The Most Powerful Tool for Evangelism

Here’s a new video by Fr. Barron that ranks as perhaps my all-time favorite. He asks a very important question: what’s the best evangelistic tool that we have? Is it arguments? Ethics? Doctrines? Appeals to authority? No.

It’s joy.

Joy is a lure that draws people to wonder about its source. When it’s most charged and visible in some person, it both captivates and beguiles. And because of its strange attraction, it’s perhaps the best argument for Christianity.

As St. Thomas Aquinas says, everyone ultimately wants joy. Sure we want truth, goodness, beauty, and meaning but only to the extent that they bring us joy. So if Christians want to present a compelling vision of the Christian life, it’s joy they must offer and radiate.