Have ears for a Gospel?

He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. Luke 24:46-48

I got halted in the street yesterday. “Do you want to hear about God? We´re from 'The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints'. Have a minute?” [Translated from Swedish] Where they came from I already knew, since they had their Mormon uniform on, impeccable suit and tie. Anyway, I stopped and talked for a while. And did not convert. I do not want to amuse myself over other people´s creeds and beliefs, let it just be said that the Book of Mormon lack historical credentials that might lead me to give it any significant attention. Jesus Christ visiting North America? Written on that same continent 600 BC on golden plates? I don´t think so.

But at least they´re doing the gospel thing, trying to convert people. A difficult thing these days, because everyone is already right and got it all figured out. God forbid telling anyone anything presented as a truth to conquer all lies. Getting teached is for the young and gullible, preferably at schools with a curriculum on the safe side of completely harmless. Intellectual transactions have to be on a “tit-for-tat” basis; I´ll read your Bible if you´ll read my Indian guru. But the Gospel is ill-suited for the Marketplace of Ideas, being the Word of God made flesh, and not just another can of peas sitting on the shelf until you take pity on it. Nevertheless the Marketplace is real and to be dealt with, there´s no longer a privileged position for teaching the christian message. Actually, this is only important to a degree, I think. When someone has an earnest desire to know God, the show is on the road. When God has been allowed to start a work in someone, that will also come to fruition and completion. There´s more of a risk of a spiritual mentor put on a pedestal getting in the way, than of one of the new lambs in the flock getting seriously astray. Anyway, that mentor isn´t the real shepherd of this flock, just in a provisional fashion as a stand-in for you-know-whom.

So there must be room for both humility and firmness in doing Gospel, evangelizing, inviting to the kingdom of God. Humility, for as we take upon us Christ´s mission, we´re aware of our human limitations and weaknesses. Firmness, for we do truly (re-)present Him to the world. But no fear, since the Holy Spirit in a particular way blesses the word-work. When it´s done, there will also be the equipment to do it. But why do we (since I actually identify myself with mainstream christianity) cringe a bit when we are confronted with religious pushers? It could be that we see an almost mathematical correspondence between sectarianism and outward preaching. It is true that over-emphazising this outreaching work may be a way to hide inward rottenness, as a way of killing the inner man by engaging in external battle. The battle of faith is primarily a an inward one, that must be said before we go rallying for more crusading in the world. That said, isn´t it also a bit of a bad conscience that they´re so committed to what they´re doing, putting oneself to shame? I certainly would be classed as lazy in a Jehovas Witness setting, even though I try to do something for the glory of God.

I do feel a certain respect (challenge you might call it) for the mormons walking about in wintry Umeå with books and ideas. But I do feel they´re more pushing ideas and “become-us”, than the true Gospel, “be-with”, “be-as” and “be-free”. And does it work? I think it works according to spamming-logic: we send out enough persons/e-mails and at least some fools are bound to be taken in with it. But generally it is viewed as imposure, which is not very welcomed in Swedish culture. Personally I think curiosity is almost a pre-condition, the fertile ground if you will, for receiving the Word of God into your life. And the one thing that awakens curiosity is passion. My passion is to let my intellect be overcome by the glory of God, thereby overcoming ball-and-chains worldly thinking. I don´t know what good that does for anyone else, but I do it because it´s a genuinely blessed affair. Gospel done in some stale sense of duty will hardly entice anyone to listen to, and abide, the words: Follow me, and come and see!

How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
"Your God reigns!" Isaiah 52:7