Seven Deadly Trappings of Evangelism
- Posted by: Todd
- Posted on: Wed, August 03, 2005
- Viewed 155
- (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.
asdfasdf
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…
Comments
if you want a Globally Recognized Avatar (the images next to your profile) get them here. Once you sign up, they will displayed on any website that supports them.
bernie dehler on Wed, August 03, 2005
Many of these are too extreme. On #7, SOME Chick tracts are great! They make a big influence on some, esp. teenagers and young adults. Yes, some are very wacky, such as the ones that preach “KJV only.” I guess some of their stories about an ex-Priest are also fabricated… told to me by a REAL ex-Priest, now evangelical preacher.
...Bernie
http://freegoodnews.blogspot.com
JC on Wed, August 03, 2005
Good article! Though I cannot agree with #7 all the way, this piece can be misconstrued as a knee-jerk reaction to a problem among evangelicals. Yes, a problem. I have often asked why the (SBC) seminary I attended had a nice big building dedicated to evangelism but NO building dedicated to DISCIPLESHIP or EQUIPPING the church!
I grew up in a church where 85% of the focus was on evangelism. Most of the church could explain “how to be saved,” yet most were also extremely ignorant of major teachings within the scriptures. Most showed little ability to truly love and exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, yet there were plenty of “knotches in their bibles” representing all the “sinners that prayed the prayer” with them.
Meaning within the body of Christ (and in my denomination- I feel) was directly associated with “how many souls YOU saved.” I was one of those teenagers that went out into the highways and byways seeking an audience or ear of some lost souls. I lead dozens to “pray the prayer.” My understanding of the salvation process has indeed changed (and it needed to!) since I was a teenager.
God still works through many means, including tracts, but over jealous “soul-winners” can have a damaging effect upon many ( I HAVE witnessed this all-too often). Many seem to forget that salvation is a God process - God initiated, God culminated, God invited (John 6:43-44).
I agree with J.I. Packer, “It is not in his (a sinner) power to accept Christ at any moment, as Finney supposed.”
I also know that God still uses “our” messed-up, feeble presentations, under-developed theology, pure hearts yet bad hermeneutics, and honest attempts at reaching people for the cause of Christ - which only purports the fact that salvation is truly a “God-thing.” The recent blog that asked where the 10 million were . . . the answer might be found within this blog!
Evangelism is important, but so is other aspects of Christianity, like discipleship. I would like to see more balance within the denomination which I presently serve. God loves us for WHO WE ARE (his precious children through faith) not expressly for WHAT WE DO. I’ve come to understand that God is more concerned with me (how I am really doing), much more than “my ministry.”
James
Mark on Wed, August 03, 2005
If one were to examine each of these as a form of surface Christianity, then I too would find them harmful.
However, I came to Christ through my family’s love and prayers, my pastor’s words, and friends who witnessed to me with grace. Speak ill of witnessing and testimonies all you want, but when done right, a moved person will seek Christ for who He is and want to change for Him.
The test of a true Christian is their character and heart in Christ.
M.A.P. on Wed, August 03, 2005
Some of this I agree with, a whole lot I don’t. Basically the premise of this is that evangelism is nothing more than salesmanship and while I have seen that happen I don’t think that totally does away with the concept of evangelism. Where does Philip and Ethiopian Eunich fit in a non-evangelistic theology? There is no doubt that this is the story of an evangelist led b y the Spirit being able to witness to a hungry hearted man.
Dean on Wed, August 03, 2005
The only point I had some trouble with was the Altar Call. This is not because I actually like that technique or want to defend the abuse of the technique, but because I actually believe that when God invites us to salvation, he frequently uses others to express that invitation and also prompts the person to respond positively. The long diatribe that followed this point really does more to express a hyper-Calvinist view of the work of salvation than to explain why an altar call as a technique is not a means by which God invites persons who have been prepared by the Spirit and the Word to respond in faith to the offer of salvation in Christ alone. Packer has contributed very well to the Christian dialogue in many respects, but he shows a theological bent that is still quite honestly contested within the whole Body of Christ. Read Packer’s comments closely and you will see that his beef is with Finney’s theological perspective, not the altar call.
Jonathan on Wed, August 03, 2005
I work for an organisation that tries to promote evangelism in our country, and I completely understand where you are coming from.
