Drive-by evangelism

[Strathos]

I see this a lot online nowadays, and I feel that I need to speak up about it.

What I mean by 'drive-by evangelism' is when someone makes an off-topic comment somewhere online, asking people to come to Jesus, maybe citing a few Bible verses, and then leaving, never to be seen again. You see this kind of thing very commonly on Youtube videos, for example. It doesn't matter what the video is about - music, politics, entertainment, science, games, vlogs, anything - these comments just show up out of nowhere.

Please stop doing this.

I get why people do this - they think it's an easy way to fulfill the Great Commission, and they think that they can substitute quantity for quality - if they just post these comments a lot of times, odds are that eventually one of them will reach someone, right? Unfortunately, that's not the case. In fact, I'd say that this kind of thing is counterproductive. Can you name a single person you know who became a Christian due to reading one of these comments?

Do you know what first comes to mind when I see one of these comments? What it immediately reminds me of? An advertisement. It comes off as no different from the spammers posting comments about 'hot singles in your area' or 'check out our new secure online service, satisfaction guaranteed'. It's tacky, irritating, and it makes me cringe. That is not how Christianity should be represented.

When people see these kinds of posts, they get annoyed. It doesn't make them more interested in reading the Bible, it is more likely to make them view Christians as being the same as annoying salespeople, like telemarketers. No one likes telemarketers.

If you want to evangelize online, try actually having discussions with people, and only bringing up the topic of Christ when would naturally fit into the conversation. Don't just make single posts and leave, thinking that your job is done. Try to connect with people on a personal level, and show them that you're an average, friendly person just like them, not some faceless advertisement.

Yes, it's harder, but unlike the drive-by approach, it can actually work.

 

[Sketcher]

Hey, it's cheaper than a Gospel blimp.

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

One of the fastest ways to get me to ignore your comment is you post a wall of text with bible quotations and a copy pasted exegesis of it.

I would also recommend being contextual when it comes to bringing up religion.

 

[TheWhat?]

 

[.Mikha'el.]

I see this a lot online nowadays, and I feel that I need to speak up about it.

What I mean by 'drive-by evangelism' is when someone makes an off-topic comment somewhere online, asking people to come to Jesus, maybe citing a few Bible verses, and then leaving, never to be seen again. You see this kind of thing very commonly on Youtube videos, for example. It doesn't matter what the video is about - music, politics, entertainment, science, games, vlogs, anything - these comments just show up out of nowhere.

Please stop doing this.

I get why people do this - they think it's an easy way to fulfill the Great Commission, and they think that they can substitute quantity for quality - if they just post these comments a lot of times, odds are that eventually one of them will reach someone, right? Unfortunately, that's not the case. In fact, I'd say that this kind of thing is counterproductive. Can you name a single person you know who became a Christian due to reading one of these comments?

Do you know what first comes to mind when I see one of these comments? What it immediately reminds me of? An advertisement. It comes off as no different from the spammers posting comments about 'hot singles in your area' or 'check out our new secure online service, satisfaction guaranteed'. It's tacky, irritating, and it makes me cringe. That is not how Christianity should be represented.

When people see these kinds of posts, they get annoyed. It doesn't make them more interested in reading the Bible, it is more likely to make them view Christians as being the same as annoying salespeople, like telemarketers. No one likes telemarketers.

If you want to evangelize online, try actually having discussions with people, and only bringing up the topic of Christ when would naturally fit into the conversation. Don't just make single posts and leave, thinking that your job is done. Try to connect with people on a personal level, and show them that you're an average, friendly person just like them, not some faceless advertisement.

Yes, it's harder, but unlike the drive-by approach, it can actually work.

I actually become greatly offended when I see "drive-by evangelism", and have reported such comments as spam to be taken down.

 

[Landon Caeli]

I see this a lot online nowadays, and I feel that I need to speak up about it.

What I mean by 'drive-by evangelism' is when someone makes an off-topic comment somewhere online, asking people to come to Jesus, maybe citing a few Bible verses, and then leaving, never to be seen again. You see this kind of thing very commonly on Youtube videos, for example. It doesn't matter what the video is about - music, politics, entertainment, science, games, vlogs, anything - these comments just show up out of nowhere.

Please stop doing this.

I get why people do this - they think it's an easy way to fulfill the Great Commission, and they think that they can substitute quantity for quality - if they just post these comments a lot of times, odds are that eventually one of them will reach someone, right? Unfortunately, that's not the case. In fact, I'd say that this kind of thing is counterproductive. Can you name a single person you know who became a Christian due to reading one of these comments?

Do you know what first comes to mind when I see one of these comments? What it immediately reminds me of? An advertisement. It comes off as no different from the spammers posting comments about 'hot singles in your area' or 'check out our new secure online service, satisfaction guaranteed'. It's tacky, irritating, and it makes me cringe. That is not how Christianity should be represented.

