Thoughts from the Dentist Chair: Evangelism

As I sat in the dental chair under multiple kinds of anesthesia :) I thought singing a song (in my head of course, as my mouth was full of dental hands) would be a good way to keep my mind occupied. I filed through a few and finally settled on "Kindness". And that got me thinking.

Very few, if any, people associate sitting in the dentist chair with happy, good things - especially when they are having cavities filled. I just don't think it compels people. Similarly, thoughts of Hell don't conjure positive thoughts. Why do we use the "'cause you don't want to go to hell" approach to evangelism? Is that how He desires to woo people to himself, by keeping them out of the dentist's chair?

I think not. Just as the song and scriptures state, "It's your kindness, Lord, that leads us to repentance." Maybe if our approach to evangelism mirrored more of Christ's kindness and less of Monopoly's "get out of jail free" card more people would be drawn to Christ. Maybe we would gain a greater understanding of salvation, as not just a hope for the future, but as a redemption of the present - redemption and restoration for ourselves, our families, relationships - with God, one another, and the earth itself.