We try and say very much the same stuff. If you are going to do evangelism you have to know the people. And you can always find examples of this in the new testament but my favourite is when Jesus meets the woman at the well. He knows all the details about her life, but doesn’t jump into “you need to be saved” he starts with “I need a drink”, something that she knows all about. And then goes from there into talking about her life. Jesus absolutely affirms her when she doesn’t lie about the fact that she is currently not married, but is living with someone, and then starts to talk about living water.
I love this because to me it shows me how to “evangelise”. I have to be a person friend first. I have to know their lives and be involved in their lives. I should be living a life that is attractive to them so they get to the stage of saying “I want what he has!” and when they come to me that is when I can tell them more about the “Good News”, (hopefully avoiding using that term!)
Anyway love all the stuff on this website, keep it up, really thought provoking.
Jonathan
BeHim on Wed, August 03, 2005
Wow. sounds like the people over at Evangelical Outpost are testing worldviews (belief systems) - here are my thoughts…
#1 The Sinner’s Prayer
The sinner’s prayer always requires an acknowledgment of sin. Just mouthing words does not good. The person must come to the point of fearing the Holy and Righteous Creator of the Universe and His Wrath. Most “sinners prayers” I’ve heard don’t really do this nor do most gospel messages reflect the need for it.
#2 The Altar Call
Let’s face it, Church is where Believers go to Worship God and Sacrifice themselves unto Him and have Fellowship with Him. An “alter call” should be for Believers needing healing, counseling, correction, reproof, prayer, edification, conviction, exhortation, etc.
#3 “Do you know Jesus as…”
... a sinner in the hands of an angry God. (or as the apostles or Jesus would say, “repent for the kingdom of heaven is near (or at hand)”)
#4 Tribulationism
Who can make war with the beast - what’s the point? Get prepared? Be “prudent” by forseeing the evil? Spread the Gospel and the tribulation starts sooner.
#5 Testimonies
... should begin with “I was chosen before the foundations of the earth and God elected me.” We truly had no “choice” in the matter (can God be resisted? Satan thinks so, do you???).
#6 Witnessing
I agree with the author’s statements and would add, don’t be ashamed of The Gospel. Share it regardless of what they will think of you or say about you. Don’t worry about P.R. (Safely Home is a great book to read)
#7 Chick Tracts
Some can be good, just like technology.
pjlr on Wed, August 03, 2005
As D.L. Moody said when he was criticized for his evangelism method. “I like the way I’m doing better than the way you’re not doing it.”
While the ends don’t justify the means, the sovereign God often by-passes our ineffective, bumbling methods with his grace and mercy. This doesn’t absolve believers from being better witnesses or using better methods, but it has been my experience that most people who use these “deadlly trappings” are enormously sincere in their efforts.
rmw on Wed, August 03, 2005
I LOVE Chick tracts for the entertainment value. I would NEVER give them to someone who was not already a Christian but they’re like old bad movies. I believe the right word is that they have camp value (and I’m not talkin tents!).
bws on Thu, August 04, 2005
ANSWERS FOR THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS!!!!
#1 The Sinner’s Prayer – Has it been used in the wrong way? Yes but what hasn’t, the devil will pervert any thing he can, the Bible still cleary states that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in thine heart thou shalt be saved. (rom 10:9) I believe the sinners prayer covers that, Just because it has been misused does not mean its not good. If that is so, then every Pastor should not preach a sermon this Sunday!!
#2 The Altar Call –(Acts 2:41) I guess someone should have told Peter and the 3000 that got saved that they should not do it that way,3000 at one time come on cant be right!!!Thats not how Jesus would have done it???
#3 “Do you know Jesus as…”—Not a bad question at all, If one says no explain the gospel, If one says yes say hey thats great share with me what Jesus is doing in your life right now, with that answer you should be abe to tell If mabey you need to go back to the first answer and give it a complete follow through.
#4 Tribulationism—Great way to get people talking about the Bible, mabey you can get an opening to share what it really means and how to get through it, mabey it gives you a chance to share the gospel because of their interest, that could be a great thing. Who cares how the topic gets there as long as it does!!!
#5 Testimonies – (Acts 26:1-22)Someone should have told the Apostle Paul this was a bad Idea because this is exactly what he did when he had the chance to speak with King Agrippa.(A KING) He told how God found him called him and changed his life.
