Seven Deadly Trappings of Evangelism
- Posted by: Todd
- Posted on: Wed, August 03, 2005
- Viewed 193
- (41) comments so far
#1 The Sinner?s Prayer ? The gates of hell have a special entrance reserved for people who thought that they had a ?ticket to heaven? because someone told them all they needed to do was recite the ?sinner?s prayer.? Salvation, however, is not obtained by reciting a magical incantation as many, many, ?Christians? will discover after it's far, far, too late.
#2 The Altar Call ? In the 1820?s evangelist Charles Finney introduced the ?anxious seat,? a front pew left vacant where at the end of the meeting ?the anxious may come and be addressed particularly?and sometimes be conversed with individually.? At the end of his sermon, he would say, ?There is the anxious seat; come out, and avow determination to be on the Lord?s side.? The problem with this approach, as theologian J.I. Packer, explains is that,
The gospel of God requires an immediate response from all; but it does not require the same response from all. The immediate duty of the unprepared sinner is not to try and believe on Christ, which he is not able to do, but to read, enquire, pray, use the means of grace and learn what he needs to be saved from. It is not in his power to accept Christ at any moment, as Finney supposed; and it is God?s prerogative, not the evangelist?s, to fix the time when men shall first savingly believe. For the latter to try and do so, by appealing to sinners to begin believing here and now, is for man to take to himself the sovereign right of the Holy Ghost. It is an act of presumption, however creditable the evangelist?s motive?s may be. Hereby he goes beyond his commission as God?s messenger; and hereby he risks doing incalculable damage to the souls of men. If he tells men they are under obligation to receive Christ on the spot, and demands in God?s name that they decide at once, some who are spiritually unprepared will try to do so; they will will come forward and accept directions and ?go through the motions? and go away thinking they have received Christ, when all the time they have not done so because they were not yet able to do so. So a crop of false conversions will result from making such appeals, in the nature of the case. Bullying for ?decisions? thus in fact impedes and thwarts the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart. Man takes it on himself to try to bring that work to a precipitate conclusion, to pick the fruit before it is ripe; and the result is ?false conversions,? hypocrisy and hardening. ?For the appeal for immediate decision presupposes that men are free to ?decide for Christ? at any time; and this presupposition is the disastrous issue of a false, un-Scriptural view of sin.
#3 ?Do you know Jesus as?? -- In the fall of 1987 I began my freshman year of college. I was far from home, overwhelmed and lonely on a campus of 20,000 students. While sitting alone in the cafeteria one afternoon, an older student walked up, smiled and asked if he could join me. I was starved for conversation and thrilled to have the company. He sat his tray down in front of mine and took a seat as I prepared to engage him in a heady discussion of his choosing. Politics, philosophy, science. I was mentally preparing for anything he threw at me.
Glancing up from his plate of spaghetti, he asked, ?Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior??
For a few seconds I was stunned, completely at a loss for a response. ?Um, yeah, actually I have.? I finally managed in reply.
?Oh,? he said, visibly disappointed. ?Okay, that?s good.? He wore a look of minor defeat. He had chosen the wrong table; no soul would be won for Christ over this lunch. We chatted politely while I finished my burger. He ate quickly and excused himself. After that lunch, I never saw him again.
This is one question that needs never be asked for it shows (a) you do not know the person well enough, (b) the answer is ?yes? and the person is a lousy Christian, or (c) the answer is ?no? in which case you just activated their Fundie-alert system and caused them to switch their brains into ?ignore? mode. Instead of asking about a ?personal savior? you might want to simply try to get to know the person.
#4 Tribulationism -- Ask a non-believer to give a rudimentary explanation of ?the Rapture? and chances are they can provide a fairly accurate description of that concept. Ask the same person to give a basic explanation of the Gospel message, though, and they are likely to be stumped. The reason for this curious state of affairs is that evangelicals have promoted what I refer to as "Tribulationism" ? an overemphasis on eschatology that overshadows the Gospel. I?m sure that somewhere in the three dozen novels that comprise the Left Behind series the Gospel message is presented. But there is something horribly wrong when the greatest story ever told is buried beneath a third-rate tale of the apocalypse.
#5 Testimonies ? The story about how the ?hound of Heaven? chased you down and gnawed on your leg until you surrendered is undoubtedly a story that would make for a gripping movie of the week on Lifetime. Keep in mind, though, that you are only a bit player in that story and that the main part goes to the Divine Protagonist. In fact, He already has a pretty good story so why not just tell that one instead.
#6 Witnessing ? Evangelism isn?t a form of Multi-Level Marketing. If you want to sell something door-to-door make it Amway products not the ?Good News.? If you want to ?witness for Christ? do what Christ did and love other people. Especially the ?unlovable? ? the smelly, unbathed men down at the mission, the annoying kids at church, the bonehead who cuts you off in traffic. In the context of the Christian life, ?witness? should be a noun more often than a verb.
