First, it’s no longer called evangelism, but explaining what it means to be a Christian. It initially sounded awkward to replace a single word with a clumsy phrase, but people quickly discovered that the difference in semantics was paralleled by a substantial difference in meaning; the Gospel is not as easily reduced to a single word or series of steps as we once believed.

As soon as people started explaining what it mean to be a Christian, they realized that their own lives did not align with the aspirations of scripture, and they began to live into the hope they were talking about. They also realized that, properly understood, the Christian way of life does not need to be “sold” like a knockoff product; its reality, value, and authenticity speak for themselves when described by one who is experiencing them firsthand.

This immediately removed the need to convince people of how bad their lives are in order to evangelize (flea dip?) them. Christians realized that, no matter how good or bad a person’s life is, it is both improved and given new dimensions by faith in Christ. More importantly, the sense of place in the universe, meaning, and purpose that The Way gives people makes the complacent dullness of modern life seem like torture (or at least like 24-7 infomercials) in comparison.

It is widely appreciated by non-Christians, and enjoyable to practice for Christians. Through discussions of their way of life with non-Christians, many Christians find their own lives enriched, and are reminded that all truth, beauty, goodness, and wisdom cannot long be separated from God.

Rather than being a one-dimensional appeal to perform some arcane religious act to save the “soul” (as distinct from and unrelated to the rest of one’s life), it is a holistic call to a way of life that fully expresses the human potential and draws us in the direction of our deepest hopes, while stressing harmony with all of creation, and peace with and congruency to our Creator.

When people are approached by Christians and invited to this way of life, they do not feel pressured to make a decision or come up with a response. In fact, a yes or no answer would be fairly nonsensical, and the best response would be to simply think more about one’s life. (And all of this without Jedi mind tricks!)

When discussing the pros and cons of life with Christ with non-Christians, Christians seek to build on and deepen the good in a person’s life rather than trying to convince them of their deep-rooted wickedness. People are pointed to and reminded of their deepest hopes and aspirations, and encouraged to reflect on their unrest about the state of world affairs.

It is free from shallowness, superficiality, and focus on making a single decision about a single aspect of one’s life. In fact, such discussions often lead directly to concern for and action toward improving social, governmental, environmental, and world problems. When even non-Christian people participate in this restorative and hope-buildng work, they are reminded of their inspiration to do so, and they are drawn closer to faith in Christ.

And speaking of faith in Christ…people have widely started to have faith in Christ for more than the forgiveness of their sins. They have faith that he will answer prayers, that he will work for good through all tragedies, and that he is ultimately reliable and trustworthy as a teacher, example, and (we aren’t even afraid to say it any more) master. Moreover, they have faith that Christ is ultimately working behind the scenes of the cosmos to guide humans, despite their seemingly absurd degree of freedom and tendency to screw up, to live as they were created to live in a world as good and beautiful and full of love, health, and justice as it was intended to be. And no one sees any logical or practical distinction between this type of faith and faith in Christ as (merely?) savior.