Redeeming Evangelism

Sri Lankan pastor and theologian D.T. Niles is credited with defining evangelism as “One beggar telling another beggar where to get bread”[1]. Think about that, the love that one human has for another, that they would share with others who are in their same situation where to find daily food to survive, is a beautiful picture of humanity. Every forgiven person who is serving Jesus Christ is indebted to that person, group, or church that shared with him or her the good news of how to be free from the penalty of sin. Therefore, it should be a natural outflow of all Christ followers to be active in telling non-Christ followers where to find hope, love, and forgiveness through a new life in Jesus Christ. 

What’s the problem with evangelism?

This simple and beautiful act of sharing the good news of what God has done for all people would seem to be an easy task for Christ followers today. Sadly, this is not the case in the majority of the evangelical churches that I have had the privilege of serving. For many years, I have walked alongside faithful Christians who have struggled with their participation in evangelism, a word that I define as a person intentionally engaging others in spiritual conversations that can lead to sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. The word “evangelism” is a word that evokes feelings of discomfort when spoken to Christ followers and non-Christ followers alike.  For Christ followers, this word brings feelings of guilt, shame, and inadequacy, for they know that at some level, they should be participating in evangelism activities, but are not. Non-Christ followers see this word as representative of high-pressure spiritual salespersons, or overbearing proselytizing from street-corner evangelists[2]. As a result, evangelism has been relegated to the function of the select gifted people in the church[3], or the definition has been diluted to include all activities of the church. 

What is evangelism? 

The English word ‘evangelism,’ or ‘evangelization,’ comes from the Greek (εὐαγγέλιον, ου, τό) euangelion. The Greek English Lexicon dictionary defines euangelion as a reward for good news, or simply as good news [4]. Sam Chan agrees by defining euangelion as “to bring good news”[5]. Francis DuBose suggests the word ‘evangelism’ is better rendered as “good news-ism,” even though one cannot find the noun version of evangelism in the New Testament. Instead, it is only found in the verb or action word tense with the meaning of ‘proclaim the good news,’ which naturally connects it to the family of “communication”[6]. According to David Barrett, the word ‘evangelism’ is derived from the two words eu (good news) and angellein (to bear a message, bring the good news of, announce, proclaim, report, command)[7]. Evangelism is verbally proclaiming the truth and love of Jesus Christ, which is always good news. It is an act of communicating the gospel. This good news is that God is for people and not against them, and that those far from God are not subjects of his wrath, but rather are subjects of his love. 

So if evangelism is simply, proclaiming good news of Jesus Christ to non-Christ followers, why is this practice almost non-existent among many Christians? 

I would like to suggest the reason we do no not see the activity of evangelism being practiced among Christ-followers has more to do with what Christ-followers think evangelism is. In my personal research, I have learned that Christians are for the most part interested in telling their family, friend, co-workers, classmates and neighbors about the redeemed life they have found in Jesus Christ. But they are not interested in telling people how bad, evil, or lost they are. What if the Church saw evangelism through the lens of telling people how good Jesus is, instead of the lens of telling people how bad they are? After all, telling people how good Jesus is, sharing his truth, hope, and love with others, is the gospel!  

Can the word or activity of “evangelism” be redeemed?

My answer and belief is, YES! I do believe evangelism can be redeemed as a common practice among the everyday follower of Jesus. When evangelism is only seen as a method or program, the beauty of its true meaning is lost. If the word and activity of evangelism is to be redeemed, it must be understood that speaking good news is more about a mindset, than a method, more about posture, than a program. 

What about you? Do you think that evangelism can be redeemed? If you saw evangelism through the lens of telling people how good Jesus is, would you talk about Jesus more? Does your understanding of evangelism need to change? In next month’s blog, I will outline the common barriers that Christ-followers face when it comes to engaging in spiritual conversations.

_________________________________

[1] Niles, Daniel T. 1951. That They May Have Life. Early Edition. Harper & Brothers.

[2] Piatt, Christian, ContributorAuthor of “Leaving A.-Holiness Behind, and ” Host of Homebrewed Culture Cast Podcast. 2015. “Five Problems With Christian Evangelism (and What to Do Instead).” HuffPost. May 12, 2015. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/five-problems-with-christian-evangelism-and-what-to-do-instead_b_7267044.

[3] June, Lee N. 1999. Evangelism & Discipleship in African-American Churches. Harper Collins.

[4] Bauer, Walter, and William F Arndt, Frederick W Danker. 2000. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3rd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

[5] Chan, Sam, and D. A. Carson. 2018. Evangelism in a Skeptical World: How to Make the Unbelievable News about Jesus More Believable. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic.

[6] Dubose, Francis M. 1983. God Who Sends: A Fresh Quest for Biblical Mission. Nashville, Tenn: Baptist Sunday School Board. 

[7] Barrett, David B. 1987. Evangelize! : A Historical Survey of the Concept. Birmingham, Ala.: New Hope.