re unethical evangelism

what is UNETHICAL EVANGELISM?

ever since my laptop was stolen I often use the public library computers to do my clerical work...I just decided it was easier to do than to buy a new computer...plus I find the public sphere to be a great place..the best place to be a  Christian presence...even if not overtly evangelizing. Anyways, most libraries have rows of computers set up for the patrons where  you sit and are able to use the computer for an hour or two (or sometimes more depending on which library). As you can imagine, all types of individuals come to the library to use the computers: the good, the bad, & the ugly, as they say. And each person has their own idiosyncrasies. Some like to eat while they compute (even if it's not allowed). Others come with all their baggage as if they were moving to new york in a few hours. Others are there just to watch movies while others are doing homework or research or just checking their email, etc.

Thus, with all the varieties of people sitting so close, people's idiosyncrasies need to be limited by rules in order to make it a decent place for everybody to work. For example, the rules against eating are something I respect because I know how annoying it is to have the person next to me munching on potato chips, not to mention if you come to the keyboard after them, you are putting your fingers on their leftovers and knowing they've been licking their fingers and using the keyboard just  before you...kind of gross to say the least.

However, at some libraries there is virtually NO ENFORCEMENT of the rules and if  you ask them to do so they make you feel like you're being picky or a legalist, so you just put up with some of the nuisance unless it goes way overboard.

One day a lady was eating next to me...a middle-age woman...she also had some baggage making me wonder what is her story. Where do these people come from with all their baggage? Yet she was literate and obviously lucid and coherent. Out of the corner of my eye I could see she was looking at religious material on her computer. Periodically she would stand up and appear to close her eyes and pray. Yet, she would also keep eating candy noisily from the wrapper. I think that bugs me the most when they make noise while eating. If they could eat without being obnoxious about it, I wouldn't mind. Nonetheless, I didn't say anything...I just tried to turn up the volume on my headphones and tune her out, even if she was a fellow Christian.

Finally, after a few hours she started packing up to leave, and as she walked away from her computer with all her stuff, suddenly she placed a package next to me...I could see immediately it was some sort of evangelical Christian thing...including candy...as if I was a little kid who would be excited about it. I turned and said "no thanks, I"m already a Christian." And she took it back and left.

What was WRONG with this evangelism? She had already turned me off by eating candy noisily next to me. Because of this faux pas ...not much of what she said or did after that would warm me up to her or the Christian faith (if I hadn't been a believer already..).

It's a good lesson for all of us as representatives of the faith. If we want to attract people to the faith we need to be good representatives . Obviously we cannot be perfect persons. We make mistakes. We sin. However, when we knowingly act obnoxious we knowingly misrepresent Christ.

Let us strive to be good representatives of Christ. What would Jesus do? (wwJd) . I have a feeling he wouldn't be munching on candy noisily at the computer even if being Christians means we are free ! Free indeed, but free to be respectful toward others and certain rules created for the betterment of everybody.