Friday Discussion: Is Fear an Appropriate Motivator for the Church?
Is fear an appropriate tool for motivation?
We see it in many segments of society.
Rental car companies use it to sell extras to a rental contract. The skilled agent can make me doubt my insurance. The risk isn’t any larger than when I normally drive, but I sure feel that way after their spill.
We do it to help people lose weight or live healthier. When I see the effects of obesity on the body I’m more inclined to want to stay in shape.
We use fear to get people to wear seat belts, slow down and to deter drinking and driving. The crash dummy has been made famous saving lives by inducing fear.
So, I have a fair question:
Is fear an appropriate motivation tactic for the church?
I would love your thoughts and opinions. I’m a proponent of the “kindness of God leads to repentance” approach to witnessing, but if fear is such a great motivator should we literally be scaring the Hell out of people?
I love a good discussion…so what do you think?
