The Lost Key To Gospel Relevancy
From OldTruth.com:
"Today's evangelism is striving after new and innovative ways to make the Gospel seem more relevant to unbelievers. Churches invest endless effort, creativity, and dollars in new ways of packaging an age-old message, so that it will seem more useful to unchurched Harry and Mary. But is it possible that contemporary Christianity is missing a key biblical component that brings into focus the true relevancy of the Gospel? The answer to that question, is found in this 300+ year old illustration of a broom, some water, and a bunch of dust.... (Click to read more.)
"Today's evangelism is striving after new and innovative ways to make the Gospel seem more relevant to unbelievers. Churches invest endless effort, creativity, and dollars in new ways of packaging an age-old message, so that it will seem more useful to unchurched Harry and Mary. But is it possible that contemporary Christianity is missing a key biblical component that brings into focus the true relevancy of the Gospel? The answer to that question, is found in this 300+ year old illustration of a broom, some water, and a bunch of dust.... (Click to read more.)
posted by Cedricstudio at 10:52 AM
1 Comments:
I think this is an interesting critique, too bad it has an ulterior motive. I dislike the utilitarian approach to evangelism as much as the author, but I also am far from convinced we need to focus primarily on the law in all contexts of evangelism.
But the utilitarianism that is so prevelant in the church, that is trying to appeal to folks on the merit of the usefulness of church, is simply misguided. It comes out of a frustration and a particular epistomology. The frustration is with the ineffectiveness of church and modernist epistomology sees the problem as a problem with our methods and appeal rather than a problem with where our focus really lies. As long as our focus is on our efforts as directed by us we will have frustration, and operating under the enlightenment myth of human progress the modern church can't do much else.
The problem is really addressed not in a new methodology (or even an old romanticised methodology as is proposed in that article) but in our focus. Evangelism has to be directed by God or else it will lead to frustration. Now this is scary because God will lead us to do things in ways that might not make everyone comfortable - he led us to begin a number of gaming communities which has led to a number of conversions and some really profound relationships. But I wouldn't expect others to follow us into that except if God led them. We've had to learn a lot to pull it off, mostly that of utmost import is being dependant on God. But through our willingness we are able to reach a whole segment of people that I no of no other Christians trying to reach. See that is the big thing - God so loved the world, not just small segments of it, the whole shebang! So if that is the case why only one methodology? Why only one approach. No there is no "the" way of evangelism. There are some great ways and powerful tools (and even encouraging blogs like this one) but unless they are situated in the direction of the Lord they will all lead to frustration.
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