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Whether you know it or not, there is something that affects every day of your life. It is your worldview. A worldview tells us not only how people think about the world, life, truth, goodness, meaning, etc., but it also plays the main role in our underlying assumptions - and many assumptions which are not explicitly thought about. Ultimately, a worldview encompasses our philosophy of life and our unconscious ways of thinking about the world, which makes it a big deal!
An interesting thing about a worldview is this - most people aren’t even aware they have one. It is like a pair of glasses that affect how you see what you see (and what you see), yet most don’t even know they have them on. In our work as Catholic leaders, we have to be aware of how others are seeing the world, even if they aren’t conscious of it themselves. Without knowing where someone is coming from, we won’t know what they need or how to help them. We can then (possibly) help them move closer to Jesus (see this diagram for a conceptualization of the journey).
The only way to really know someone’s worldview is to listen. The best path to understanding someone, and their worldview, is to be the inquisitive and interested friend. This takes time, investment of self, and putting your own desires as secondary to the person’s needs. It takes active listening and good questions. This is a good place to remind everyone that understanding someone doesn’t mean you accept what they believe, how they act, etc.
Now, some tend to equate evangelization with having all the right answers. I certainly used to be one who had to be right all the time (don't ask my kids if this is still the case)! My idea of evangelization was winning an argument or proving someone else wrong. It wasted a lot of time pushing people away, through my pride and lack of charity, to realize my mistake. Apologetics or a good argument for your case can certainly be a tool to help remove an obstacle toward someone growing closer to Christ, but it rarely moves anyone closer to Him, by itself.
Others believe that our faith is something very private that shouldn’t be shared, in order not to offend or seem too pushy. It is the Catholic version of “don’t ask, don’t tell”. This attitude comes from a culture that believes faith is something we do part-time or compartmentalize. Unfortunately, this attitude creates a culture of silence, where we don’t talk about our faith at all. As many others have responded to this – our faith is always personal but never private. Imagine if the Apostles had never talked about their faith. We wouldn’t have any Christians today.
What I have found works best when evangelizing others is to truly listen to where they are coming from. Not in order to prove them wrong, but rather to accept the person who is in front of you as a son or daughter of God, made in His image and likeness, and uniquely made to glorify His name. When we are able to do this, we can marvel in their creation and truly love them where they are at, in order to help them grow closer to God. Evangelization takes the other person's consent to God's grace. To put it bluntly, the one doing the evangelization is the least important party in the drama. It isn’t our job to convert anyone – we can’t! Only God’s grace, chosen through a free act of the other person’s will, can make faith happen. Thus, I am a limited instrument in the hand of God, who is called to love the other person and help them grow closer to God. True love for another person means I will always seek their good, and asking good probing questions can help me understand how best to help them grow.
So, I submit that when we evangelize, we ought to ask more questions than the other person. Here are some I have found helpful in different situations. Note, not all questions are appropriate for every time in a person's life. I highly recommend you study the different thresholds of conversion, discussed in the amazing book “Forming Intentional Disciples” by Sherry Weddell. These thresholds can help you determine which questions are appropriate for individuals who are in different places and with different needs.
Questions about life’s meaning / purpose of life / identity / etc.- Where do you believe humanity came from / what is our origin?
- Where do you find meaning in life?
- What is the source of power?
- How do you define “success”?
- What is your destiny? How do you know this?
- What brings meaning to your life?
- Do you believe in a Higher Power? If so, can you describe this power for me? If not, can you tell me why not?
Questions about truth / values / falsehoods / priorities
- How do you know what is true and what isn’t?
- What are you willing to give your life for?
- What are your highest priorities? How did you arrive at these priorities?
- What are you passionate about? What do you find yourself arguing for or against? Why?
- What do you find most persuasive?
- What are your dreams for life? What do you hope to accomplish?
- What do you mean by describing yourself as ____?
Questions about how to live / how should I act / what is right or wrong
- How do you know right from wrong?
- How do you determine how you ought to act?
- Are there any universal human rights? What are they? How do we determine them?
- Are some acts morally relative?
- Is there anything that is universally moral?
- Where do the problems of humanity / evil come from?
- What is the solution to humanity’s problems / evil?
Another way of categorizing questions is by understanding the different kind of labels that people apply to themselves and trying to drill down on those labels, to get beyond them and see the person behind the label. One of my friends reminds me constantly to “never accept a label in place of a story”. The story tells you what the label doesn’t! But, the label can be a starting point for a conversation.
Questions for Non Believers (atheists, agnostics, etc):
- Can you tell me about the god you don’t believe in?
- Can you describe what you find most fulfilling about being _____?
- Tell me about God? How do you describe God to others
- What do you know about Jesus?
- If you have heard of Jesus, what do you know about Him?
- What do you think Christianity adds to the lives of others?
- Do you believe in any kind of universal or higher power?
- Have you believed in God in the past? If you did and don’t any longer, why did you stop believing?
- If you did believe in a god, what kind of god would you believe in?
Questions for those from Non-Christian Religions (Hindu, Muslim, Mormon, etc):
- What are the different ways you pray?
- Can you describe what you find most fulfilling about being _____?
- Tell me about God? How do you describe God to others?
- What do you know about Jesus?
- Is there anything about Christianity that you find attractive?
Questions for those Christians who are not Catholic:
- Could you describe what you believe about Jesus?
- Is your faith something your practice every day?
- How would you describe your relationship with Jesus?
- Is there anything about Catholicism that you find attractive?
- What do you know about the Catholic Church
- Can you describe what it means to be Catholic, in your experience?
- Do you have a personal prayer life? If so, how do you pray?
- Is God someone you would say you have a personal relationship with?
- Have you had any kind of moment when you felt particularly close to Jesus? If so, can you tell me about it? If not, have you ever wanted to?
To be a good evangelist we discern how we might best help a person in each situation we encounter. So, there are no techniques or strategies that will always work. But, there are a few things we must always do.
***We must pray for others we are evangelizing.
***We must live what we believe. Being a good Christian takes a lifetime of work, but is indispensable.
***We must look for the opportunity to proclaim the Good News and invite a response. This is essential to being a good evangelist. Without this proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus, our evangelization will remain incomplete. Conversion is the response to the Gospel, chosen in faith!
All of these strategies build on a Catholic worldview - which is always based on the Gospel. Furthermore, it is to take on the eyes of Jesus, after we choose to follow Him. So, our worldview is revealed in Jesus. We start to see the order of nature, the purpose of life, the mission to make disciples, our identity (and other's identity) as sons and daughters of God. Everything is changed, when we start to see the world as it truly is. This is the ultimate end to our evangelizing work - to help others come to see the world as we do, through the eyes of Jesus!