Thought of the Day 07.08.08

~“I don’t know if I should propose to my girlfriend.”
~“Look, buddy, if you don’t marry her, you’re a fool. You’re never going to find anyone else as good as her. In fact, I don’t think anyone else will even put up with you. ”
~“But I don’t think I really love her.”
~“So what? You wanna be alone for the rest of your life? No sex? No kids? No one to comfort you in your old age. You don’t want to end up like that, do you? Marry that girl before it’s too late!”
~“Yeah, you’re right.”

This conversation is troubling in many ways, but mostly because wanting to avoid singleness is a terrible reason to get married. She deserves a man who loves her, and it’s very unlikely that such love will ever spring from the seeds of fear.

But doesn’t evangelism often sound just like this? We act as if getting people to want to avoid hell is the same as getting them to love God. But doesn’t God deserve better? If so, then perhaps our sharing of the Gospel should look more like romance counseling and less like a scare tactic.