25 July 2010
24 July 2010
16 July 2010
Atheists Tell Us How To Sell Christianity
In a recent USA Today article, Jim Henderson, a Portland pastor with a flair for the dramatic, recounts when he told his church that they were no longer required to “witness” to unbelievers: "I told the people in my church, 'I don't like evangelizing, and I know you hate it, so I've decided that I'm formally resigning from witnessing. You're all free to do so the same’, I said, 'I love Jesus, you love Jesus, and we all want to connect people with Jesus. But we're gonna have to figure out new ways to do it.' "*
Henderson’s new way was to go out and solicit the advice of atheists for how Church’s might better engage the unconvinced. And he got it. As a result he has coauthored a book with an atheist called Jim And Casper Go To Church and has launched a website with the same atheist friend called churchrater.com. The objective is to attempt to engage non-believers in a dialogue rather than in an argument in the hope that Christians can learn something from outsiders, and outsiders might give believers a hearing for the gospel.
Henderson was motivated to take this radical step because he felt like a used car salesman who was always trying to manipulate non-Christians into a “useful” conversation that might end up in a conversion. He also sensed that the old “sales pitch” of gospel tracts and declarations of absolute truth were just not that effective any more. He observed that more often than not that approach ended in sharp disagreements or cold indifference. I agree with Henderson that the way that the church has approached evangelism in my lifetime has been lacking and that the church has lost credibility with those outside of its walls. I have to take exception, however, to the notion that the solution to our evangelistic malaise is simply to engage in mutually edifying exchanges with skeptics where everyone comes away richer.
The fact is that powerless evangelism flows from a powerless life more than it does from a feckless method. Henderson, and many pastors like him, are right to see that Jesus is not simply a product to be sold or marketed, but neither is He simply a concept to be dialogued about. My fear for Henderson (and admittedly I do not know him personally) is that he may be trading one powerless misrepresentation of Christ for another. Jesus is Lord. The proclamation and sharing of the gospel flows naturally (both through word and demonstration) from the life of a person who is living under the Lordship of Christ. The question of our witness is not ultimately a question of method but of the governing principals and realities of our life. Is Jesus Lord of my money? Is Jesus Lord of my marriage? Is Jesus Lord of my work? Is Jesus Lord of my entertainment? These questions and many more like them have a direct impact on the power of our witness. Non-believers are not so much turned off by what we say and how we say it, they are turned off by the appearance that what we say seems to have had so little transformative impact upon our lives. It’s like a bald man extolling the virtues of hair tonic. He can use a hard sell or he can have a polite dialogue but whatever approach he uses his hearers are likely to question whether he really knows what he’s talking about.
When our hearts are glowing with love for the One whom we treasure above all things then our words, our dialogue and our lives will be redolent with the fragrance of God. May it be a pleasing aroma to the Lord and a cause for attraction to those who do not yet know Him.
*You can read the complete article at: http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/2010-06-28-column28_ST_N.htm?csp=usat.me
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