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Show and Tell — Pastors share ideas on how to be a communicative Christian
Though their styles and tactics differ, pastors from various Lutheran church bodies agree that to be a practicing Christian is to be public with one’s faith.
Whether you call it “lifestyle evangelism,” taking your “whole self” to work or putting “faith into action,” the goal is the same—to share the joy of your religious beliefs with others and to live a life of meaning and integrity. —A.G.
On religion at the office:
“In the workplace, it’s important to remember that your personal way of handling your life—getting from the Word what you need—will show up. If your life is being filled up by your own personal devotion, you will unconsciously share that when you’re going through circumstances at work.”
—The Rev. Donald Patterson, Holy Word Lutheran Church, a Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod congregation in Austin, Texas
On the risk of using ‘God talk’:
“It is a common misunderstanding that to live the faith or communicate the Christian faith, we must use holy words. Jesus never did this. He never spoke in the language of the liturgy. If people live lives of integrity and commitment and love and faithfulness, they live their faith that way.”
—The Rev. Peter Marty, St. Paul Lutheran Church, an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America congregation in Davenport, Iowa
On sharing faith in subtle ways:
“We don’t pass out tracts or train people in confrontational witness. That probably reinforces bad stereotypes. All you have to do is speak of your faith. You don’t have to confront or defend or argue. When you argue, you lose. You simply say: ‘This is what I believe.’”
—The Rev. Stephen Hower, St. John Lutheran Church, a Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod congregation in Ellisville, Missouri
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