A response to an op-ed written by Nicholas Kristof entitled, "Evangelicals a Liberal Can Love."

As a senior at the University of Michigan, I know far too well how difficult it can be to come out with your faith. Oftentimes my professors indirectly (and sometimes directly) deride Christianity and are quick to blame Christians for many of our countries' problems. America's view of Evangelists has become so skewed because of a few famous, Evanglical, socially conservative Christians in our country; but what does it really mean to be an Evangelical Christian in the 21st Century? I believe that all Christians, no matter what denomination (or lack thereof) they are, must practice evangelism because we are commanded to go and make disciples of all nations. It's sad that many people in the world believe that Christians go about obeying this command through forceful conversions. As a Christian, I view evangelism to be the sharing of my faith both directly and indirectly through the way I lead my life. That means that while I will share my faith by verbally testifying that Jesus is my Savior, I will also do so by fighting social injustice, which stems from my faith; nowhere in my statement of faith is there anything about "forceful conversions."

This past Sunday, Nick Kristof wrote an article about Evangelical Christians and the major role that the church is playing to help fight poverty, AIDS, and genocide, just to name a few. Mr. Kristof does a brilliant job finding a distinction between Evangelical Christians and Social Conservatives, which people in this country are far too quick to lump together into one category. In this article, Mr. Kristof sheds light on the role of the church in the 21st century: being a light in this world by providing both physical and spiritual needs of the people within a community. He writes that the church is one of the few "organizations" that remain in war torn areas in Africa, and calls the people in these churches "crazy Christians," which is truly what we as Christians are supposed to be: totally abandoned and on fire for God. Whether we are fighting global warming, poverty, malaria, or AIDS, may we continue to do so through the avenue of the church, for the Gospel and for God's people.