Should we "fight" the enemy?

[LaramieHirsch]

Should we frequently engage faithless people who are hostile to The Church and Jesus Christ as often as is reasonably possible? I suppose I have *online internet social media in mind *when I mention this, i.e. Facebook, forums, comments sections in blogs, and so forth.

When I say “as often as is reasonably possible,” I don’t mean going out to aggressively Bible thump unsuspecting people. I am asking if we should give strong unrelenting retorts to critics of Christianity.

For example, if we are reading an online column, and we see a lot of bigoted and offensive language and accusations in the comments section, ought we dive in, pick a target, and engage that critic? (If you would like, please explain what you think a “victory” would look like.)

 

[Havard]

Other people are not “the enemy” and witnessing the Gospel and fraternal correction are not “fighting.” It absolutely must be done with charity and humility. I would avoid thoughts of “winning”, as it’s not adversarial. Just the best witness you can, the rest is not your call.

 

[St_Francis]

Everyone is called to evangelize according to their circumstances, each in their own individual way.

And evangelizing is giving a reasoned explanation for our faith. Christ instructed the Apostles to leave a town which would not listen to them, shaking the dust of the town from their sandals! So, we are not called to convince, nor are we called to preach to those who will not listen. Sometimes we can accomplish more evangelizing with prayer than with words

 

[Michael_Mayo]

Other people are not “the enemy” and witnessing the Gospel and fraternal correction are not “fighting.” It absolutely must be done with charity and humility. I would avoid thoughts of “winning”, as it’s not adversarial. Just the best witness you can, the rest is not your call.

I fully agree.

I have spent some time on the Amazon community discussion boards “Religion” and “Christianity”. Many atheists there who are not interested in discussing anything. But one or two maybe. But then also a lot of fundamentalist Christians. It takes patience, a thick skin, love and humility.

 

[LaramieHirsch]

Other people are not “the enemy” and witnessing the Gospel and fraternal correction are not “fighting.” It absolutely must be done with charity and humility. I would avoid thoughts of “winning”, as it’s not adversarial. Just the best witness you can, the rest is not your call.

Checking in for a moment.

Yes, of course, other people are not supposed to be “an enemy.” But it all depends on the context of how the words are used.

Another such example that comes to mind is that we are all brothers and sisters as human beings.

However, I’m sure that people understand what I am asking. It is clear that one set of people in this world are adversaries of other people. It is also clear that Scriptures talks of those who reject Christ as children of Satan. And it is also clear that there is language in Scriptures stating that God intends to separate sheep from goats.

Again, I assume that people here will understand the context of the language I am using and that I do not have to qualify what I’ve asked any further.

Finally, I will be one of those who vote “yes.” Not only do I believe we need to be more engaged in evangelization, but I’d also like to see the poll results!