When it comes to "evangelizing" Catholics, do sales techniques equal integrity?

Question

For some reason, evangelicals and/or fundamentalists (among others) consider it quite a feather in their caps to "convert" Catholics. Some even make it their primary mission, and there are any number of web sites quite seriously dedicated to just that.

But is it honest to take advantage of the average Catholic's inability to *articulate* their faith as well as a "Bible Christian", play on their emotions, and employ the same marketing techniques one would use to sell widgets?

That's exactly what is done. Whole seminars are given on techniques for "witnessing" to Catholics -- lifted straight from sales and marketing, and given a Biblical twist. My former denomination even had "campaigns" for bringing in new converts, and nabbing a Catholic got high-fives.

Does the end justify the means? Or is it just easier to sell someone on a different version of Christianity than to evangelize those who have never heard the Gospel at all?

Jon -- agreed. The Church bears some responsibility in this -- in fact, a heavy burden to answer for, that even in this day and age many Catholics are so poorly catechized as to be easy prey for slick packaging of a watered-down gospel.

Chad, I fail to see how unfamiliarity with regurgitating one's beliefs in articulate detail equals "cachectic" or "starving". You're the one who's leaping to that conclusion on your own. Catholics can tell you what they believe -- just not as glibly or skillfully (in many cases) as non-Catholics. It hardly seems a criterion for determining the level of their spiritual nutrition. But have it your way. I still think pouncing on this is disingenuous.

St. P -- acknowledged. It's the aggressive target marketing (by Christians, of other Christians) on the assumption that all Catholics are unsaved that I object to. I don't doubt the sincerity of individuals who witness honestly without using such tactics, nor the value of conversions so obtained -- to know Christ is the important thing.

EisforEverything: I'm not with you 100% on that tangent but it's an intriguing line of thought, and about halfway through I began to see my fellow parishioners in those pews. You may well have hit upon half of the real reason why Catholics are "evangelizable". The other half is the responsibility of the Church to evangelize its own. And the kicker to THAT is ... WE are the church. We can't lay it all at the feet of our clergy and religious.

Answer 1

I'm going to take a tangent here - and it's based on another question you (born again) asked about baptism...
I was born and raised in the Roman Catholic tradition and I have in my time on this earth stepped out of that tradition so as to understand my faith and relationship with God better. In the process, I have some observations about this phenomenon of "evangelizing Catholics" to share --

Baptism of infants (or people too young to have reached the 'age of reason') into the Roman Catholic tradition is not a sacrament of salvation, it is a sacrament of community - Baptism is the presentation and receiveing of a new member to the community. The Christian community is crucial to salvation and I don't know the scriptural backing for this, but I know it's there. Maybe I should memorize by rote these points from the bible? But I prefer to motivate people to do their own homework :)

So there are members of the Roman catholic community (illustritive of the Univeral Catholic community of God) who have not made that leap of salvation to accept God-Jesus-HolySpirit into their hearts of their own free will (at or after the age of reason) - This act of freewill on the part of the believer is referred to in the Roman Catholic tradition as the sacrament of Confirmation...

So in the Roman Catholic Church (community) there are the saved as well as the not-yet-figured-it-out (fundies like to call them "un-saved" but that's because fundies are uncomfortable with anything that's between black and white). These members of the community of the Roman Catholic tradition are the ones who have been presented to and accepted into the community, but who have not actually come to that place in their own selves of making their own committment to Christ Jesus.

Sadly, within the Roman Catholic tradition, these people come to their own place of reason at times that don't correspond with the traditional age for Confirmation (another Roman Catholic sacrament) and so there are many RC's who are "confirmed" but not Confirmed...This is the "harvest" on which your metaphorical evangelical sales men prey.

Rather than acknowledge that within the Roman Catholic tradition the ground has been prepared for the planting of the seed which is the Word of God -- these converters bring in a person of the Roman Catholic tradition and count it as a "win" in some bizzarro world of "us-Christians-against-them-Christians"

And as for those members of the Roman Catholic community referred to in a previous answer who run back to their pews -- I say leave them be! They are far enough along to know this is something important, but not so far as to understand it well enough to make that step of Confirmation within their own selves. I can think of a lot of worse places for them to be than within the Roman Catholic community following their rituals and rote. :)

Answer 2

Wolfs dress as sheep to steal sheep (members of the Church) from flock. Most Sale person do is deceive is to lie that are ways to get a sale. Catholic and other Christians believe this “Church is where people get together to pray and their God's present will be”. Then bible says this, “Mark 13:21 that if Anyone says to you "LOOK! Here is Christ! or Look, there He is! Do not believe. Matthew 24:13, If anyone says to you BEHOLD, Here is the Christ or there He is, do not believe them. “ The question to how does this verse talking to. The most correct logical, reasonable, and appropriate people it is talking to is to the Catholic Church. I bet this biblical verse specking more to the Catholic Church because God found it. One can affirm that it oldest only one of Christianity that continuous though old times until 1517’s. When Martine Luther interprets the bible to English, and twisted it adding “Faith alone” from the old Greek bible. God knew what this was going to happen that why this verse was written so that we won’t stray away from his path.

