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SWORDS INTO PLOWSHARES: A Former Soldier of Christ Offers the Church a New Metaphor for Evangelism
In high school it seems like everyone has a claim to fame. Some people are known for their athletic abilities, some for their academic accomplishments, others for their artistic/musical genius.

In my case, I was the crusading Christian—the guy who got Keith Green to come sing at our school. I not only mastered the Four Laws, I could give a solid Gospel presentation in five minutes or less. I regularly invited friends to church with me and rejoiced as they kneeled to receive Christ.

Looking back, there’s no question in my mind that I was a committed soldier in God’s army. Throughout high school, I trained hard, armed myself with the right verses and aggressively seized opportunities to share my faith. The only problem is I’m not sure being a

Christian soldier was such a great thing then—and it’s even more problematic today.

A NEW METAPHOR

For years, the warrior metaphor has permeated our Christian subculture, particularly our approach to evangelism. I did “sword drills” in Sunday school and played with cardboard cutouts of spiritual armor. The Bible is filled with war imagery, particularly in the Old Testament.

But the Old and New Testament authors also use a lot of other images— including many agricultural pictures. While Paul’s writings are steeped in warrior language, Jesus seems to be more partial to farmers, shepherds and fisherman. Taking the ground by force just didn’t seem to be in His nature. ...

...For decades, the established Church has been on the warpath non-stop. People have heard sermon after sermon about seizing opportunities. They’ve bought videos, listened to tapes and filled in workbooks. And yet, like me, they’ve watched as many of the people they so faithfully

led to Jesus Christ wander away from the Church. Why?

After years in the battle, many warrior Christians have become discouraged. Deep down, they wonder if they ever understood “the Gospel.” If Jesus is such good news, why do they feel so down—so completely exhausted—by the thought of telling others about Him? ...

...Ever see the movie “The Big Kahuna” with actor Danny DeVito? In one scene, DeVito’s character, Phil Cooper, is talking with a young, zealous Christian about his desire to “steer” conversations toward Jesus, even while on company time. The young man, Bob, says that for him not to talk abut Jesus would be dishonest because Jesus is the most important thing in his life. Cooper responds with something like this: “It isn’t talking about Jesus that makes you dishonest. It’s the moment you put your hands on the conversation to steer it that makes you just like every other salesman who lacks character and integrity.”

After watching “The Big Kahuna,” I was struck by how often I too have been a salesman for Jesus. In my evangelistic zeal, I never thought what it must feel like to be on the receiving end of that conversation, and how my desire to “seal the deal” may have actually been taking away dignity and honor from that person. ...

...Pastor and author Eugene Peterson asks the question: “Why do pastors so often treat congregations with the impatience and violence of developers building a shopping mall instead of the patient devotion of a farmer cultivating a field? The shopping mall will be abandoned in disrepair in 50 years; the field will be healthy and productive for another thousand if its mysteries are respected by a skilled farmer.

"Pastors are assigned by the church to care for congregations, not exploit them, to gently cultivate parishes that are plantings of the Lord, not brashly develop religious shopping malls. No, the congregation is topsoil—seething with energy and organisms that have incredible capacities for assimilating death and participating in resurrection."...