#7 Chick Tracts -- Chick Tracts are a tool of the devil. ?Nuff said.
The term ?evangelism? derives from the greek word evangel ? ?good news.? So it?s rather odd how so much evangelism appears to be about ?selling? Jesus and hoping that you can convince the unsaved heathen to ?buy? into salvation. This was the way I had been taught during Vacation Bible School classes at the First Baptist Church of Fire and Brimstone. Pass out Chick tracts, recite the canned ?how to get saved? speech, get them to say the sinner?s prayer. Above all, close the deal. They may die at any time and their souls would be lost to eternal damnation if I didn?t ?make the sell.? At eight years old I was a cross between Billy Graham and Willy Loman.
Whenever I began to seriously read the Gospels, though, I noticed something strange. People constantly flocked to Jesus despite the fact that he never passed out a single tract. He would walk up to people and say ?Follow me? and the next thing you know they're giving up their lives to follow him around the countryside.
The people responded to Jesus the way they did because he is God. He is what our hearts have always been seeking. When we come face to face with him we may accept or reject him. But we can?t not know him. Calvin claimed that there is an awareness or sense of God (sensus divinitatis) implanted in all people by nature. The context of this universally distributed belief being rather minimal: there is a God, He is the Creator, and that He ought to be worshipped. The Gospel, though, fills in the essential details.
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As many of you know, I really enjoy ‘thinking pieces’… you know… things that really make you think. Well, this one from the Evangelical Outpost did. See what you ‘think’: There are seven ‘fixtures of evangelism’ that I find particularly harmful. None of them are inherently pernicious (well, except for #7) but they have a tendency to be used in ways that are counterproductive to their intended purposes. The seven fixtures are…
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Tom on Thu, August 04, 2005
WOW - why don’t the folks at “Evangelical Outpost” change their name to “Dead as a dornail post”? Their article is nothing but pure Calvinism. I won’t take each one in the order which they list them because I think BWS above did a great job of taking them in order and dealing with them and much of what I was going to say he just covered.
Do I believe in the sovereignty of God? ABSOLUTELY! Do I believe in the doctrine of election? ABSOLUTELY - it is in the Scriptures! What I find most interesting though is at the churches that are out knocking on doors, giving altar calls, witnessing, sharing their personal testimony etc… God is “electing” MORE at those churches than at the Calvinistic churches.
The only one of the 7 that I can see people agreeing much at all with is the last one concerning the “Chick” tracts. I am not a big proponent of tracts but I will tell a short story. Dr. Roy Fish who is Evangelism Professor emeritus at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and currently one of the Vice-Presidents of the Southern Baptist Convention will tell you his testimony is that as a young man he picked up a tract in a bus station, read it and gave his heart to Christ. He has done more than anyone I can think of to train men and women in the area of evangelism. He is a saint of God and one of the finest men I know. If God can use a tract in Roy Fish’s life then I am sure he can use it in others.
Tom on Thu, August 04, 2005
Don,
I couldn’t have said it better. In the Commission we have from our Lord we are told to make disciples. But you cannot raise and educate a child until it is first born. The two have to be tied together or as I like to say opposite sides of the same coin.
Evangelsim without discipleship is being a dead-beat church. Anyone can create a biolgical child but that does not make them a father or a mother. You can give birth to that child and abandon it as so many do today - we call them dead-beats. Any church can see a soul birthed into the kingdom but that’s the easy part. We then must take responsibility to raise them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
Discipleship without evangelism is basically impossible after the first generation. You cannot raise anything that was not born in the first place. Now many will say let’s just “leave the results to the Lord” - to me that is a cop out for laziness and fear on their part.
When Jesus went to the disciples to call them to follow Him or to Zacheus’ house He was agressive in His evangelism. In His word He states that “The Son has come to seek and to save that which is lost.” That was His mission He said. Then later He said “As the Father has sent Me, so send I you.” I take this to mean that He has given us the same commission He received from the Father - to go seek out them that are lost!
BeHim on Thu, August 04, 2005
[Finally—and as authentic as I can be…. I am tired of the fat, full of knowledge Christians that do nothing about reaching out to the lost world period. I am tired of hearing them pontificate about everybody’s sin and how they have it all together… how much Bible they know, while the world can just go to hell. I would say that giving up on evangelism to stoke their own puffed up view of discipleship is actually a very selfish view.]
