Evangelism: Man's Way or God's Way?
"God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life!" So says a popular evangelistic tract. The problem is: it's not exactly true. At least not without some serious qualifications. Evangelistic practices in our day have departed from biblical standards. They have ceased to be God-centered and biblically grounded, and have instead become very man-centered. That is, evangelistic techniques today tend to be designed to appeal to the likes and tastes of unregenerate men and women, rather than exalt Christ and call men and women to cast themselves upon the mercy of God. This man-centered evangelism waters down both the Law and the Gospel, and allows human pride to enter the process of salvation. This issue of The Wild Boar focuses on a critique of this man-centered evangelism and calls for a return to God-centered evangelism.
Evangelism Man's Way
Man-centered evangelism has several characteristics that can easily be spotted if one looks for them. First of all, it appeals to "felt needs." One popular strategy today is to find out what unbelievers want and then to taylor the programs of the church and the gospel message to address that "felt need." I cannot tell you how many times I have heard or read about churches going out into their communities and polling their neighbors about what they want in a church. A few weeks later, fliers are distributed advertizing a service that reflects the answers given by those polled. But since when does the church look to unbelievers to learn what the church is supposed to do? And since when does the church look to the unregenerate to find out what needs the church and the Bible are supposed to address? Don't we already know what they need? Don't they need the justifying grace provided by the Lord Jesus Christ, without which they will perish in Hell forever?
What kind of "needs" do unbelievers feel they have, anyway? The Bible tells us that "the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it?" (Jer. 17:9). And Paul makes it abundantly clear that "the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1Cor. 2:14). Whatever felt needs an unbeliever has will not provide an inroad to the gospel because his felt needs are idolatrous! The biblical preaching of the Law and the Gospel cannot appeal to an unbelievers felt needs, because the Law and the Gospel will, by the very nature of the case, undermine and challenge his felt needs.
Another characteristic of man-centered evangelism is the manipulation of emotion. Now, of course, the Law and the Gospel can have a powerful emotional impact on the hearer. But, rather than letting the truth of God's Word enter the mind and having its proper affect on the emotions, modern techniques go "straight for the heart." Bypassing the mind, the emotions of the hearers are directly manipulated to result in a, seat-of-the-pants "decision" for Christ. Through cajoling, peer-pressure, sentimental music, the telling of emotionally-charged testimonies, or the promise of a powerful religious experience, unbelievers are dragged down the aisle to ask Jesus to "come into their hearts."
The Consequences of These Errors
Man-centered evangelism inevitably produces undesireable results. One such result has already been alluded to: the marketing of the "gospel." The gospel message is treated like any other consumer product, advertized and marketed to appeal to religious "consumers." It is no longer a message calling fallen men and women to faith and repentance in Christ as the only hope of salvation (unless "salvation" is redefined as the meeting of a "felt need").
Secondly, man-centered evangelism produces spurious conversions, which explains the high drop-out rates in evangelical churches and the luke-warmness of those who stay. People who aren't really saved cannot be expected to be fervently committed to Christ. When the "product" doesn't produce what was promised (health, wealth, happiness, etc.), they are ready to jump ship. Moreover, those who have "come to Christ" in pursuit of an idolatrous felt need surely can't be expected to be sacrificial in the giving of their time, money, and talents to church causes. After all, Jesus was supposed to meet their needs, not make demands on them. Man-centered evangelism doesn't ask people to count the cost of discipleship.
Assumptions of Man-Centered Evangelism
Man-centered evangelism is based on certain false assumptions. One such assumption is that unbelievers will want Jesus if the gospel message is packaged in the right way. But this is not the case. Romans 3:11 tells us that there are "none who seek after God," and we have already been reminded that unbelievers think that the things of God are foolish (1Cor. 2:14). Jesus will never be sweet to those with unregenerate hearts that desire to live in sinful autonomy from God.
Another false assumption, related to the first, is that the unregenerate have the spiritual ability to respond to the gospel. A pernicious error that exists in the church is what is called decisional regeneration. This is the belief that a person who hears the gospel can "decide" to accept Christ, and when he makes such a decision he is "born again." Not only does such a view imply salvation by works, but it is clearly contrary to certain Scriptural texts which teach that regeneration precedes faith, and that this regeneration is the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit (cf. John 1:13; 3:3, 7-8; Eph. 2:1-3). Given that fallen human beings "cannot receive the things of the Spirit," a faith-response to Christ cannot come any other way. (For more on man's spiritual inability, see the article on Total Depravity).
Both of the above assumptions are part and parcel of
Arminianism. Though much more needs to be said in describing Arminianism, the
basic idea behind this view is simply this: God makes salvation possible through Christ,
but it is up to us to accept it or reject it. The problems with this view are numerous
and serious. But, since our topic in this issue is evangelism I will limit my discussion
to two. First, as we have already seen, Arminianism falsely assumes the spiritual ability
of the unregenerate to respond to the gospel on their own. Secondly, Arminianism cannot
help but lead to the man-centered style of evangelism we have discussed above. Since man
has the ability to come to Christ, he can be persuaded by the evangelist to do so. So, if
the unbeliever resists, there must be something wrong with our presentation of the gospel.
Perhaps we haven't made it as clear to him as we could. Or perhaps we haven't "packaged"
the gospel just right so that he can see its "relevance." Once such conclusions are
reached, the manipulation of emotion and the appeal to felt needs is not far behind.
Biblical evangelism---evangelism God's way---is never tempted
to water down the message, or make it relevant to felt needs, or manipulate emotions.
Biblical evangelism assumes man's spiritual inability, and sees the task of the
evangelist as simply setting forth the Law (which condemns and shows the
need of a savior, calling into question the relevance of all of the unbeliever's felt
needs) and the Gospel (which for the regenerate is "the power of God unto salvation"
[Rom. 1:16],
and their only real need).
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