Blog/Apologetics: Here’s How Not to Evangelize.

Whelp, it’s been some time since I last talked about Bryce Crawford and with all the accusations coming out about Todd White and how he’s actually a pathological liar and hypocrite (whoever could’ve guessed) and the fact that Bryce was recently on an interview with disgraced Hillsong pastor Carl Lentz, I figured that we should talk about him some more. However, today, instead of doing a part four into how Bryce Crawford needs the real Jesus, let’s instead check out how his way of evangelizing is exact wrong way to try to witness to non-believers and how you, as a Christian, should actually talk to non-believers.

The main reason why Bryce Crawford has become so popular is because of his street preaching ministry where he’ll go to random places and talk to people of all faiths and worldviews. Satanist, atheist (sorry, that was redundant), Leftist (I really need to stop repeating myself), Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, etc. you name it, he’s probably talked to someone with that background. Because of this, if you go to his comments sections, most of the comments you’ll see are from Christians applauding him for being so “bold for Christ,” saying that he’s amazing. Here’s just few quick examples taken from one of his most popular videos titled, “Preaching The Gospel To Satanist!”

While I have a small measure of respect for Bryce for going to the most extreme sides of the religious spectrum and trying to witness to them because that is something that the church needs to get better at doing, the way he goes about it is all wrong.

The first reason why as a Christian you shouldn’t try to emulate Bryce Crawford (amongst other things) is because Bryce’s style is very experience-oriented instead of Bible-oriented. The reason I say this is because he doesn’t really talk about sin or the law but rather seems to just talk about how much God has saved him from anxiety and depression and how if you accept Jesus, He’ll do that for you to. Or, if he does talk about sin, it’s severity seems very watered down. He doesn’t go into how severe the consequences of sin are, making it a very soft version of the Gospel.

However, the problem with this style is that it turns God into something that’s less about His grace and mercy, and more about what you can get from God. While it might sound nice hearing that God will save you from you mental/physical illness automatically, it’s not a Biblical position and ignores the real, underlying problems that make the Gospel so necessary. If you really want to effectively convince people that they need God, this is not the way to do it. A better way to do it is to go the Ray Comfort route, which is to show them that they are sinful. This does not mean standing there with a bullhorn screaming about how they’re going to hell if they don’t repent, but what it does mean is respectfully approaching the person, talking to them like a normal human, doing something like asking if they’re a good person using the Ten Commandments, and comparing their responses to the that. The reason for this is because the Ten Commandments are the list that most shows how we cannot be perfect by God’s standards. Prove that they are sinners by those criteria, and sometimes they’ll be much more receptive towards hearing and receiving the Gospel, because now, they’ll hopefully see why they need to be saved more than if you’re just telling them how God healed you.

The second problem with Bryce is that he can be very obnoxious. Maybe it’s just from how the videos are edited, but this can be a big problem with hyper-charismatics that can be a big turn off for people. Personally, me being someone who’s socially awkward, if I were an unbeliever, this would absolutely be a turn off. It can also be seen as being super disrespectful depending on where you’re preaching (for example, if you’re at something like Paganicon where many people already have a bad view of the church and Christianity, you’re just proving their point by being obnoxious). An example of this is when awkwardly sang his own rendition of “Jesus Loves Me This I Know,” while he was at the Satanic Temple, then started “binding and rebuking” spirits there. That’s not a good way to witness. Once again, it just makes you look obnoxious and disrespectful, like one of these annoying TikTokers with main character syndrome (oh wait…).

[Author’s Note: I’m not kidding about the singing and “binding and rebuking” at the Satanic Temple. In his video, “Infiltrating The Satanic Temple” Bryce actually did that (and I’m not even going to comment on that title).]

The third problem is the praying for healing and signs and wonders. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with praying for healing, when you start doing that and then act like you’ve miraculously healed the person’s arthritis, then it becomes less about God in my opinion, and more about you. All of a sudden, you’re the magic man with a special connection to God who can heal stuff. That’s not good, God-honoring behavior. That’s pride. Throw in the grifting, and it adds even more layers of dishonest.

So, how then do you be a good witness for Christ? How do you avoid being like Bryce Crawford?

First, know your Bible. Sometimes, non-Christians will bring up points that may seem convincing if you don’t know what the Bible says. This makes knowing Scripture and the common arguments made against it vital.

Second, be respectful. We are called to be good ambassadors for Christ. That means that you are not the focus, Christ is. Represent him badly, and you’re failing at your job. Thus, if you come into a situation where you want to share the Gospel but you’re just there to yell at people or be obnoxious in witnessing, leave. You’re not at church, you’re in their house. Just like how you wouldn’t like it if some Satanists started performing a Black Mass in the middle of your church service, they will not appreciate it if you start yelling at them to repent. Furthermore, if a person who you’re talking to wants you to leave, be respectful and do that. Your job isn’t to annoy them to heaven (which never works), but to leave pebbles in their shoe that make them think.

Third, ask questions. To quote G.I. Joe, “Knowing is only half the battle.” Asking genuine questions not only makes you more knowledgeable about what the person believes, why they believe the way they do, and how they got there, but it’s also a great way to open up a good conversation in which they might become interested in the Gospel. The worst that could happen is you learn a little more and they’re left with those uncomfortable thought pebbles.

Fourth, recognize that it’s not through your power that people are saved. Our job as Christians is simply to explain the Gospel, defend the faith, and live in a way that honors Christ. From there, the rest is up to God.

Until next time,

M.J.