"They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them." - Rom. 1:29-32

  The ministry of mercy and compassion has always been intended to be an integral part of living God's way. It is often said that "loving them into the Kingdom" is the way to go in terms of evangelistic thought. After all, this is the way Jesus proceeded, isn't it? Now, this in and of itself is a very solid truth. The weakest and most broken among us have a real need to see the the love of Christ. The problems begin when this principle is applied to those with hardened hearts and seared consciences.
  People in this state of mind are not moved by a message of compassion. Unfortunately, the believer who has been endlessly indoctrinated with the "What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding" gospel will not only continue to do so in futility, but will often amplify it when it's not working in hopes that the added intensity of goodwill can effect a breakthrough. This has led to a rather horrifying extreme.
  An insidious form of "evangelism" has started to take hold in certain segments of Christian society. When someone comes along and tries to relay a more complete gospel message which also "convinces of sin, righteousness, and judgment" along with the more pleasant aspects, they get shouted down...by other Christians! These suffering servants are sold up the river by their own people, and accused of every manner of inflated piety and self-righteousness. The old saw of "you're judging" also gets trotted out in order to shame the poor soul into silence. This is ironic, considering that by engaging in this character assassination, they are only revealing these traits within themselves!
  These tactics are prevalent online, where the promise of anonymity compels sinner and saint alike to brandish their sharpest knives...without warning, without restraint, and without discrimination. It often happens in the presence of the unbeliever in hopes of establishing a trust with them. It's like an undercover cop infiltrating the mob, who's asked to kill someone in cold blood to "prove their loyalty". The popular theory is that doing so will win them over without having to say a word, that it will magically cause the unsaved person to "understand just how much they need Jesus".
  As I was pondering the scripture selection above, I perceived my focus turning sharply toward verse 32: "Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them." I'm a big believer in context. I wanted to show you what Paul was referring to in that verse, the different kinds of wickedness that people of his day(and ours) were committing and supporting in others.
  Christians are not only allying themselves with the unregenerated (as opposed to walking alongside as a voice of reason and conscience), but practically endorsing the sinful attitudes and behaviors that some of the rougher characters frequently bring. Consequently, prolonged exposure causes them to begin emulating those behaviors until you end up not being able to tell the difference between them and the people they originally started out witnessing to. It is a pattern I have, sadly, seen far too many times.
  As important as it is to fulfill the call to evangelism, the call to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, is labeled by Jesus as the greatest commandment. In keeping with this, it is vitally important to distinguish which relationships with unbelievers can be enriching(whether they accept Christ or not) and which can be corrosive. As always, our wise Father gives us the answers we need:

Psa. 94:20 - "Can a corrupt throne be allied with you—one that brings on misery by its decrees?"
Prov. 2:12-15 - “Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, who leave the straight paths to walk in dark ways, who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil, whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways.”
Prov. 13:20 - “He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.”
Prov. 16:29 - “A violent man entices his neighbor and leads him down a path that is not good.”
I Cor: 15: 33 - "Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character."