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debunkingxian2011-08-07 11:44 am
elf) wrote in debunkingxian2011-08-07 11:44 am
Entry tags:
The secular pagan left
I decided to poke around for articles about "how to witness to Pagans" today (apparently, my life does not have enough irritations; I need reminders of of what really annoys me), and rounded up a collection of links. A clever researcher could watch the shape of evangelism change by tracking similar posts on a timeline--these range from 2003 to 2011, and how the tone changes as Wicca became more public & gained legal protections is interesting.
None of these are packed with hatespeech, because they're all focused on "how us wunnerful Christians with the inside line to the Real Truth can help our poor lost Pagan siblings, well, not quite siblings yet but we're working on that part."
How To Witness To Pagans, Keziah Thomas; Last site update: June 2003
"Be aware that pagans who are at the higher levels will be very much trapped by Satan. They may feel frightened to leave, they may feel that they are too evil for God or Christians to accept them, and they need to know that you are there for them."
HOW TO REACH A PAGAN WORLD, Bill Honsberger, Dec 2003
"It is essential that we understand that the early church could not compete at this level. They did not have the funds, the freedom and most importantly, the inclination. Knowing this, how then did they spread so quickly without reaching out to meet the *felt needs* of those early pagans? Let us examine what they did and why it worked."
Witnessing to Pagans/Wiccans, IronWill; May 2006
"Most Christians are looking for a technique that will have their friend or relative in church within a couple weeks. The fact is, it's not that simple .... A lot of Christians, in attempting to witness to them have ended up alienating them to the cause of Christ."
How do I Reach a Witch (or Wiccan) for Christ?, Dare 2 Share Youth Ministry Resources; Feb 2007
(This one is just whacked. It's not about witnessing; it's an argument. It makes statements about Wicca – mostly more-or-less accurate, like "diversity is a virtue," and then quotes bible verses claiming those things are wrong. There's no hint of how to make a convincing argument to someone who doesn't believe the bible is the ultimate authority. This is apparently for teenagers to bolster their own faith in the presence of Wicca more than attempting to convert anyone else.)
A Witness of Love, Annie Fintan; Jan 2009
"However, the day will come when you will be given the opportunity to be a witness to one of them. … I happen to know that she is still searching for something to fill that void in her heart."
Witnessing to those in Wicca, Matthew J. Slick; Apr 2009
"There is a darkness that hides behind a veil of which Wiccans step through each time they practice their spells and incantations.…Christians must be careful when dealing with Wiccans because, in your endeavor to win them to Christ, you must overcome many hurdles as well as fight a spiritual battle."
(As with the other formal-ministry "advice," this one is full of don'ts rather than actual theological information.)
Prayer for the – wicca, Captain Mark; Mar 2011
"God has been faithful and gracious to give me opportunities to witness for Him even here in our Divisional Headquarters. … May every army building, facility, program, and soldier be a place where the gospel is ready shared with boldness, truth, and love."
None of the articles ever deal with "how do you convince someone that they should care what the bible says about their life choices?" They assume that OF COURSE everyone will agree that bible verses are relevant. (Hmm. I need to get a copy of the Principia Discordia that I can mark up with highlighter and post-its and a sheet with page-and-paragraph listings about how it answers various life-questions.)
I occasionally wonder what--or how vicious--the reaction would be to a few Pagan sites that had pages about "how to turn Christians away from their religion, and convince them to join us instead." (And as fun as that might be, I'm certainly not going to try it as long as I have minor children. There's bold-on-the-internet, and then there's risking-my-family's-lives.)
Post title from a rant about the nasty Pagans in the military.
None of these are packed with hatespeech, because they're all focused on "how us wunnerful Christians with the inside line to the Real Truth can help our poor lost Pagan siblings, well, not quite siblings yet but we're working on that part."
How To Witness To Pagans, Keziah Thomas; Last site update: June 2003
"Be aware that pagans who are at the higher levels will be very much trapped by Satan. They may feel frightened to leave, they may feel that they are too evil for God or Christians to accept them, and they need to know that you are there for them."
