Given the true definition of the word, I'd disagree with you:
Dictionary.com

But that is just playing semantics. /wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" /> I understand your point and agree with it.

You can not argue or force someone into heaven. You can simply state and live your beliefs, answering questions and clarifying misunderstandings as you go while praying for the unbeliever. From there, it's a matter of the Spirit working in them. To attempt to take it further under you own power often defeats the purpose.

The motivation behind you sharing your beliefs should always be focused around the other person and not what you want.

I might be wrong, but wouldn't apologetics in the most loving way possible be useful in evangelism, so that our attempts will not get the negative connotation that proselytization gets?

I was accused of proselytization by a group of Jews, when I only believed I was trying to bring the Good News. /sad.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad.gif" />

The truth is most ppl have heard or heard about the Good News, but instead of recieveing it and believing it, they reject, then tell you to stop forcing them to change their beliefs.

Well it is there right to reject if they wish. The point is forcing views is just a bad practice, but teaching others willing to listen is good practice.

ah..yes, but one person recognizes it as attempt to teach, wheras the other sees it as cramming it down their throat.

The point is, you can never teach someone who is unwilling to learn. If they belong to the Shepard they will heed to His voice. But some will instantaneously reject and then just as quickly, convict you of proselytizing.

To me there is no difference in the definition of evangelizing vs. proselytizing. the only difference there is, is how someone uses the word in a sentence. /smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

i might mention also, as you have a religeous debate forum where you say you are seeing the line crossed...

When you open a forum with that sort of an invitation, you are essentially inviting people who wish to argue truth. A lot of them would never dare to speak up in their own live congregation, so they prattle at each online.

it's par for the course. /wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" />

I'm not so sure about that, pxlblitz. Heard about, yes. Heard, no. A lot of people, including outer circle church members who are members primarily because that's where their parents went, the children's program is good, etc., confuse "hearing about the Gospel" with "hearing." Of course if they understood the difference it would mean they had experienced "hearing it."

Now THAT is true! Proselytizing does have a connotation of conniving or pressure or manipulating, in my view.

Maybe some of you have seen this already, but a very very helpful view of evangelism, and the steps, or levels of openness, that unbelievers move through towards accepting, saving faith, is found at gospelcom.net on their "gray matrix" page.

This thread might indicate the need to add a couple of steps at the bottom, or top depending on how you look at it, but anyway, the far end of unbelief on Engel's scale, describing a closed mind, hostility towards God, etc. The gray matrix deals with those attitudes.

I would beg to differ here. Debating and Proselytizing aren't even in the same ball park.

Those that proselytize don't debate they force belief rather than help.

Also they can't be argueing "truth" b/c no one can say what "truth" is. (I'm talking in context of "all" religions)

And yes alot would never dare to speak up in their own congragation, we give them an outlet for questions and answers.

I'll disagree and refer you to my definition above. Evangelism is proselytization. The word has simply been given a negative connotation by those who are offended that you would dare attempt to evangelize them.

Again, I know I'm playing semantics, and I do get your point. But I hate to see a word mis-used.

proselytize \PRAH-suh-luh-tyz\, intransitive verb:
1. To induce someone to convert to one's religious faith.
2. To induce someone to join one's institution, cause, or political party.

evangelism
1. Zealous preaching and dissemination of the gospel, as through missionary work.
2. Militant zeal for a cause.

How are they the same?

According to those definitions, evangelism is proselytization, but not vice-versa.

Interestingly enough, though, in the context of this duscussion and the preferences displayed by those who posted, to proselytize should be fine but to evangelize should be frowned upon!

Don't you love semantics!? /wacko.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":wacko:" border="0" alt="wacko.gif" />

And actually, from our end of things, it doesn't matter a pin.

It's what the person we are talking to (or who is reading stuff on our websites) thinks -- and how he/she defines the terms, negatively, etc., that matters.

That was a disjointed sentence if I ever wrote one... /blink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":blink:" border="0" alt="blink.gif" />

The definitions regarding a Christian; either "evangelize" or "proselytize" is exactly what we do. They are both the same; or rather, we do both.

The problem lies within the person doing the rejecting.
In my opinion, some TV evangelists give the term "evangelism" a negative connotation.

But why are we arguing the meaning of a word? We should be argueing against evagelistic "tactics" (or proselytistic -is that a word even?- tactics) that are unbecoming of a true fisher of men.

I think the fine line is when someone is not in the Lord's will and doing something and claiming to do so in the name of the Lord. By that I mean if God hasn't sent some one to the work, then it is in vain and is not evangelism. Proselytizing may mean to persuade someone to your way of thinking or belief, but Persuasion without God working to soften the heart, is not the Lord's way. Now I don't say that we should never tell any one about the faith, but we should live in such a way that those around us see something in our life that is missing in theirs and they want what we have. That is true evangelism.

/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

I like what St Francis stated

Preach Christ all of the time
Sometimes use words

This has been the onset of my Ministry. I ride dirtbikes with many diferant people. My site www.motofamilynews.com is established to help those or at least reach out to families that are in my sport but dod not know Christ.

In my experiance those in my sport are looking for thier kids to have proper role models, ads in magazines not drawn to sex and in short a peacfull safe place.

I think Eveangilism has become a bad statement in our society as with Christian
That si a sad statement to make, I believe that becoming Froends first is the first step in Evangislim

According to the dictionary definition of proselytizing, such an act is akin to going to another Christian church and demand that they come to your church. Evangelism is going to the unchurched and encouraging them to meet Christ. BIG difference.

Proselytizing happens between sects of a given religion, while evangelism happens between two religions. Jews can claim we are proselytizing them because we both have the same judaic root. But any other religion would not be able to make that claim.

When the local New Life congregation tries to come to our Evangel parkinglot and puts notes on all our cars and tries to hand out leaflets on our church doorstep, that's proselytizing in its most blatant form(which has happened at least 3 times). We shouldn't be seeking to steal sheep from other folds in the flock of God, we should be seeking to bring lost sheep into the fold from outside the flock of God.

We had someone do that. He came into one of the sunday school classes and critiqued everything from the building to the lesson and even the bulletins. He left between the music and the sermon and handed an offering check to one of the men in the congregation.
We we got out of the service every car had some rambling brochure tucked under the wiper explaining that he was on a mission from God to correct churches and then inviting people to a proper church.

We had other visitors that week and they were in the parking lot before all of the brochures were retrieved and trashed.