God has commissioned us as Christians to share the Gospel and offer the opportunity for others to respond to experience a person relationship with Him. Many people have responded to this command and have used their skills in writing to evangelize on our websites.

However, one thing we have noticed is that the task of sharing the Gospel with someone with no church background and little or no understanding of the terms, concepts and characters which make up our faith is more difficult than many aspiring writers realize.

In light of this, we’ve put together a list of a few of the most common problems we find in articles submitted for non-Christians. We also included “before and after” examples where applicable.

Common mistakes in writing for non-Christians:

Incorrectly using verses. In an evangelistic article it’s okay to use some scripture as long as it’s placed into context for the reader. Even something as simple as “there’s a verse in the Bible that says” or “when Jesus spoke about the poor He described them as” can help your point make sense to someone with little or no Bible knowledge. Do not assume that: a) the reader is familiar with the verse b) the reader assigns value to the verse c) the reader can place a book of the Bible into context.
Before: “1 John 3:16 says ‘for God so love the world…’”
After: “A man named John wrote a book in the Bible and in it he recorded the words of Jesus when he said, ‘for God so loved the world…’”

Using too many verses. For a Christian audience it makes sense to include a verse as part of the proof, or strength of each point. However in evangelistic attempts, the verses are not proof at all. Writers need to remember that a non-Christian assigns no special value to the Bible (and in some cases has a negative view of the Bible) so a verse carries no more weight than a nice quote from Dr. Seuss. Remember, the work of opening their eyes belongs to the Holy Spirit and it will be the relationship with Jesus that motivates their desire to study the Bible.

Using unfamiliar or unnecessary names for God. For a non-Christian audience the whole idea of God or Jesus is strange enough. Start throwing in the Lord, the Almighty, Our Heavenly Father, etc. and it just gets in the way. Remember that language is supposed to communicate, not just speak. Use the words that make sense to the target audience, not the words that are personally comfortable.

Incorrect inclusive language. Do not forget that non-Christians exist and using inclusive language like “our God”, “we believe”, “our prayers”, “when we go to church” etc. draws lines around a specific group of which non-Christians are not a part. This is fine when speaking to Christians but if you are serious about reaching the lost, there is no “we”. This can sometimes be corrected by switching the inclusive language to personal language.
Before: “Our God promised to be faithful.”
After: “My God promised to be faithful.”

Christian language in general. This one may seem extremely obvious but it comes up so often in submissions that it bears pointing out. Be aware of the words you are using throughout the article and check for terminology that would confuse someone without a church background. Keep in mind, the goal is to let nothing we do get in the way of a reader being able to understand the Gospel message.
Before: “When worshippers of Jesus fellowship with each other…”
After: “When people who have a personal relationship with God spend time together…”

Assumption of background biblical knowledge. Writers will often mention a character from the Bible in passing and this has no meaning for non-Christians without an explanation. When using a Bible story, give the context in wording you would use with someone who has never read the Bible and does not know who David, Abraham or Esther are.
Before: “When Zacheus climbed the tree to see Jesus…”
After: “There is a story in the Bible about a real man named Zacheus who heard Jesus was coming down the street but was too short to see him so he climbed a tree to get a better view.”

Assumption of knowledge of Christian concepts. Often ideas such as mercy, grace and redemption have such a clear meaning in Christian circles that writers use them for a non-Christian without even thinking about it. These ideas require some explanation and some sort of context. If it is helpful, imagine you are explaining the concept to someone who is just learning English.
Before: “God extends mercy to us.”
After: “God does not give us the punishment we deserve, an act which is called mercy.”

I Corinthians 9:22,23 says, “When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.” (NLT) Stepping out of your comfort zone and being willing to look at your writing through the eyes of a person who needs you to show them Jesus can take your personal evangelism to a new level of effectiveness.

The free gift of a relationship with God through grace is available to anyone. Developing affective ways of sharing this news with non-Christians can ensure that your audience will never feel that the gift isn’t for them. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the words to speak and leave the heart-change in His hands.

Resources:
Authors’ blog
Web writing
Editing for the web