Hello my friends,

Many of you have written to me about how to be ambassadors of Jesus in days like we are living in now. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard this question in my ministry over the last several years. The overwhelming amount of people asking this question is a sobering reminder of the current moment we are in as Christians. A moment of upheaval, reckoning, and hopefully, a moment of reform.

This topic is a complex one and one that deserves a complex answer, which is more than a single newsletter can provide. So today I just want to provide some context and then some things that I have found to be very productive in sharing the gospel of Jesus with those around me.

Before we get into that, here are some recommended resources:

​-Evangelism after Christendom: The Theology and Practice of Christian Witness by Bryan Stone. Most people think of evangelism as something an individual does--one person talking to one or more other people about the gospel. Bryan Stone, however, argues that evangelism is the duty and call of the entire church as a body of witness. Evangelism after Christendom explores what it means to understand and put to work evangelism as a rich practice of the church, grounding evangelism in the stories of Israel, Jesus, and the Apostles. This thorough treatment is marked by an astute sensitivity to the ways in which Christian evangelism has in the past been practiced violently, intentionally or unintentionally. Pointing to exemplars both Protestant and Catholic, Stone shows pastors, professors, and students how evangelism can work nonviolently.

​-The Impact Of Christian Nationalism On American Democracy by Fresh Air. In this podcast episode, Bradley Onishi is interviewed about the ties between Christian nationalism and political and judicial leaders. Onishi became a Christian nationalist and a youth minister in his teens and then left the church. He is the author of Preparing for War: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism — and What Comes Next, and he cohosts a podcast about religion and politics called Straight White American Jesus. It is an interesting interview to say the least.

​-Voices In My Head Podcast by Rick Lee James. I was recently a guest on Rick Lee James' podcast, where we discussed a little of everything, from my pastoral experience to navigating the difficult days we are in as Christians. I hope you find it helpful.

Okay, now onto today's content.
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How To Share Our Faith

In An Age of Extremism

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Who are we trying to share our faith with?

I was recently talking with a pastor friend of mine about the nature of evangelism today. We mentioned how too much of evangelism today is centered on a false assumption: that people around us don’t know the gospel of Jesus. Even Pew Research has shown that the majority of Americans know the basic key elements about both Christianity and the Bible. In fact, the survey shows that they know more about these things within our religion than they do about any other world religion.

This is not to say that some people in our country do not know the gospel. It is to say that the average American you encounter is most likely already going to know the basics of our faith. This context should really shape how we share our faith in the world around us. It should also help us to think intentionally about who we are wanting to share our faith with.

For me, I think about who is in my immediate area. I live in Boise Idaho, which is majority white, Christian, and conservative folks. My social media platforms also provide a much more diverse group of people to interact with, but I still try to be intentional with who I am trying to share my faith with.

I feel distinctly called to be a pastor. I see the pastor’s role to be a shepherd alongside Christians and to help guide the public witness of the church (body of Christ). This is a different focus from an evangelist, whose main objective is to reach those outside of Christianity who may not have any knowledge of Jesus or his gospel.

So with this distinct call, I feel led to be there for people who don’t feel like they have a home within Christianity right now, but who are desperately trying to hold onto their faith. People who are seeking language to describe the current moment we are in and hopefully better equip them to navigate the divisive waters of our religion and politics today.

Growing up in Christian fundamentalist and nationalist circles, I also feel called to be a prophetic voice, highlighting the dangers of each of these perspectives, how they are so damaging our public witness as Christians, and how we must repent from them.

These two focuses are what I feel God leading me to currently. God may be leading you in a different direction. Your immediate sphere of influence may be completely different from mine. Either way, think about who and what God might be leading you towards and how you might be uniquely placed to embody your faith right where you are.

What are we really evangelizing for?

A long time ago, I came to the realization that everything we Christians do is evangelism. So often, evangelism is defined as something only individuals do. Like going door to door or standing on street corners, and sharing the gospel with complete strangers. While that may be the way others choose to evangelize, that is not the only form or even a complete picture of evangelism.

It's also often defined by presenting the gospel with our words, without considering how our actions present the gospel.

When we call ourselves followers of Jesus, everything we say and do is then seen and defined through that lens. This counts for both how we live as individuals and collectively as Christians. From our compassion to our hate, from our humility to our arrogance, from our generosity to our greed, from how we participate in politics to how we don't, everything we do shapes our public witness as Christ followers. Whether we want it to or not, everything we do is "sharing our faith."

This is why there is such a reckoning right now within American Christianity. A faction of Christians, many of them within Evangelical Christianity, have become very loud and have gained some substantial positions of power, all while declaring what it means to be “Christian” in our country and how our country needs to be that kind of “Christian.” This not only influences our public witness in our entire culture, but it has made many other Christians not only feel excluded but deeply question their faith because they are not that kind of “Christian.”

This trend on top of a growing discontentment with Christians talking about their faith, yet not putting it into action has lead to such a great rupture within American Christainity.

I can’t tell you how many times per week someone will tell me how they feel like they can’t share that they are a Christian or have even abandoned that title completely because the connotations it now has in our culture. This needs to not only break our hearts, but cause us to reflect on why this is happening so that we can step forward with repentance and integrity in our faith.

