Jesus Army: Magazine - Prophetic Word

NEITHER MODERN nor postmodern shifts in western societies have changed the basics of evangelism. When people hear and respond to the Good News of Jesus Christ, the transforming power of God is released into their lives and the Kingdom of God is extended. This is a phenomenon that transcends cultures and historical epochs.

However, there are trends within postmodern societies that challenge four modern methods of evangelism.

Mass evangelism
Logical word-based arguments
Evangelism through formal education
Anti-supernatural conservatism

In fact, most of what we naturally think of as evangelism is less than effective in postmodern societies. Evangelism flourished in the modern period, but now many of us serve in postmodern contexts, and we are left scratching our heads.

The news is not all bad. The Gospel is still powerful. It is simply that modern assumptions are now less true and therefore our efforts to spread the Good News need to be set free from modern straight-jackets. That is, unless we repent from blind continuation of modern evangelistic methods and think again about spreading the Gospel in the power of our Spirit, our effectiveness will continue to diminish and the harvest will spoil.

Pointers for Action

Mass evangelism
People in postmodern societies will no longer take advice from a big mouth on a stage. They want to see real working models of lives in relationship with God. They want to see how the message is lived out in the world and whether Christian life has any advantages over the vast array of alternative options.

Entertainment will not change their lives and yet much crusade evangelism has an all too familiar programme. A more personal approach, a tailored response, is needed in postmodern societies and this demands full participation in the ministry of Christ by every member of His Body. We can no longer rely on the tree-shaking professional in the flashy suit. We must equip and mobilise all of the people of God and thus fulfil Ephesians 4. We must change people from observers to participants.

Logical word-based arguments
People no longer equate 'logical' with 'reliable' or 'compelling'. Although the Gospel addresses our will, it does not need logic to turn people's hearts.

People are now suspicious of logical arguments. They hear lots of truth claims. So many, in fact, that they now see reality as the test of words. If God is real and Jesus is alive, then they must be able to hear more that a neat, well-ordered presentation of truth.

"If you believe that God is awesome, why are you so lethargic? If the power of God lives in you, why are you so dead? If God changes lives then why is yours so ordinary? If the joy of the Lord is your strength, why are you so dull and weak?" The life of God in us must be visible to the lost, both in how we treat them and in how we treat one another.

Evangelism through formal education
When we concentrate on passing on information and values to those in our institutions, we often inoculate them against catching real faith. We share ideas instead of life.

In postmodern societies, where the inadequacy of formal education to deliver renewal is so obvious, a new approach is needed. We must stoke the fire and lift Christian living from a system that lights our path to a bonfire that consumes all of our passions. We have raised up generations of informed sinners and arrogant theologians through formal education. We have succeeded in passing on Christianity as a system but we have condemned people to hell by depriving them of new birth. We have sought to control God and direct His mission in the world by our own cleverness.

Our confidence in the gospel has created good teaching that clarifies the work of Christ but in our pride and independence we have forgotten that "The wind blows wherever it pleases" (John 3:8).

Anti-supernatural conservatism
We began with a supernatural God but we gradually clipped His wings so as to not offend our scientific friends. We have accepted the modern separation of truth into objective and subjective categories, and then gradually concentrated our evangelism on objective truth.

John warns us against those who "speak from the viewpoint of the world" (1 John 4:5). However, he affirms God's testimony in our hearts (1 John 5:10) which is essential for evangelism in postmodern societies. In modern times we often preached an objective Gospel and saw great fruit.

Conrad Parsons is an Australian Church Army Officer who locates and encourages new evangelists.

This article has been extracted from Jesus Life magazine, published by Jesus Fellowship. It is a shortened version of an article that first appeared in Church Growth Digest Volume 23 Number 2, March 2002 and is used with permission.