Want to know why Christians proselytize?
Christians proselytize for many reasons, and it is a big part of this religion. In this article, we will cover more about why Christian proselytization started, proselytes in the Bible, and the difference between proselytizing and evangelizing.
Let’s begin!
Prosthelytize vs Proselytize
First, let us clear up a matter of spelling. It appears that there is really no question of prosthelytize vs proselytize. Though one may stand by one spelling, the two are acceptable. The more common is proselytize.
Proselyte and Proselytizers Definition
A proselyte is a convert to a religion, while a proselytizer is one who tries to convert others to that religion. Now, the proselyte to Christianity and the proselytizer for Christianity are one and the same, in the sense that the teachings of the various Christian churches and Sacred Scripture more or less agree that the proselyte must be, according to his station in life, proselytizer as well.
Proselytizers Definition vs Proselytizers Meaning
Many have had the misfortune of being stopped by proselytizers meaning ill to them. Sometimes they are complete strangers, forceful and unpleasant in their arguments and denunciations. Later, we will see where the strict definition and the more diffuse meaning that people attach to proselytism match up or do not match up.
What Is a Proselyte in the Bible?
When we ask, “What is a proselyte in the Bible?” we are focusing on the New Testament. Though the Christian accepts both the Old and New Testaments as the Word of God, what is written in the latter is the fulfillment of that in the former and so should contain the definitive Biblical definition of proselyte.
Strictly speaking, though, there is no Biblical definition of proselyte because the New Testament is not a catechism. The writings of the New Testament were written for the proselytes themselves. We can see, though, that the proselyte in the Bible undergoes certain stages.
The first stages are to come to a knowledge of God, which is granted by faith and reinforced by reason, and to repent of one’s sins. Jesus says, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). The knowledge must come first: one must know what is displeasing to God before one can repent of those things.
Baptism is the indispensable initiatory rite into the Christian life, for as Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). Baptism cleanses of original sin and all personal sins committed up to that time. It marks one’s spiritual regeneration.
We mention all of this because the Christian, whatever form his proselytism may take, may emphasize the idea of spiritual regeneration. Before anything else, Christ came to redeem man from original sin.
Is There a Proselyte Pure?
There is many a proselyte in the Bible whom we can refer to for an illustration of how a Christian lives once initiated. Preeminent among the first disciples are, of course, the Apostles.
Let it be said that a proselyte pure, in the sense of a perfect proselyte, does not exist. Saints do. Peter and Paul, the great Apostles to the Jews and to the Gentiles, respectively, are recognizable for their imperfections, yet they are saints. A saint is someone whose life and entire being are conformed to Christ to a heroic degree. Every serious proselyte strives to be a saint.
Evangelizing and Proselytizing
To evangelize is to spread the Gospel, which in Latin is Evangelium.
Christianity is and always has been a missionary religion. Jesus says, in what is now called the Great Commission, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).
Naturally, not every Christian can do these things. But this does not mean that evangelizing is left to the successors of the Apostles. The ordinary Christian can evangelize simply by living a Christian life filled with faith, hope, and love. Unaffected goodness can sometimes attract where words and arguments do not.
If he is asked or challenged, the Christian must affirm his Christianity. Jesus says, “So every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33).
Proselytizing vs Evangelizing
Now, some hold to a proselytize vs evangelize dichotomy. They agree that a Christian can evangelize through a Christian life but think that he should not do anything more explicit. Our observation above is that both explicit and implicit evangelization are possible and that Christ commands the former especially.
More to the point, proselytism overlaps with evangelization. The Gospel literally means Good News: the news that God became man to redeem mankind from its sins. It is a belief in a particular Person and particular events that have an immediate bearing on one’s self, not a vague spirituality or a social panacea. Spreading the Gospel, the Christian desires others to believe in it, not merely regard it historically or aesthetically.
“No Proselytizing”?…
The proselytizing vs evangelizing dilemma, then, arrives at the unscriptural conclusion that there should be no proselytizing. Those who hold to this believe that a Christian’s business is to love, not to convert. Let us see what the Christian position is on this.
A concise definition of love is “to will the good of the other.“The Christian knows that the greatest good of all is union with God in Heaven. To will that good, the Christian must tell the truth that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (cf. John 14:6).
Those who raise the debate of proselytize vs evangelize and say one should not make converts are, in other words, saying that one should not desire others to be united with God in Heaven. At the root of the conflict is universalism: the belief that all go to Heaven regardless of what they believe.
However, if we limit ourselves to the New Testament that Christians hold in common and, even further, limit ourselves to the words of the God made man whom Christians worship, then we will be hard-pressed to find any teaching resembling universalism. Explaining the full and balanced doctrine of salvation is outside the scope of this article.
The Love Behind Proselytism
To put it colloquially, Christians necessarily believe in tough love.
If a minority badger and shout, then they only comprehend the toughness, not the love. “Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude” (1 Corinthians 13:4-5). Love does mean, on occasion, saying hard things. Just as we would warn anyone against physical dangers, a Christian warns against spiritual dangers.
Those dangers are always with mankind since, as the Christian believes, man is a fallen creature inclined to sin. Over and above those sins, however, flows the Blood of Christ that was shed on Calvary and that can at any moment cleanse the most grievous sinner if he turns with sincere repentance. And it is to prepare that way as much as possible for as many as possible, with God’s help, that the Christian lives his ordinary or extraordinary life and prays and speaks and loves.
