Reflections on Evangelism: Call for Comments
Written by Mark Van Steenwyk : December 22, 2006
Hmmm…I’ve very rarely put so much thought into a series and has such little feedback. I thought perhaps my perception of my “Reflections on Evangelism” series was wrong…but then I noticed that at least a couple other bloggers have linked to them and folks are commenting on them there. And so I’m giving y’all one more chance :)I love pontificating, to be sure, but I’d much rather have conversation centered around my pontifications 
Here are the posts. I welcome–nay, beg–for for your thoughts:
Reflections on Evangelism 1: How the message got separated from the medium
Reflections on Evangelism 2: The task of re-integration
Reflections on Evangelism 3: Understanding the Gospel
Reflections on Evangelism 4: Bringing evangelism back to the Church
Here are some questions to get your though processes flowing:
- What are some implications for HOW we “do” evangelism?
- What, do you think, it looks like when we “embody” the Gospel?
- Do you think there are a core set of ideas that must always be included when narrating the Gospel?
for further reading . . .
- None Found
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I’m just now reading Rick Richardson’s short book “Reimagining Evangelism” and it is very exciting. But here are some immediate thoughts:
I’m not sure there needs to be a line between embodying the gospel and simply living like Christ. There is something incredibly beautiful and attractive about the real Jesus, and people will be more than curious about such a person. I recall, for example, Barthrop telling me about how the Muslims at Hard Times really respect him though they know he works for Jesus. You can’t argue with true, sacrificial love.
About narrating the gospel. It’s hard to say which truths are necessary to explicate, especially if one ISN’T engaged in “sales pitch” evangelism for “fire insurance” salvation.
I think what I mean by “embodying the gospel” IS simply living like Christ…though often times that isn’t very simple. The reason I use words like “embodying the Gospel” instead of “living like Jesus” is that for some reason, when people hear the latter they instantly think “being really really nice to others.” That sort of understanding of Christ’s way of life misses the painful, gritty, and bloody parts of Christ’s ministry.