This is important to address because a central question to Christian evangelism is, what are we inviting people into? Are we inviting them into a partisan movement? Are we inviting them into a political party? Are we inviting them to support a particular political figure? Are we inviting them into a group preoccupied with fighting a culture war? Or are we inviting them into a relationship with Jesus? How we live and act in our society as followers of Jesus will be the biggest indication of what we are evangelizing people to be. We are always evangelizing! The question is who or what are we evangelizing for?

I will never forget reading a survey from Pew Research back in 2021 that revealed to everyone’s surprise that between 2016 and 2020, there was no significant decline in the share of white Americans who identified as evangelical Christians. Instead, the report found the opposite: During Donald Trump’s presidency, the number of white Americans who started identifying as evangelical actually grew.

Where this survey gets very interesting though is “who” is calling themselves evangelical and “why.” When you look through the survey you find that it has less to do with Evangelical churches growing in attendance or because of Evangelicals spreading the gospel. Rather, millions of Americans have been drawn to the the term because of its association with the Republican Party.

According to Ryan Burge, who is an assistant professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University and a Baptist pastor, there are two ways this is happening.

According to Burge, the first is that many Americans who have begun to embrace the evangelical identity are people who hardly ever attend worship services. For example, in 2008, just 16 percent of all self-identified evangelicals reported their church attendance as never or seldom. But in 2020, that number jumped to 27 percent. In 2008, about a third of evangelicals who never attended church said they were politically conservative. By 2019, that had risen to about 50 percent.

The second factor bolstering evangelicalism on surveys, Burge continues, is that more people are embracing the label who have no attachment to Protestant Christianity. For example, the share of Catholics who also identified as evangelicals (or born again) rose to 15 percent in 2018 from 9 percent in 2008. That same pattern appears with Muslims. In fact, there’s evidence that the share of Orthodox Christians, Hindus and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who identify as evangelical is larger today than it was just a decade ago.

Again, this begs the question, what are we inviting people into? A lot of evangelism is happening in our nation, but it doesn't seem to be centered on a relationship with Jesus. In fact, it seems to be evangelizing for a particular political power and doing so by taking Jesus' name in vain.

Remembering the words of Jesus, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35). Not by our 21st century political parties or by our allegiance to 21st century nations, and especially not by our fear and exclusion of others. Not by our unquestioned devotion to political figures or being victorious in culture wars. No, Jesus says we will be known as his disciples by our love for others.

Repentance and Lament as Evangelism.

So we know the way we don’t want to represent Jesus to the world, but how do we represent Jesus, especially given the extremes within Christianity today?

I personally believe that American Christianity deeply needs prophetic voices calling for accountability within our Christian faith.

One of the main reasons I write and preach as I do is because I want our Christian public witness to look like Jesus and repent from the ways it isn’t looking anything like Jesus in our nation today. This calls for highlighting and publicly lamenting over the harm we are seeing done by others claiming to follow Jesus.

As I have been doing this publicly, I have been deeply humbled by how many messages, letters, and comments I will get from people every day who tell me they feel deeply drawn to Jesus because of those who are writing and preaching as I am. My whole goal is to point to Jesus. So when people say they feel drawn to him because of my work, it really is the greatest encouragement to keep going.

I will have people tell me that they feel like they can start attending church for the first time since the pandemic began. I will have people tell me that they are interested in finding out more about the Bible and the person of Jesus for the first time in their lives. I will have atheists tell me that even though they don’t believe in God, they believe in the message of Jesus I am trying to express. I will have people tell me they feel like they don’t have to abandon their faith anymore because they feel like they belong with Jesus.

Honestly, this isn’t because of my writing or preaching. It is simply because I am writing and preaching about the person of Jesus whose teachings have radically changed my life. Whose teachings are so different from the ways his name has been co-opted for political power and culture wars today. Whose teachings really do bring about peace, rest, justice, joy, and abundant life. That is what I want my public witness to be about. That is what I hope people are drawn to. That is what I hope we can collectively represent as Christians.

One of the teachings of Jesus that really resonates with me right now in regards to how we can reflect him in our world today is found in Matthew 11:29-30, which says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

The late Bible scholar Eugene Peterson beautifully paraphrased these words this way, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Jesus lived and taught in a time when religious fundamentalism was weighing heavily on people and even harming them, keeping them under the yoke of shame, with no hope of ever measuring up in God’s eyes or possibly even surviving their current circumstances.

Jesus came along and taught a way that offers rest and a way to learn the “unforced rhythms of grace.” A way to live freely and lightly. A way that provides that kind of life for others.

In our time when our own religion is being used in such an authoritarian and fundamentalist way, a way that is harming others in such heartbreaking ways, one of the best ways we can represent Jesus is offering his way of liberation from that kind of damaging religion. We can embody the unforced rhythms of grace to others so that that they can find refuge in a world in which they may so often feel excluded. We can keep company with others while learning together how to live freely and lightly like Jesus did. It is to seek justice and rest for the poor, the marginalized, the oppressed, and the most vulnerable, who seem to be the biggest targets of the heavy, burdensome Christianity of our time.

While there is so much more that could be said on this topic, I think for me, this is the heart of where my mind has been thinking lately on how to share our faith in this age of extremism. I hope at the very least, you find it a productive place to start thinking more about it yourself.