Suggested reading: Luke 10: 38-42 &
Ephesians 4: 11-16
BeHim on Thu, August 04, 2005
[Do I believe in the sovereignty of God? ABSOLUTELY! Do I believe in the doctrine of election? ABSOLUTELY - it is in the Scriptures! What I find most interesting though is at the churches that are out knocking on doors, giving altar calls, witnessing, sharing their personal testimony etc… God is “electing” MORE at those churches than at the Calvinistic churches.]
This would be called “Hyper-Calvanism” (clumping all calvanists in with hyper-calvanists is like clumping together all Southern Baptists with all Pentacostals). Not all Calvanist’s believe outreach ministry is wrong only the assumption that man is in anyway responsible for God’s Elect coming to Him (the Power of God’s Sovereignty). God doesn’t “need” man to accomplish anything, remember, He could use rocks (Luke 13:34; 19:40) if He Purposed it. Praise God, He allows us to be a great and wonderful part of this Harvest.
John on Thu, August 04, 2005
While in my opinion some of the things said have some validity and others dont, it paints with an aweful broad brush that attacks every other brother and sister in Christ that disagree’s with the perfect system to reach Gods lost children. When it’s all said and done were all on the same team even when we disagree. By the way isn’t it possible that God has called different churches to be stronger in differnt areas of ministry so there is a church to reach all the different kinds of people in His Kingdom!
Don Solin on Thu, August 04, 2005
So BeHim—what’s your point? I read the suggested reading—what’s your point? So, Mary got it right as she lisented to the Lord—at that moment, that is great! And we have been given gifts and are expected to use them… and I am…authentically and honestly using mine—and I’m glad you used my quote as a prophetic straight up, no nonensense, clear message to the arrogance that many have because of the puffiness that head knowlege brings…Jesus spoke straight to the puffed up ones, Paul spoke of the same, John brought it out as he wrote down the vision dealing with “churches” James deals correctly with it—so? What gives? Too many have stood for the wrong stuff for a long long time—I for one am honest enough to look it in the eye—head stuff without (what matters)—is dead period.
You don’t deny that? Do you?
Don
Ellen on Thu, August 04, 2005
“God is “electing” MORE at those churches than at the Calvinistic churches.”
Wow…a little “stereotypical”.
If you’re hinting that Calvinist Churches are “dead as a doornail”…
Here is a link to my favorite Christian Reformed Church
http://www.sunshinechurch.org/index.html
One of the focal points of ministry groups is getting out into the world - and bringing people in.
Tom on Thu, August 04, 2005
Ellen,
I didn’t mean it to be “sterotypical” as there are dead churches of all ilks. But for those of us who believe that man’s “free will” did NOT end in the Garden - it seems as we knock on doors, witness, share our testimony and give evangelistic appeals that the Father is blessing those efforts with many conversions. It only takes a look at the demoninations that are primarily Calvinist in doctrine and what you will see is a denomination that is either dead and or dying.
kd on Thu, August 04, 2005
To Don and Behim: Who are you hurting when you attack one another? Since you both read the book Safely Home, why don’t you look at Ron’s picture and see who Yesu is holding?
Franklin Reeves on Fri, August 05, 2005
Just to put it bluntly.
Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
The second verse includes the first verse I mentioned.
Tracts are effective in opening the door to share the gospel, andif theyhave a real gospel mesage are good to give out. While I think when possible it is best to share the gospel, sometimes time does not allow.
Remember God has chosen the foolishnes of preaching to reach the lost.
And the fact that God does the saving does not excuse disobeidenance of those who are not witnessessing.
And yes it may seem like some people Baptist focus to much on evangelism.
It seems others focus to much on thier “personal” growth. Which to me is aabout being selfish, not to mention God prefers obeidenace above sacrifice/worship.
So you can worship the Captain of the ship all day, but when He says mount the lifeboats and rescue those that are sinking into the sea, and you say I am to busy worhsipping you oh great captain and it would not be right to take time away from that.
BeHim on Fri, August 05, 2005
Don, of course I would not defend Biblically those who are puffed up and deceive themselves. Nor will I defend a person who boasts in their works (as this too is puffed up - pride). My point is you just sound like your prideful yourself (and we all are to some degree - much of it can be piety). Is it because they don’t reach out to the lost the way that you do that their “pontification about everybody’s sin” bothers you? Or is it that the preach/teach against the sinful nature? Why do you assume they “have it all together” or that they are not reaching out to the lost? I for one seek knowledge and wisdom in the Word as I would a treasure that I might give an account (to the lost and deceived) for the Hope that is in me; rightly dividing the Word. Revealing sin (doctrine AND conduct) is essential to acknowledging the need for salvation. Otherwise, what are we saved from? Again, I don’t defend either position but seek to know your reasoning because it seems to me your tying a person that speaks against sin together with a person who says they have Faith but have no works. Maybe I’m wrong but that is how your post reads to me.
