Prayer said. It's no secret that many are led astray here. I don't believe that it's really because the arguments against Christianity are so compelling, but that our own pride gets the better of us. I'm only saying this because I've been guilty of it, so I know the pitfalls. It's easy to get 'sucked in' by an angry rant, and respond with arrogance. As soon as we utter a word of arrogance - even with the best intentions - we are working for Satan himself.
Honestly, what compels us to spend hours of our time typing to people on the internet, most of whom we don't really know? For some, it's the thrill of competition. For others, it's to evangelize or to seek. I would bet that many Christians, like myself, come here for an amalgam of 2 reasons:
1. To share the blessing of faith that we have found to be so fruitful.
2. To seek a fuller understanding of Christ by testing our faith.
The latter is partly accomplished by the former, anyway. Through the process of evangelizing, we find a deeper, more realistic understanding of God.
But arrogance creeps in, and here's how: we want so badly for others to believe, and are so fearful of the reality that most of them won't, and so abhorred by the consequences, that we turn into maximalists. It's not enough to save only the ones who want to hear - instead we make the highest demands of ourselves. All must be saved - everyone in the world. Quickly, that starts to include even the ones who don't want to hear it.
Remember, the way is narrow (Matthew 7:13-14). Most people are not going to take the path of righteousness. Many, many souls will perish (Revelation 9).
What can we do about it? We can tell them the truth, but we can't force them to believe. Nor should we. When people on this forum ask about Christianity or show a genuine interest, and there is some reasonable hope that they want to know Jesus, we can sit down and type to them as long as it takes (I would recommend taking it one week at a time so as not to be consumed by a virtual reality). We can delve into research, debate, take the hours and hours of time it takes to make a case, and really work with someone - IF they're willing to hear us. But if they respond defensively, or it is clear they're not willing to take the time to look into Christianity, or they post, say, 50 times a week for years on end without believing, then they probably don't have ears to hear. We have to let them go their own way (Matthew 10:14, Mark 6:11, Luke 9:5). If we don't, it will be a stumbling block to us, and they can pull us away from more important things. Family, friends, sleep, even our jobs - these sacrifices should only be made if it is fruitful. It's not about winning battles, it's about saving souls. I pray that believers who come to internet forums like this will keep the biblical perspective on evangelism, and not fall into a snare by trying to save people against their will.
Luke 8:4-8
And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable, “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.� As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.�
