What Would Paul Do?

[Neto]

Sort of along the lines of Ernie's thread for the Plain Sector here (Poll: Interacting with visitors at a Plain Anabaptist church), but OUTSIDE the context of a meeting in the church house.

How do you respond to meeting a Christian in some other context, when the conversation turns to spiritual things, and there is the opportunity to fellowship?

Do you have a list of doctrinal questions that have to be answered first? Or do you plunge in, and just enjoy the fellowship as children of God?

What brought this question to mind: I met a man a couple of days ago, for a personal business transaction. The conversation turned to spiritual things, and even though he is from an entirely different church affiliation, we ended our conversation with a hug. Would (the Apostle) Paul have done that? Am I "too Mennonite Brethren", too much into the unity of believers? Your thoughts, please.

[Soloist]

I’m torn on this, I’ve asked to share communion with believer’s and been rejected because they don’t know me well enough. These people reject CM’s because they are exclusionary.
On the flip side I’ve met people and later found out they were not someone I should have asked advice from.
On a general basis, I accept someone at face value until conversations reveal anything I can’t accept.
For example, someone insisting on fighting for God and country I would not consider to have any close fellowship with. Someone who held though the same beliefs but was listening and considering it I would hold on a closer fellowship.
I generally don’t have a litmus test for people but I sort of naturally ask people what they believe on several subjects just while getting to know them.
I asked my wife on the first date about vaccines and homeschooling. I had my eyes on marriage and didn’t want to waste time
First date was letting the paramedics stab us for IV practice.

[MaxPC]

Sort of along the lines of Ernie's thread for the Plain Sector here (Poll: Interacting with visitors at a Plain Anabaptist church), but OUTSIDE the context of a meeting in the church house.

How do you respond to meeting a Christian in some other context, when the conversation turns to spiritual things, and there is the opportunity to fellowship?

Do you have a list of doctrinal questions that have to be answered first? Or do you plunge in, and just enjoy the fellowship as children of God?

What brought this question to mind: I met a man a couple of days ago, for a personal business transaction. The conversation turned to spiritual things, and even though he is from an entirely different church affiliation, we ended our conversation with a hug. Would (the Apostle) Paul have done that? Am I "too Mennonite Brethren", too much into the unity of believers? Your thoughts, please.

I prefer to listen. If there seems to be a misunderstanding of Catholicism (thanks to centuries of misunderstandings) I will offer the correct information if I feel the person is not locked into an obstinate mindset. If the person is obstinate and/or mentally unbalanced, I walk away as I know that correction with fall upon deaf ears.

If the person expresses beliefs and views similar to my own, I will remain and engage in brotherly conversations that edify.

[Neto]

Sort of along the lines of Ernie's thread for the Plain Sector here (Poll: Interacting with visitors at a Plain Anabaptist church), but OUTSIDE the context of a meeting in the church house.

How do you respond to meeting a Christian in some other context, when the conversation turns to spiritual things, and there is the opportunity to fellowship?

Do you have a list of doctrinal questions that have to be answered first? Or do you plunge in, and just enjoy the fellowship as children of God?

What brought this question to mind: I met a man a couple of days ago, for a personal business transaction. The conversation turned to spiritual things, and even though he is from an entirely different church affiliation, we ended our conversation with a hug. Would (the Apostle) Paul have done that? Am I "too Mennonite Brethren", too much into the unity of believers? Your thoughts, please.

I prefer to listen. If there seems to be a misunderstanding of Catholicism (thanks to centuries of misunderstandings) I will offer the correct information if I feel the person is not locked into an obstinate mindset. If the person is obstinate and/or mentally unbalanced, I walk away as I know that correction with fall upon deaf ears.

If the person expresses beliefs and views similar to my own, I will remain and engage in brotherly conversations that edify.

This was so spontaneous, that I hardly realized what I was doing, just sort of a natural thing.

In respect to Catholicism, I think I have mentioned this experience before, so briefly, somehow a conversation with a Brazilian federal emigration official (while going through the process of checking into the country) veered into the Spiritual. That's the time when, not knowing about how these different terms are perceived by Catholics as opposed to Evangelicals, I said "So you are a believer" (in Portuguese, of course), and the woman's face just changed - the conversation, and the fellowship, ended right there. So my approach is to take a person at their word, that they are a follower of Jesus, and assume that there will be grounds for fellowship. In my thinking, this gives me the "right" to talk about the Gospel of Jesus. If they don't accept it, then I know that their "Christianity" is only a veneer. But I don't act like I know that - I just emphasize the salvation part of the Gospel more, as a sort of 'witness'. (This is totally different from how we talked to the Banawa - they were not Christians, they knew it, we knew it.)

