bad orthodoxy or orthopraxy?

Evangelism…this is one of the touchier subjects in Christian churches. Our pastor has jumped in on a whole series on evangelism (a rarity to find anything more than one sermon), and all I have to say is “ROCK ON!!!!”

I was struck yesterday at an all too often comment that made me want to guffaw loudly. My reaction? Well, it stems from frustration, the cliche-ness of the statement, and…okay, personal attachment to the underlying sentiment. (By the way, this was not spoken by our pastor).

Well, I just think the best evangelism we can have is to live a good Christian life for everyone to see.

WRONG!! This is not evangelism…okay, okay, I don’t want to spend the rest of this post trying to define and nuance all the terms related to evangelism. Because, yes, this can be a very real and quite valid part of evangelism as a whole process. But you know what, me just living a “good Christian life” never got any saved by itself!!! At some point, by some person, in some way, there must be a presentation of the Gospel!

And so, as I sat pondering this statement, one that I am far too familar with…I’ve used it myself…though I knew that it wasn’t true…I wondered if it stems from bad orthodoxy or bad orthopraxy (orthodoxy refers to correct belief, orthopraxy refers to correct practice or behavior as a result of belief). I think I’ve concluded that it is really bad orthopraxy. In general, most Christians know that evangelism requires more than living “a good Christian life.” The problem is, we don’t want to actually have to share the Gospel, so we cop-out by saying we’re no good at it…there are others “gifted” in evangelism so we’ll let them do it…and we’ll do our part by living with good Christian behavior. Umm, no. Sorry, that doesn’t cut it…but nice try!

At some point, by some person, in some way, evangelism requires that the good news of Jesus Christ be told/shared/explained/preached/etc. God has not ordained for a specific behavior by which people will say, “Oh! Jesus Christ is Lord and I can be saved only through faith by believing in Him!” Nope, it is by the proclamation of the Gospel, which might indeed be given a hearing by your “good Christian life.” By all means, lets definitely live correctly…but let’s not stop there!!

He will bring you a message through which you and all your household will be saved.
– Acts 11:14

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile
– Romans 1:16

Kingdom Challenge

Hold onto your seats…in the midst of everything baby, I am writing a post that is not about Luke!

I have just finished reading The Master Plan of Evangelism by Robert E. Coleman. I recommend it as a worthwhile read! I wanted to take a moment and share a few of Coleman’s words that have challenged me in the depths of my heart. Coleman is speaking about evangelism and the goal of Christians regarding the kingdom of God:

We must always remember, too, that the goal is world conquest…We fail, not because we do not try to do something, but because we let our little efforts become an excuse for not doing more…There can be no substitute for total victory, and our field is the world. We have not been called to hold the fort, but to storm the heights. (95, emphasis added)

Are you hunkering down, trying to hold the fort of Christianity, in fear that the faith will not be preserved in the midst of the onslaught of skepticism and disbelief?

I am.

But I want my life to be spent proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. Pouring out all that I am into another that he might in turn do the same. Join me…let’s storm the heights of the world in the name of Jesus!

Hearing My World

So, this seems somewhat humorous to me, but I am taking the seminary’s required course on evangelism, online. No, it is not about online evangelism. It is talking about face-to-face evangelism. I have enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Maybe it is because all of the interactions within the class take place in discussion threads. I find this easy and entertaining, but I can already pick out a couple of my classmates who do not seem to enjoy it as much. Anyway, I digress.

The topic of this post is something I have been thinking about since the beginning of the class. I am very aware of the fact that I live in a Christian bubble. School, family, and church take up most of my time. Work is basically my only non-Christian environment. Where, then, are there opportunities to interact with unbelievers? Without frequent exposure, how do I get a feel for the things they are concerned with? The answer I found…daytime TV and blogs!  This week over lunch, I have watched a couple of those judge/court tv shows…like people’s court. Okay, for me this is almost like watching comedians, but you very quickly and clearly see what people’s lives are like and the things they value. I know the producers only pick the exciting cases, but still. The other source has been blogs. Just today WordPress advertises over 125,000 new posts. I have been skimming some random selections, mostly looking at the titles, and have been interested because people apparently feel comfortable writing about anything and everything! You might take a gander for yourself. It is pretty entertaining!

Out of this comes a challenge…where are the opportunities in your life to interact with unbelievers? They are there…I just prefer to keep my eyes shut most of the time.

Quotables

“How many seeds are in an apple? Sure, anyone can count them. But how many apples are in a seed…no one can know!”
– Marlen Zharmenov, DTS student

(this spoken concerning evangelism and the multiplying effect of planting the seed of the Gospel)