Proselytization

[mike]

Jesus states in Matthew 23:15,

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.

I would like to discuss this curious tendency of the Pharisees that Jesus addressed, and see whether you would agree that this tendency still exists among religious groups today.

I think there is a tendency among religious groups to go to great lengths to reach out to someone outside the group and bring them into the fold. Once there, among some groups, a convert may have a special protected status that others in the group may resent. However, it's also possible that such a convert is always considered less than the charter members.

Once a part of the group, several things may happen- one of which Jesus describes, which could be rephrased as the convert becoming a zealot of zealots for the group's ideals. Things can go south in other ways for proselytes in a group, but that's one of the possibilities.

A couple of questions.

1. How can this tendency to proselytize and make a zealot out of someone be distinguished from genuine evangelistic and outreach efforts, which are clearly a part of our task as Christians?

2. What is meant by "traveling across sea and land" - is Jesus implying that there such a thing as expending too much effort in reaching out to someone?

3. Is it all about motive? What were the motives of the Pharisees in these proselytization efforts, and how do they compare and contrast with the reasons Christians and churches engage in outreach today?

4. Are certain religious cultures (i.e. the Pharisees) more prone to the sort of problematic proselytization Jesus accused the Pharisees of, or is this a basic human tendency that is seen across many cultural and religious groups?

[barnhart]

I think Jesus' critique was the empty religiosity of the pharisees moved people further from God than they were before.

[Bootstrap]

I think Jesus' critique was the empty religiosity of the pharisees moved people further from God than they were before.

I agree. I don't think he was saying winning converts is bad - after all, didn't he do that himself?

[mike]

I think Jesus' critique was the empty religiosity of the pharisees moved people further from God than they were before.

I agree. I don't think he was saying winning converts is bad - after all, didn't he do that himself?

Absolutely, yet he was clearly criticizing how the Pharisees in what they were doing. I think that proselytizing in a way that leads people further from God is very bad, and there is a danger of that happening.

What does doing it wrong look like? What does doing it right look like?

[joshuabgood]

Some would day Jesus didn't proselytize. Au contraire, he put up road blocks to people joining such as urging them to sell all, or leave their families. Instead he discipled. He did however clearly call people to repent.

[mike]

Some would day Jesus didn't proselytize. Au contraire, he put up road blocks to people joining such as urging them to sell all, or leave their families. Instead he discipled. He did however clearly call people to repent.

The question could be asked this way: How does carrying out Jesus' "great commission" look different from religious folk straining to bring as many converts into their system as possible?

[Josh]

Jesus didn't seem to be afraid of having a narrow way.

[MaxPC]

The question could be asked this way: How does carrying out Jesus' "great commission" look different from religious folk straining to bring as many converts into their system as possible?

Motivation and intent of the heart; is it a selfless motivation to bring others to the knowledge of Jesus and His Salvation? Or is it a selfish motivation to fill the collection plate and increase pastor salaries?

[Josh]

The question could be asked this way: How does carrying out Jesus' "great commission" look different from religious folk straining to bring as many converts into their system as possible?

Motivation and intent of the heart; is it a selfless motivation to bring others to the knowledge of Jesus and His Salvation? Or is it a selfish motivation to fill the collection plate and increase pastor salaries?

Well, some of us don't pay our pastors...

[Sudsy]

1. How can this tendency to proselytize and make a zealot out of someone be distinguished from genuine evangelistic and outreach efforts, which are clearly a part of our task as Christians?

Seems to me the problem with Pharisee evangelism was they were promoting a religion that had lots of rules and religious practises as a show of how righteous they were and Jesus knew what the real state of their heart was as He said they lacked following the most important parts of the law - justice, mercy and faith. They were hypocrites in that what they appeared to be on the outside was not what they were on the inside.

2. What is meant by "traveling across sea and land" - is Jesus implying that there such a thing as expending too much effort in reaching out to someone?

No, I take this to mean that they were zealous in making converts to their religion of dead works.

3. Is it all about motive? What were the motives of the Pharisees in these proselytization efforts, and how do they compare and contrast with the reasons Christians and churches engage in outreach today?

I believe their motives were primarily about their reputation on what they thought was being a holy person. They wanted attention for their religious ways. This can be true today also of professing Christians that are all about drawing attention to themselves in their religious ways and/or more focused on making someone a certain brand of Christian than they are of them being born again and receiving a new heart and ultimately eternal life in heaven.

4. Are certain religious cultures (i.e. the Pharisees) more prone to the sort of problematic proselytization Jesus accused the Pharisees of, or is this a basic human tendency that is seen across many cultural and religious groups?

My guess is that the same occurs today in some where their proselytization is more about making church members that will sign on to their religious beliefs than it is seeing them become born again and have a hearts desire to follow Jesus. Not to just try to live according to the rules of that church. I am suspicious of professing Christian groups that do not emphasize the need to be born again, saved.