Saturday, July 18th, 2015.
Everyone is a Christian, right? Consistently, the vast majority of Americans self-identify as Christians according to professional surveyors and polls (80-90%). Are the polls right?
I have done my own casual surveying and found the stats to be true. Most of the people walking by our table at the fair say yes when I ask if they are Christian. (One bold and honest individual said they were unsure, and another said no.)
My theory is that people are quick to say ‘yes’, thinking their answer will exempt them from further inquiry or tract reception. They are always wrong.
After asking the Christian if they believe 80-90% of Americans are Christians, my casual survey says nearly 100% of the time they will say no.
The third and final question on my casual survey is, “What do you think makes the difference?” That is, the difference between someone who merely says they are a Christian and the person who truly is one.
The irony is sweet for me since they just told me they are a true Christian without offering proof, and I am the one standing in the Christian booth.
Nonetheless, a booth does not a Christian make, nor does simply saying you are one, and now they have the opportunity to tell me how to be a true Christian instead of a pretender.
My intent is not to stump them, but to get information to help me personalize the gospel to them when they are done.
I’ve not had a single person tell me the gospel before I could tell them. Whether they knew it already or not is not my concern. Now, they’ve heard someone else say it clearly, publicly, and confidently. This is evangelism.
If I had stopped at their first response it would have been compromise with false Christianity.
Evangelizing unsaved Christians is not hard, and it is necessary. The popular surveys are great way to start the conversation.
There is no reason to fear talking to the average American about Christ since most of them claim his name anyway.
Everyone thinks they are a Christian, and everyone thinks that the majority of others are not. Our job is to find out if they know the difference.
For His glory,
Justin “I know I am, but what are you” Johnson