When people see these kinds of posts, they get annoyed. It doesn't make them more interested in reading the Bible, it is more likely to make them view Christians as being the same as annoying salespeople, like telemarketers. No one likes telemarketers.

If you want to evangelize online, try actually having discussions with people, and only bringing up the topic of Christ when would naturally fit into the conversation. Don't just make single posts and leave, thinking that your job is done. Try to connect with people on a personal level, and show them that you're an average, friendly person just like them, not some faceless advertisement.

Yes, it's harder, but unlike the drive-by approach, it can actually work.

That's why I prefer feeding the poor.

 

[Albion]

In fact, I'd say that this kind of thing is counterproductive. Can you name a single person you know who became a Christian due to reading one of these comments?

Frankly, I do not know what it was that turned most of my acquaintances to Christ.

However, I don't believe that the kind of postings and videos you consider to be counterproductive have failed to move anyone at all. Sometimes, all that is necessary is to plant some seed, and then something else will, later on, cause the person to reflect on it.

Not everyone will have such an experience, and for those who are already practicing Christians it is understandable that such simplistic appeals are irritating or seem useless. In addition, some of these comments violate the rules of the forums involved, and that's not defensible. But people do differ, and so do their circumstances; and the idea is that somebody 'out there' may be touched or led to do a further investigation by a simple comment, even if the appeal means nothing to most readers or viewers.

 

[Strathos]

Frankly, I do not know what it was that turned most of my acquaintances to Christ.

However, I don't believe that the kind of postings and videos you consider to be counterproductive have failed to move anyone at all. Sometimes, all that is necessary is to plant some seed, and then something else will, later on, cause the person to reflect on it.

Not everyone will have such an experience, and for those who are already practicing Christians it is understandable that such simplistic appeals are irritating or seem useless. In addition, some of these comments violate the rules of the forums involved, and that's not defensible. But people do differ, and so do their circumstances; and the idea is that somebody 'out there' may be touched or led to do a further investigation by a simple comment, even if the appeal means nothing to most readers or viewers.

Yes, I've heard this before, but I think it ultimately does more harm than good. For every person who might possibly be swayed by one of these comments, there are easily going to be 100 others who will just get annoyed, and it will give them a more negative view of Christianity.

 

[Albion]

Yes, I've heard this before, but I think it ultimately does more harm than good.

Well, that is possible. So I accept the answer, although we're now talking about nothing more than our guesses.

For every person who might possibly be swayed by one of these comments, there are easily going to be 100 others who will just get annoyed, and it will give them a more negative view of Christianity.

I really don't think the ratio is that extreme, but what about this--

The one person in your thesis is probably a person who has some interest in Christianity, although he's yet to be convinced, or at least he's open minded about it. The 100 others are most likely hard and fast skeptics, atheists, members of other religions, and so on.

These would be offended at so much as hearing a Christmas Carol played over the radio in December, so there's next to no chance of them being intrigued by ANY evangelistic comment on a social media site, even if it were beautiful and very well constructed (unlike the kind we're discussing).

Sounds like the parable of the shepherd who left the 99 in order to go rescue the one sheep who was lost, doesn't it? (Matt. 18:12-14)

 

[Strathos]

Well, that is possible. So I accept the answer, although we're now talking about nothing more than our guesses.


I really don't think the ratio is that extreme, but what about this--

The one person in your thesis is probably a person who has some interest in Christianity, although he's yet to be convinced, or at least he's open minded about it. The 100 others are most likely hard and fast skeptics, atheists, members of other religions, and so on.

These would be offended at so much as hearing a Christmas Carol played over the radio in December, so there's next to no chance of them being intrigued by ANY evangelistic comment on a social media site, even if it were beautiful and very well constructed (unlike the kind we're discussing).

Sounds like the parable of the shepherd who left the 99 in order to go rescue the one sheep who was lost, doesn't it? (Matt. 18:12-14)

These kinds of drive-by posts are even annoying to many Christians, so imagine how someone impartial to Christianity would probably feel seeing them all the time. They carry the tone of advertisements, and no one likes seeing something advertised over and over again. Even if it happens to be a good and useful product, seeing the same ads for it over and over again is psychologically going to make you want to reject it.

 

[Albion]

These kinds of drive-by posts are even annoying to many Christians, so imagine how someone impartial to Christianity would probably feel seeing them all the time.

Neither of us really knows. But I cannot think that every reader is going to be annoyed.

Some are sure to zip by the messages like they do every other commercial and, as I said before, some who are annoyed are annoyed by anything at all that's Christian. So, there's really no saying who's going to feel which way. If the comments in question are really clumsy, I'd join you in wishing I could help make them better if that were possible, but that's about it.