This is our 100th post on TalkAboutSomething! I'm so excited I'm going to start a new series.

I'm reading "The Christian Culture Survival Guide" It was recommended by my friend Rachel. For my new series I'm going to discuss each chapter's theme and my own reflections on it. I'm not as cynical as Matthew Paul Turner (although I'm close and not nearly as funny.)

His first chapter is about "Getting Saved and Baptism." He discusses his salvation experience (when he was 4) and his baptism (a terrifying experience for him.) He discussed his Baptist churches scary quasi-military tactics to win souls. He makes it abundantly clear that winning souls is incredibly important and a necessity to the Christian world - but, he criticizes the heavily employed fast-food tactics we Christians use to reach the lost.

I was "saved" when I was 11. I was at Wesley Woods and went forward for an altar call. It was a beautiful time in my life. I became a Christian at the outdoor chapel at a side camp off of Wesley Woods - perhaps the same spot where my mother committed her life to Christ. I was baptized at Creationfest in a pond. I was submerged (like a good Baptist should be). I am glad I waited until I was older and fully understood what I was doing. If my memory serves me right I was confirmed before I was baptized. I became a United Methodist before I was baptized - definetly against the rules.

I feel that evangelism is important - and have, in the past, fallen for the "get people to say the sinner's prayer" to get a "get out of Hell free pass." I don't think that evangelism is the most important thing in a Christian's life. I think it's moe important than most Christian's make it ... but we make it such an extreme that most people can't handle it and give up entirely. Anyone can share his or her faith. When the church makes evangelism anything other than simply sharing our faith with others the church fails. Evangelism isn't going door to door. It isn't shouting at people as they go into porn shops. It's about loving the people that you're close to (saved and unsaved) and patiently explaining the story of Christ with them.

We've screwed up royally on this one. Those who think witnessing is the most important part of being a Christian often take it to unhealthy extremes. Those who don't think it is that important often don't do it at all because they feel they can't compare to those who share so boldly.

We need to bring evangelism back into a proper perspective. We need to teach openly that the only door to door we often need is inviting our neighbors to a football party. Maybe the only shouting we need is when the Steelers (or insert football team name) score a Touchdown.