cents, Joan of Arc as a Catholic and Saint, had the better answer. It’s not presumptuous. And she knew the necessity of being in the state of grace.