Human Spam

Enjoyed this piece from Joe the Peacock, who describes himself as a 'professional dork'.

He discusses Christian attempts to witness / evangelise / convey their faith to others and why it so often fails. It's a brilliant critique, and he coins the term "human spam" for people who interrupt, bother and disrupt.

"I will probably dismiss, as you do, the one which interrupts my routine and infringes on my time to tell me you're right and that everything I have spent years figuring out and pondering and basing my life and views around is wrong."

and then he even offers some tips on how it should be done:

• The faith you have? It's belief in the absence of proof or fact. That's the definition of faith. So, don't offer belief as evidence. You can, however, offer it as motive. "I believe in God" does not prove that God exists. "I volunteer at hunger shelters because I believe in God" does prove that you have a motive for your actions.

• You will not sway an Atheist with promises of eternal reward or threat of eternal damnation. You can't point to heaven or hell on a map, so there's no evidence of their existence. Furthermore, bribery and intimidation are the tools of those who seek power, not those who seek redemption.

It's challenging stuff, as it offers a mirror up to those of us who are Christians about the way we deal with other people. But if we are confident in the foundation of what we believe, then what have to lose in listening to someone like him?