Answer 3

Actually, it a glorious thing to "connect the dots" so-to-speak for Catholics...and using God's Word, the Bible, to do so.

Many Catholics fearfully turn away from any "spiritual" teaching and retreat to their catholic pews for fear of going to hell.

It took nearly a decade to get my mom to even step foot into a Protestant church!
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Contrary to what most people think (Catholic's included), the Catholic Church DOES state they believe what the Bible says. In addition, the Catholic Church NOW does admonish the "laity" to actually read the Bible (though, it did not use to!). However, the Catholic Church FORBIDS the "laity" to interpret scripture.

But, yes...it is a TREMENDOUS joy to point out Bible verses to a Catholic...and see God "turn on the lightbulb"!

And the same is true for some Protestants, as well.

After the lightbulb goes "on", they are free to return to the Catholic pews...or take a journey through the other denominations, etc. Perhaps some end back in the Catholic Church, though it is often as an agent of change and good news for other Catholics in the pews...
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I COULD NOT CARE LESS what denomination a person is in...or which denomination a person chooses to be a part of.

However, Christ's LOVE compels me to share the truth with ALL...and all for the glory of God.

If there is a person in a Catholic church, who knows nothing about the Gospel, Jesus Christ, and the Bible...then, yes...by all means...I will be moved with compassion to share the truth with them...in hopes that the truth will set them free.

And if they are in a church - any church - who is NOT edifying this dear and precious brother and sister in the Lord, then I will, by all means, encourage them to seek "food" elsewhere.

Jesus Christ commanded the church:
"Feed my sheep"

...and when you READILY admit that the average Catholic can't even articulate their faith well, it makes my stomach turn...and I want to throw up. Just like the Lord will spew out lukewarm Christians from His mouth!

What you are readily admitting is that the average Catholic sheep is cachetic...and starving.

And as the Lord said:
MY PEOPLE PERISH FOR LACK OF KNOWLEDGE.

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Answer 4

I didn't realize that this went on. I don't think it does in my denomination, but I could be wrong. As a former Catholic, now a Christian I don't put a feather in my cap to convert Catholics. I think the whole thing about sharing the gospel of Christ is because we are told to do it in love, Telling the truth in love is not the same and "setting someone straight." But it is our duty to go to the Word of God to answer questions. Like, where in the Bible does it say to pray to Mary? and such. There is nothing wrong with sharing with others to give them information to make a decision for themselves.

Answer 5

the problem is that cathecism education usually gives the general belief.(at least for kids)

while "bible Christians" have an in stone definition(for most things)

the problem lies in the specific catholic beliefs.

what usually happens is the "bible Christian" takes an out of context quote of the CCC, and the unsuspecting Catholic doesn't know better.(carm.org is a great example of out of context CCC)


that's how i was before i started using Yahoo Answers, i knew a bit about the cathecism, but not enough to answer anti-catholic questions. so i had to do learn about the specific terms and beliefs.

so i'd say no, sales techniques don't equal integrity if the techniques are underhanded.

Answer 6

It strikes me as smarmy. And very unChristian. It seems to me that these "hucksters for Jesus" prey on the Catholics who are the most vulnerable. Of course the Church is not blameless either -- in my experience, there isn't a lot of outreach to these hurting Catholics who are questioning their faith. Half-truths are always simpler to deal with because they come from denominations that were founded by men, not by Jesus Himself.

Since the end is less than the fullness of truth, it does NOT justify the means. It might be easier to hook somebody into a half-truth after they have grappled with the whole truth and become frustrated with the struggle.

Answer 7

"Sales techniques" isn't a bad thing. They are used both by good salespeople and by con men. The difference is this: A good salesman will use the techniques to get the client to sign up for something that's good for the client. A good con man will use the very same techniques to get the client to sign something good for the con man.

In Heaven, the angels rejoice when a soul gets saved.... I bet they even do high fives on occasion, and we should too.

In the end though, evangelical Christians can only BRING the message. It is up to the holy spirit to make a person's heart ready to accept Christ.

Answer 8

Its not just done to Catholics. Evangelical Christians give classes on how to convert any group they think they have a chance with.

Mormons are doing the same thing.

Many Evangelical Churches have now started giving anti-Mormon classes because theyre losing so many people to LDS's superior sales pitch.

Answer 9

This is where church growth in most Protestant churches comes from. The numbers of genuine new converts are quite small; they mainly bring in people from other congregations, and they count each rebaptism of a Catholic, Lutheran, etc., as a conversion.

Those of us on the receiving end of this (it's not just Catholics, you know) are to blame for not catechizing our members properly. We are warned repeatedly in scripture that false prophets and false teachings will arise, and so on. We have no one but ourselves to blame for our lack of preparation.

Answer 10

It's not just Catholics they go after. I had a fundamentalist Christian ask me for money so her church could go over and help the Tsunami victims in 2004. When I found out the money was going to be spent on their travel expenses so they could go "witness" to the survivors, she justified lying by saying it was for the "greater good". When I asked her if she would go over to help them if she wasn't allowed to "witness" to them, she said there would be no reason to help if she couldn't "save their souls".
Integrity is not a word these people understand.