Yes, well I would say that there is a great deal of space between "avoiding all serious topics and disagreements," and, "needing to challenge differences of opinion." Yet this thread is about evangelization and the faith, and that strikes me as a serious topic that true friends would discuss.
It could be put this way: if one believes that some reality (e.g. God) is central to human life and human happiness, then true friendship requires that this reality be discussed with their friends, at least occasionally. This is because friends care for one another.
...Anecdotally, I know a woman who was trying to keep her wedding costs down, and decided not to invite many of her friends. The friends who were not invited were insulted, and her response was, "If they were really my friends, then they wouldn't care whether I invited them to my wedding." She had it exactly backwards. It was precisely because they were her friends that they wanted to be at such an important event in her life. The same sort of thing is happening in cases such as these. "If they were really my friend, they wouldn't share with me about the life of grace and Jesus Christ."* This is precisely backwards. The truth is rather, "If they were really my friend, they would share with me about the life of grace and Jesus Christ." And again, this doesn't mean that one must be pushy or "preachy," but the point stands, and in my experience non-religious friends really do understand this fact, and may even begin raising the topic themselves.
* Or more generally, "If they were really my friend, they wouldn't share with me what they see to be of ultimate importance."
...Anecdotally, I know a woman who was trying to keep her wedding costs down, and decided not to invite many of her friends. The friends who were not invited were insulted, and her response was, "If they were really my friends, then they wouldn't care whether I invited them to my wedding." She had it exactly backwards. It was precisely because they were her friends that they wanted to be at such an important event in her life. The same sort of thing is happening in cases such as these. "If they were really my friend, they wouldn't share with me about the life of grace and Jesus Christ."* This is precisely backwards. The truth is rather, "If they were really my friend, they
would share with me about the life of grace and Jesus Christ." And again, this doesn't mean that one must be pushy or "preachy," but the point stands, and in my experience non-religious friends really do understand this fact, and may even begin raising the topic themselves.
* Or more generally, "If they were really my friend, they wouldn't share with me what they see to be of ultimate importance."