jphelmet
Refugee
but i suppose this is what modern evangelism is all about -- narcissism.
that is very disheartening to hear any way that they think modern evangelism is about narcissism. how completely and totally backwards from what Jesus actually taught. makes me very sad for anyone to say that is how they perceive it.
its really sad that the Christian church as a whole, has a very vocal minority. going back to (as you mentioned) jerry falwell, and pat robertson. it feeds from the fact that those on all sides are so lazy about seeking out and discerning what a faith or belief system really teaches. pat robertson makes bold statements almost weekly that cannot (and are not) supported by christian theology. unfortunately he is the loudest, and he's on tv.
christianity suffers greatly today in america (its reputation) because it is easy to be a christian. many are surrounded by those who believe the same or similarly (or say they do) and never take the time to really understand what they believe and why. they don't have to its easy to be intellectual lazy when you don't have to answer what and why you believe it. (i wonder how many professing christians there would be if the church was persecuted as it is in other parts of the world?) that is why someone like pat robertson can go on tv and be so popular. so many don't know that he doesn't have a clue what he is talking about the majority of the time.
the best christian minds, are usually nowhere near tv. they don't have anything to sell, and don't want to be associated with those that do want the spotlight. i am sorry that, as you say, modern evangelism looks like narcissism. i am even more sorry, that i know exactly why you say it, and can see pretty easily how you would reach that conclusion.
please don't judge all christianity on the faces of the megachruch or televangelism. better yet don't judge christianity on the people who claim to follow it (me included). every single one will let you down, and be a mess to some degree- and if they are sincere in their belief, that is why they are christians to begin with.