I for one agree with your summation that doctrine (knowledge AND understanding of God) work hand-in-hand with conduct (our practice in conducting ourselves in obedience). It is the method of the Bible after all: Doctrine and Conduct.
And no Don, I do not deny that Faith without works is dead. I hold to the Orthodox view that Faith alone brings justification plus works. Faith (doctrine) and works (conduct) work together in justification and its evidence in a Believer’s life.
Pastor Mike on Fri, August 05, 2005
As I read the initial article, the one thing that keeps coming to mind is that evangelism in its purist, biblical form is a love response. In that I mean that its a response to the love that Christ shows us and the love He commands us to have for other people.
It seems like, as believers, we get all tied in knots debating other people’s methodologies and really enjoy telling them why our methodologies are better than theirs in one form or the other. That typically degenerates into a theological battle of who among us are more biblical and right.
The saddest part about that is we waste, yup waste, a lot of our time attacking one another instead of learning to love the world around us. Evangelism in Scripture, regardless of whether it happend at Pentecost, on the road to Damascus, in a chariot with an Ethiopian eunuch, or in a prison cell, ultimately boils down to the love the apostles felt for the men and women around them.
Love is what draws people to Jesus. Genuine love. When we have the love for people that Christ has for people (which only comes through the Holy Spirit - we can’t just decide to have it), then evangelism becomes natural. Our methodologies will change according to who God brings into our lives. And the only tract we need is the very personal reality of what the living Christ did and continues to do in each of our lives individually.
That sounds simplistic, I know. But, really, we’re the ones that complicate things. The Great Commission as Jesus spoke it is really pretty simple.
Blessings on you all.
Franklin Reeves on Mon, August 08, 2005
Some have said only 2 % of Christians, at least in the U.S. Share the gospel with the lost.
If this is true, perhaps the 98% that have never shared the Gospel, need to try it before the comment on it. Especially since it is a command not a suggestion for every Christian to share the gospel.
I won’t even mention the lack of love it shows to refuse to share with people the only way they can be saved.
Charles Spurgeon said
“You have no wish to see others saved, then you are not saved yourself. Be sure of that!”
Jesus said if you love me you will obey me.
So the questions is do you love Him?
Steve on Mon, August 08, 2005
Is the word “evangelism” even in the Bible? I don’t think so but I could be wrong.
Also, I think people can “get saved” via the sinners prayer, the altar call, crusades, etc… but those things are not “magical”. Since the “moment of salvation” (maybe better said as the moment of acknowledgment that one is incapable of saving themselves) is often a powerfully, emotional one for some, I believe that some attribute a “magical” quality to the event. This is dangerous in my opinion… becuase some never “have those feelings” again and are looking for that “feeling” again.
I have heard it said that “Salvation is giving as much as myself as I understand to as much of Christ that I understand!” So at the age of seven, I had an immature view of myself and a limited view of Christ…and now at 42 this has changed (although many would argue that it hasn’t changed that much).
So in that sense, salvation is a continuing process…to “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.”
Now I am no theologian so I am certain those of you that are will correct me if you think I am wrong!
Don Solin on Mon, August 08, 2005
BeHim—glad you responded for sure. Furthermore, I do accept your view—well stated. Now—the context of where I am coming from could make for some clarity! I was… was the pastor of a 4 year old church plant. Of course, the idea of a church plant is to reach the community—with the Gospel, with an attitude that says—“you matter to us” with a genuine care and concern for others—first. I came to the church plant after the fourth year. The people there were not interested in reaching people. They were interested in themselves…. really! The proof was the lack of desire, the lack of doing, and the lack of care period. They and I mean they—were more concerned with “teaching”, style of music and all the “stuff” that is for them period. I desire not to be one of those that speak about the “they” verses me deal, but in truth, it was like that. Growth—numerically was by the friends I brought. Spiritual growth was nil, not because they don’t have Bibles to grow, not because they don’t have opportunities to grow, not because they didn’t have opportunities—no way! All believers can grow—it’s a choice. And we all know that growing in the Lord does not only take place in an hour event on Sunday’s. Growth is a choice… reaching out to people is a choice, reaching out to people is a way to express what one already has bought into—that Being Like Him—means caring for people. This group of people cared about themselves more… therefore, my frustration is—legitimate! I really do believe that what is on the inside flows to the outside. And when, people cry out for “feeding” when they already have so much and are doing nothing with it… that there is a huge problem. So, that is where I get a little nuts. There are so many in that category today. Give us, feed us, but don’t expect service, reaching out or care for that matter… we just want to pay are 10% if that and feel good today… you paid guys do the work, and we will critique, take in and just get big heads, without substance. That is where I am coming from.
Don
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