Q & R: Awkward evangelism or ???

Here’s the Q:

I am deeply moved by the Christian message. Our heavenly father brings us home; through Christ we are reconciled. This answers the central problem of humanity, that of alienation. I have little desire, however, to express this to others as a kind of here’s what you do to get saved kind of thing. I would like the Christian reality to catch on, and for others to see, know, and become a part of it. But I do not want to hand out tracts or explain the mechanics of salvation, something that Baptist churches train their congregants to do to fulfill the Great Commission. Is my approach too indirect or laizzes faire? Am I relying too much on what God may or may not do instead of being his hand in the world? Messages can reach peple through many media. Could it be God would simply have some people live as best they can for others to observe and read them as a kind of book, if you will? Or should I join the crowd in verbally articulating and handing out the printed message, which I find very awkward?

Here’s the R:
Thanks for your question. There are two books I think you’d find helpful on this question. I wrote More Ready Than You Realize to address exactly your tension – wanting “the Christian reality to catch on,” but wanting to avoid sales pitches. And my friend Carl Medearis has written Speaking of Jesus: The Art of Not-Evangelism, which stirred up a lot of interest on the CNN blog this week:
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/07/24/my-take-why-evangelicals-should-stop-evangelizing-2/
I think there’s a “new evangelism” emerging … and your question points to the need for it. Yes, it is based on people living for others, so their lives are a book – just as Paul suggested when he spoke of us being “living epistles.” And we need to learn, I believe, to help create space for meaningful conversations about the things that matter most.