St. Paul, Evangelization, and Apologetics | Mark Shea

Summer Conferences

Convert and author of many books, including By What Authority?: An Evangelical Discovers Catholic Tradition, Mark Shea brought the conference to a close examining St. Paul and his influence on evangelization and apologetics.

“When it comes to evangelism there is one commandment of Christ that all Christians are ready and eager to obey: Mark 1:44, ‘Go and tell no one.’” Shea quipped.

Shea explained that there are two popular schools of evangelizing: one which tells you to shout on the street corner, and the other that says, simply live your faith, also known as lifestyle evangelizing. Shea proposed that you had to do both.

“The Faith never asks us to make a choice between incarnating the Faith and talking about the Faith. St. Paul never saw a difference between living the Faith and talking about the Faith and we shouldn’t either,” he said. “We live in a culture that is so post-protestant that the Gospel really is news again.”

Shea petitioned all to imitate Paul in his missionary fervor. “Paul was successful because he did what he was commissioned to do, and God does not command us to do something and then not give us the power to do it.”