"When I tell my Christian friends in America that some of the fiercest militias were (and are) Christian, most are shocked. It doesn’t fit the us-versus-them mentality that evangelism fosters, in which we are always the innocent victims and they are always the aggressors." Not all Christians are ignorant of the fact that terrible acts of violence have been in the past and are now in the present committed by those who claim to be followers of Jesus. Such acts ought to be renounced by followers of Jesus. In addition, not all Christians who are passionate about evangelism espouse an "us-versus-them mentality." To choose the worst examples of evangelism and paint all attempts at evangelism with the same brush is unfair, and amounts to a straw-man argument.
"This us-versus-them thinking is odd, given that Jesus was constantly breaking down walls between Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor, men and women, sinners and saints. That’s why we have the parable of the Good Samaritan." Yes, Jesus broke down such walls. However, those walls are broken down through a relationship with Jesus. Paul speaks of the division between Jew and Gentile--who were, humanly speaking, adversaries--and how that division has been obliterated through the cross. Paul says that Jesus died that he "might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility" (Ephesians 2:16). In addition, in Paul's letter to the Galatians in which he writes on the great extent in which we are reconciled to one another, he makes it very clear that such reconciliation occurs in Jesus: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28, emphasis added). Such reconciliation occurs when people accept the grace and love of God that comes through faith in Jesus. How does one learn about Jesus? primarily through hearing it from another person: evangelism.
"I believe that doctrine is important, but it’s not more important than following Jesus." When Christians put more time and effort arguing the finer points of Christian theology and doctrine more than they do actually living out Jesus' commands and telling people that Jesus loves them so much he died for them, yes, that's a sin. But doctrine--literally, "teaching"--should really be about trying to understand who God is. Medearis' statement is one that sounds agreeable because of how hurt people have been by institutions that care more about doctrine than a relationship with Jesus. But you can't somehow sever a relationship with Jesus from what we believe about Jesus. To make a statement of belief in our about Jesus is to make a doctrinal statement--which Medearis himself does throughout his post. What we believe about God is important, because it informs our relationship with him. You cannot have a relationship with someone you know nothing about, which is why Medearis' statement doesn't make sense when you get right down to it.
One more...
"Encouraging anyone and everyone to become an apprentice of Jesus, without manipulation, is a more open, dynamic and relational way of helping people who want to become more like Jesus — regardless of their religious identity." I agree with Medearis that our task is not to bring people into a particular religion, but rather to send people to Jesus! Here are two critiques of this statement: 1) the most important thing that happens in a relationship with Jesus is not just that we become more like him as we follow him, but that through faith in him and his death on the cross, we are given (because we could never earn it) eternal life. To paraphrase Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:19, if we follow Jesus only that we might be more like him in this life, we are of all people most to be pitied! 2) When we learn who God is through his son Jesus, we are called to renounce all false representations of God (both those that exist within Christianity and outside it). For some, this might mean renouncing their previous religious convictions that are incompatible with what Jesus taught.
My response to Medearis (who is a brother in Christ): The heart of the matter is this: does eternal life come only through Jesus or doesn't it? The answer to this question (whether yes, no, or I don't know) will inform one's view of evangelism. If the answer is yes, than by all means, we ought to love people enough to tell them and try to convince them that Jesus indeed is the only way to be reconciled to God. To not do so would be unloving. Have some used sinful, manipulative, and awful ways to do this (or for some, done sinful things trying to cover them up by using the name of Jesus)? Yes. For some examples of such un-love, one only needs to read a few of the comments by readers at the bottom of Medearis' post! Does this mean that all attempts at evangelism are wrong? No. Telling someone about Jesus--even pleading with someone to follow Jesus--is perhaps the most loving and grace-filled thing we can do.