Just in case I haven't mentioned the conversation with that Catholic government official before, the deal is that some Brazilian Evangelicals use the term 'believer' to sort of counter the Catholic use of the term 'Christian'. So a Catholic will assume that you are also one, if you use the term 'Christian'. So now I know this, but I don't let on that I know (playing the ignorant foreigner card). But I do avoid the term 'believer' in Brazil because it is offensive to Catholics, and just shuts down any conversation that is going on. If they finally ask me point blank if I am Catholic, then I clarify, telling them (briefly if possible) about the Mennonites, as different from Protestants.

[MaxPC]

This was so spontaneous, that I hardly realized what I was doing, just sort of a natural thing.

In respect to Catholicism, I think I have mentioned this experience before, so briefly, somehow a conversation with a Brazilian federal emigration official (while going through the process of checking into the country) veered into the Spiritual. That's the time when, not knowing about how these different terms are perceived by Catholics as opposed to Evangelicals, I said "So you are a believer" (in Portuguese, of course), and the woman's face just changed - the conversation, and the fellowship, ended right there. So my approach is to take a person at their word, that they are a follower of Jesus, and assume that there will be grounds for fellowship. In my thinking, this gives me the "right" to talk about the Gospel of Jesus. If they don't accept it, then I know that their "Christianity" is only a veneer. But I don't act like I know that - I just emphasize the salvation part of the Gospel more, as a sort of 'witness'. (This is totally different from how we talked to the Banawa - they were not Christians, they knew it, we knew it.)

Just in case I haven't mentioned the conversation with that Catholic government official before, the deal is that some Brazilian Evangelicals use the term 'believer' to sort of counter the Catholic use of the term 'Christian'. So a Catholic will assume that you are also one, if you use the term 'Christian'. So now I know this, but I don't let on that I know (playing the ignorant foreigner card). But I do avoid the term 'believer' in Brazil because it is offensive to Catholics, and just shuts down any conversation that is going on. If they finally ask me point blank if I am Catholic, then I clarify, telling them (briefly if possible) about the Mennonites, as different from Protestants.

Yes, indeed, certain terms are red flags in any culture I daresay. "Believer" was used by a number of aggressive evangelisers, as well as certain cults; this not only in Brazil but also in other parts of the world including the USA and Europe. These groups would tend to target Catholics in particular.

NOTE: I am not referring to your fellowship which is a legitimate group that seeks Christ.
I am referring to a number of groups that would be deemed a threat to any denomination or fellowship and would even be considered cults. For a time there was a sect of Islam that used "believer" to self-reference.

[Sudsy]

Sort of along the lines of Ernie's thread for the Plain Sector here (Poll: Interacting with visitors at a Plain Anabaptist church), but OUTSIDE the context of a meeting in the church house.

How do you respond to meeting a Christian in some other context, when the conversation turns to spiritual things, and there is the opportunity to fellowship?

Do you have a list of doctrinal questions that have to be answered first? Or do you plunge in, and just enjoy the fellowship as children of God?

What brought this question to mind: I met a man a couple of days ago, for a personal business transaction. The conversation turned to spiritual things, and even though he is from an entirely different church affiliation, we ended our conversation with a hug. Would (the Apostle) Paul have done that? Am I "too Mennonite Brethren", too much into the unity of believers? Your thoughts, please.

I am quite eager to talk with any Christian when spiritual conversation arises and would want any conversation to end in a brotherly love hug. My father became a Christian in a Pentecostal church and his best friend that he shared many spiritual conversations with was a Plymouth Brethren. As far as my oberservations they always ended with a prayer and embrace.

Some of my Christian friends are Calvinists and Salvation Army brothers and sisters in the Lord and one was a Seventh Day Adventist. Regardless of doctrinal differences, we would sometimes kid each other over, we have a bond in Christ and much common ground. I even talk to Mennonites sometimes.

I believe the unity of believers can be a core belief in what Paul called 'of first importance'. I love to hear the testimony of others in when they believed and their born again experience. A common question my father would use in first meetings with other Christians was asking people about their story and how they became a Christian.

[RZehr]

Today I was the visitor at a Baptist church. I didn’t give them a litmus test, or ask them certain questions beforehand. I was blessed by the service.
However, a few weeks ago I was at another evangelical church visiting (not Mennonite or Baptist), and I didn’t take the offered communion with them.