HOW TO REACH A PAGAN WORLD, Bill Honsberger, Dec 2003
"It is essential that we understand that the early church could not compete at this level. They did not have the funds, the freedom and most importantly, the inclination. Knowing this, how then did they spread so quickly without reaching out to meet the *felt needs* of those early pagans? Let us examine what they did and why it worked."
Witnessing to Pagans/Wiccans, IronWill; May 2006
"Most Christians are looking for a technique that will have their friend or relative in church within a couple weeks. The fact is, it's not that simple .... A lot of Christians, in attempting to witness to them have ended up alienating them to the cause of Christ."
How do I Reach a Witch (or Wiccan) for Christ?, Dare 2 Share Youth Ministry Resources; Feb 2007
(This one is just whacked. It's not about witnessing; it's an argument. It makes statements about Wicca – mostly more-or-less accurate, like "diversity is a virtue," and then quotes bible verses claiming those things are wrong. There's no hint of how to make a convincing argument to someone who doesn't believe the bible is the ultimate authority. This is apparently for teenagers to bolster their own faith in the presence of Wicca more than attempting to convert anyone else.)
A Witness of Love, Annie Fintan; Jan 2009
"However, the day will come when you will be given the opportunity to be a witness to one of them. … I happen to know that she is still searching for something to fill that void in her heart."
Witnessing to those in Wicca, Matthew J. Slick; Apr 2009
"There is a darkness that hides behind a veil of which Wiccans step through each time they practice their spells and incantations.…Christians must be careful when dealing with Wiccans because, in your endeavor to win them to Christ, you must overcome many hurdles as well as fight a spiritual battle."
(As with the other formal-ministry "advice," this one is full of don'ts rather than actual theological information.)
Prayer for the – wicca, Captain Mark; Mar 2011
"God has been faithful and gracious to give me opportunities to witness for Him even here in our Divisional Headquarters. … May every army building, facility, program, and soldier be a place where the gospel is ready shared with boldness, truth, and love."
None of the articles ever deal with "how do you convince someone that they should care what the bible says about their life choices?" They assume that OF COURSE everyone will agree that bible verses are relevant. (Hmm. I need to get a copy of the Principia Discordia that I can mark up with highlighter and post-its and a sheet with page-and-paragraph listings about how it answers various life-questions.)
I occasionally wonder what--or how vicious--the reaction would be to a few Pagan sites that had pages about "how to turn Christians away from their religion, and convince them to join us instead." (And as fun as that might be, I'm certainly not going to try it as long as I have minor children. There's bold-on-the-internet, and then there's risking-my-family's-lives.)
Post title from a rant about the nasty Pagans in the military.
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They don't have coherent answers for people who grew up in it. They do sometimes try, "but you grew up in the wrong version; OUR version is the right one!" But again--they try to pretend the target is ignorant of how Christianity, or their version of it, works & believes.
My current favorite verse for the bible-pushers is Matthew 22:14--"Many are called but few are chosen." I tell 'em I'm one of the few that aren't called.
(They get upset. They have an amazing ability to claim that by "many," Jesus really meant "all.")
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Yeeaaahhhhh, right.
I saw the "HOW TO REACH A PAGAN WORLD" and my expectation of their first suggestion was smallpox blankets? It's not like I'm dis-trustful or anything...
Re: bold-on-the-internet
If you want to write it, I'll see that it has a home. And if you want to condense it into the format of the infamous "Gay Agenda"*, it'll go up on my LJ and DW as a public post...
*http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckGaShCWbcE
*http://www.bettybowers.com/homoagenda.html
Re: bold-on-the-internet
A well-written article, widely shared, on how to convert confused teenagers from Christianity to Paganism (or at least, nudge them solidly in that direction) would bring wrath and attacks down on a lot of Pagan groups & individuals. Aiming it at slightly older Christians wouldn't get much less vicious responses.