Evangelization Myths (5 of 7)

Eric Sammons has authored a new book “The Old Evangelization: How to Spread the Faith Like Jesus Did” and cites 7 common myths that deter Catholics from evangelizing. 

The fifth myth is: To attract people we must be nice, and careful not to offend.

Eric writes:

… the underlying thought is that we must avoid proclaiming any “hard teachings” that might offend people… [However,] what initially attracted me to Catholicism was its strong teaching against abortion. I understood that a Church which stayed true to even its hardest teachings in the face of cultural opposition was less likely to be simply a human institution. In other words, the “hard teachings” attracted me.

My take is slightly different. It is essential to not fear that some will find Christ’s teachings hard to take.  But don’t start there.

Consider, the original hard teaching: Jesus on eating his flesh (John 6:52-56). It is disciples of Jesus that have a hard time here.  In other words, Jesus did not challenge them at the outset.  As disciples, they have already gotten to know him before hearing his teaching on the Eucharist.  Furthermore, Peter and the other apostles receive this “hard saying” not because they thoroughly grasped it, but because they valued their relationship with him; saying not “I get this” but “Where else are we to go?” 

To effectively evangelize, get folks thinking about their relationship with God and why they should have one.  Then when they hear the hard teachings, they are more likely to embrace them as “the words of eternal life.”