evangelism

i think a lot of the struggle with evangelism is that in the past there has been a mind-set that evangelism and conversion occur in a vaccuum. that is, once a person chooses to step into God's story, then all of their previous story is declared meaningless so that they can become a good member of the church community. it's much easier that way because then the church doesn't have to deal with baggage and everyone can just sit together and be good and then go their separate ways. i guess that's great, the problem is there is no model for that kind of christianity in the bible.
yes the first followers of Jesus were changed dramatically by their interaction with him, but they also maintained their individuality. i can imagine that the conversations between simon the zealot and matthew the former tax collector were probably not always cordial.
the truth is, we cannot be shaped by just one narrative. your story intersects with my story that intersects with her story that intersects with God's story and all of us (well except for God) are changed by those interactions. that is the beauty and the struggle of doing life and faith in community. can i do life with someone who is radically different than i am, but who is also moving toward Christ just like i am striving to do? the beauty of the Body comes from its diversity, the problem has been that, for a long list of reasons, the Church as a whole has not been too interested in being diverse. i long for it.

like jonathan said in our community group a while back "i'm tired of going to church with white people"
j