How to Make a False Christian

As well as being a chaplain, I’m a pastor too.  At home in my filing cabinet I have evangelistic response slips from a number of evangelistic events I have held in my home town of Mt Morgan.  Some of these slips are for kids actually in my schools.  Every single person on these slips has said the “sinner’s prayer” and been told by a well meaning believer that “You are now a Christian." 

The sad part is that not a single person out of those 500 slips actually attends any church.  I concluded recently that there is something wrong with the way most of us believers think about evangelism and the gospel. 

So how to make a false Christian:

1. When a person asks to become a Christian enthusiastically help them say the sinners prayer repeating after you. 
2. Ask them if they were “really sincere.”
3. If they say yes, then declare them to be “a Christian.” 
4. Finally tell them that God has forgiven them all of their sins and that they are now definitely going to be in Heaven when they die. 

I guess I have realised that there are many reasons “why” a person wants to become “what they think a Christian is.”  Some people are not sincere in thier approach to God, and some people are ill informed about what is required and are thinking they are getting something different.

In both cases it’s a mistake to declare someone saved and going to Heaven because if their belief about it is wrong, or their motives are wrong, they might be still going to Hell.  In fact, telling them they are saved is like a “death sentence” because now they won’t be seeking salvation anymore.  They are what Charles Finney used to call a “False Convert.”

This brings me to this weeks Online Task.  When someone asks spiritual questions, why do most Christians respond in their usual way?  Simply because that is how they have been trained to resond.  We are often more focused on what we want to say (because it’s so important) rather than focused on hearing what the other person has to say. 

Do I think that our counselling skills would be useful? Definitely.  Taking time to listen to what people think and feel and to reflect those feelings and thoughts back to make sure we understand is a great beginning.  Then we not only have an opporunity to talk, but have a basis for our words to be valued also. 

If a young person came up to me…  I guess for me the best way to answer their question is to actually ask them some questions and to let them begin talking.  My desire would be to find out what they know, what they want, and the reason why they want that.  This would help me to decide what to tell them and where to lead the conversation.  I would also not be in a rush to “convert them.”  To me that is the job of the Holy Spirit and the little I get to say, He will use to great effect in their mind to make the changes He wants. 

So I’ve been learning how not to make false converts here in my town.  I don’t know if I’ve learned all that much actually, but I’m just glad this course, and a few life experiences thrown in are helping to make us all the people God wants us to be. 

PS Here is an interesting mp3 by Ray Comfort on False Conversion.