No matter how many stories I hear about lives being changed they never get old, hearing How Christ changes a man is great encouragment and best tool out there to help people to find Christ.
(rev12:11)testimonies seem real important there
also.
#6 Witnessing – (Acts 1:8) Thats pretty clear, and those letters are in Red, so if you do not really like them you have to take it up with Jesus it was his idea!!!!
#7 Chick Tracts—My father passed out a track to a man ( Somebody Goofed_) wittnessed to him for several months, ( all no no’s I guess??) but one day he came to work said he read that tract again begain to weep and gave his heart to Christ in the middle of a bar, I was on mission trip to South America there was not enough translators so I was just handing out tracts and saying God bless you in spanish, a man who read the tract walked over to one of the translators and said how do I meet this Jesus and got saved right there on the spot of the devil?? humm no I was there and saw exactly what happned. Are many of these tools misused Yes but that does not make them a bad thing, People kill people with hammers it does not make the hammer a bad tool its just the way you use it!!! God Bless
Peter Hamm on Thu, August 04, 2005
I have thought for a long time that we Christ-followers often use heavy handed approaches to evangelism because we don’t trust God and His Holy Spirit enough. God is going to do the work in a seeker’s heart. We aren’t.
I agree with the philosophy that we just make friends with them (REAL friends), live a life that attempts to honor God in front of them, warts and all, and let the Holy Spirit do his work. Somebody who knows you will, in my opinion, eventually ask YOU about the Gospel.
And as for Chick Tracts, how can something so evil be so funny?
http://www.mondaymorninginsight.com/images/smileys/wink.gif
Don Solin on Thu, August 04, 2005
If I may… there is a major flaw in this idea… that evangelism is somehow detached from discipleship. In other words—people that think that the church should be about one (more) or the other (more or less) are missing the point. That has fragmented the whole point of discipleship. If someone believes that discipleship is just about “knowledge” well, that is what you get… just heady, fat, Christians without “praxis” or practice. If on the other hand you have evangelism without discipleship you get a possible “soft” in discipleship or spiritual growth for the many.
When has the scripture ever separated the 2? It does not. When did Jesus give the option for people to opt out of the great commission? He does not.
O.k., so there are so many loopy methods and schemes—how bout “I found it”? And all the other lame methods…. but, we should be about reaching people. We should be about teaching people—both running hand in hand.
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. The scriptures do not teach that to fill one’s self up with knowledge and only love God is correct. Its love God and neighbor. People that are being discipled need to stop making discipleship the end… Discipled people care about the same people that God loves and cares about… discipled people put evangelism as a top priority of being Christ like. Now, the methods—a whole new ball game. I would like to see all the “full of knowledge” people do something other than put down the people that have at least picked up some kind of cross in order to be like Christ—at least they give a rip about the same lost one that Christ would go find. It is time to right this ship—Discipleship with out care for the lost world and legs to go do it—is dead. Evangelism without depth is just as dead. Both matter equally period!
Don
Art on Thu, August 04, 2005
“I have thought for a long time that we Christ-followers often use heavy handed approaches to evangelism because we don’t trust God and His Holy Spirit enough. God is going to do the work in a seeker’s heart. We aren’t.”
True, God may do a work in a person’s heart, but you and I, not God, are responsible for sharing the Gospel. We are responsible for persuading people. We are told to “preach the Gospel.” How can they believe if they don’t hear?
Evangelism is NOT God’s job. It’s OUR job. Salvation is God’s work alone.
bws on Thu, August 04, 2005
The big thing everyone keeps saying today is you have to build a friendship show people your life then share Jesus with them, thats not wrong but there are only so many people you can really build a friendship with, Jesus did not have a day to day friendship with all the people he came in contact with, and he did not wait to tell them the kingdom was at hand, it is not wrong to tell people about Jesus but today it seems like more and more christians think it is, I believe if you have the chance, share, its free to share and you never know what will happen.
bernie dehler on Thu, August 04, 2005
Author says:
“Salvation, however, is not obtained by reciting a magical incantation as many, many, “Christians” will discover after it’s far, far, too late. “
I really like the sinner’s prayer. I focus and teach the elements of the prayer (repentance, accepting Jesus as Lord/Savior, and what it means), not the actual words. Yes, too many treat it as a magical incantation.
...Bernie
http://freegoodnews.blogspot.com
Page 1 of 3 pages 1 2 3 >
Post a Comment