Question 3: What is evangelism?
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What is evangelism?
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Evangelism is the telling of the good news to the world (individually and collectively) that God has acted and is acting to offer us a relationship with him and reconciliation with him, and that such action from God is being offered regardless of what we have done to separate ourselves from him.
Evangelism takes two forms:
1. Telling the story of Christ’s Good News to the world, with emphasis on how your listeners can take advantage of it and join you.
2. Being an example of Christ’s transforming love to others. There’s nothing better at showing the power of your beliefs than being a good example, including the fact that nobody is a perfect follower of Christ.
I will add that evangelism should be gentle and non-coercive, rather than fear-based.
Danish theologian Soren Kirkegaard said, “most evangelism is like reading to a hungry man out of a cookbook when it should be one hungry man showing another hungry man where he’d found bread.”
“Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.” St. Francis
Letting everyone know that as screwed up as the world seems, all your base are belong to God.
At the risk of going all touchy-feely:
An invitation to join in the dance with God
For me, evangelism is just living out the call to be the people of God reconciled through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. At our best, we are an example of what is possible through humbly living a graced life; at our worst, we are an example of pompous posturing because we are saved and everyone else isn’t.
Evangelism isn’t about “saving souls”, but about being the people God calls us to be in the church. Not one single human being in the church has ever saved anyone from separation from God; all we can do is show what possibilities the Christian life offers, and be honest enough to allow for God’s grace to do the rest.
“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
“Come and see.”
Whenever I think of evangelism and sharing Jesus I think of “All I know is that I once was blind, but now I see.”
It reminds me that I don’t have to have an in-depth exegesis on the whole Bible. I can share my own testimony and my own life in God and that can be enough.
The question, of course, hinges upon what how the ‘good news’ is conceived or of what it consists. Even to say something like, ‘in Jesus, God was reconciling the world unto Godself by incorporating the gentiles into God’s chosen people, Israel,’ begs further questions about that reconciliation, God’s interaction with humanity through history, ect. Others’ comments about telling, invitations, blindness and sight, and Nazareth, skirt these larger answers. Perhaps there’s no blame there, as it’s hard to provide sufficient theological reflection in a comment section where the committment to thorough explication might be lacking. For example, I’d provide my answer, but sadly it’d take me a couple weeks to spell it out. All that said, Adam, I think these series of questions are spot on as far as the questions that need to be rethought and reformulated and am encouraged that you’re asking them. Keep it up.
I’ve been asking and writing the same question at EvangelismCoach.org.
Begin here with What is Evangelism Part 1.
I’ve not quite yet finished, since i’ve done some traveling, but will continue to expound on it. I like what has been said above as well.
Pastor Chris
EvangelismCoach.org
Hmmm…I wonder what God thinks about all this. That might be a more entertaining question. ;)
So far I like RPS’s answer the most…
“For example, I’d provide my answer, but sadly it’d take me a couple weeks to spell it out.”
While I agree that these questions can certainly force us to define or reflect upon a whole host of terms, issues and concepts, why do we have to make things so darn complicated? I agree with those above that evangelism is as much about living the life Jesus called us to as it is explicitly telling people about Jesus and the life He makes possible. Why we always have to inflate this stuff into vast theological conundrums is beyond me.
Would it be too fundamentalist of me to give Nathan a hearty “Amen”?
Fundagellical “gen x” preacher Steven Furdick is the #1 search on Technorati right now.
What the hell is wrong with you emergents? You should have figured out how to do something like this a long time ago.!
Nathan & Matt Mc — How I would tend to understand evangelism would differ significantly from how it has generally been understood. So it’d take me some time to differentiate my views. To be careful and think through the implications of such a change is not to unnecessarily complicate something simple. No one goes to their oncologist, “Come on, doc, I don’t see why you’re making this so difficult, it’s just a cough.” I’m not sure why people generally find that response acceptable theologically.
“To be careful and think through the implications of such a change is not to unnecessarily complicate something simple. No one goes to their oncologist, ‘Come on, doc, I don’t see why you’re making this so difficult, it’s just a cough.’ I’m not sure why people generally find that response acceptable theologically.”
No, being careful is not being unnecessarily complicated but after all that thinking not being able to provide a reasonably succint – a few sentences, maybe a paragraph – is. If you went to that oncologist and said “what’s wrong with me, doc?” and he launched into a detailed explication of the underlying cellular malfunction causing the cancer, contributory hormonal or chemical agents, the reason why your immune system is not responding as it ought and a whole variety of other things that aren’t really answering your question, you sure wouldn’t find that response acceptable either. There exists a middle ground.
Who would go to an oncologist about a cough?
Nathan — Agreed. My point was that I’ve not done the work to answer this question in a few sentences yet, but that I think Adam has asked an important question.
How “simple” can we make the Gospel to where it is not longer the Gospel?
Mark
Evangelism is Publicly wrestling with your faith.
Emphasis on the ‘Publicly’ with the assumption that that includes more than just ones current faith community.
Evangelism is bringing good news in the way that people need it the most. Food for the hungry, shelter for the homeless, clothing for the naked–all the ways in which we can be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ.
I relate to so much of what has already been said. But since this is fun for me, and an outlet, let me join in with this thought. I see evangelism as allowing people to see Jesus, in me, imperfections and all. In fact, through my imperfections.
I think we, in God’s Kingdom, tend to see evangelism as opening our big mouths. Sometimes that’s true. But far more often I see evangelism as living our faith.
When I serve people, when I truly take the focus off of me, and allow people to know Rick….the REAL Rick, evangelism happens. Maybe another way to look at it is being so in love with Jesus, that others see it.
You know how that is with your wife or husband. When someone is really in love, people see it. Maybe that’s truly evangelism. When people see how much we love our God.
Very nice, Rick. Well said. Love it. Love it.
What if Evangelism has nothing to do with what we say and everything to do with how we serve others?
Evangelist may seen as a person who proclaim christ to another person to follow christ.
So evangelism simply means an act of going all out and ralling behind the flag of Jesus Christ on this earth as the only way to inherit eternal life. John 1;12
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