Two Types of Evangelism

In one of the best books I have read on evangelism to date, Get Real, John Leonard, professor from Westminster Theological Seminary (Philly), contrasts two types of evangelism: "traditional" evangelism and "real" evangelism.

One might expect that such a dichotomy would be infused with chronological snobbery (to use C.S. Lewis' term), favoring some sort of trend over the rich resources of Scripture and Christian tradition. I found the exact opposite.

Leonard exposes the "traditional" evangelism of recent decades as being more of a fad than the norm. And he shows over and over again why this type of evangelism, despite its occasional successes, tends to fall flat and leave people ill-equipped for sharing their faith.

With evangelism as the cause-du-jour of much of evangelicalism in the past half century, a cottage industry of different methods and programs developed and prospered. The message of the cross was most effectively communicated through tried and true methods, such as "Evangelism Explosion" and the "Four Spiritual Laws."

These methods of communication were often combined with a cold-knock approach, in that strangers were often barraged with these presentations. Such approaches did not encourage long-term relationships, nor did they promote active listening, empathy, or tailored approaches to sharing the Gospel on a timely basis.

"Real" evangelism is the ordinary, organic outflow of a life that has been redeemed and is being transformed by Christ. It does not foist a canned message onto someone. It is what happens when Christians and non-Christians spend sustained time together.

As a believer gets to know the needs of their unbelieving friends, they share with them (biblical) words of hope that tend specifically to those needs. This is never forced, but allowed to develop over time. Sometimes, you're simply casting seeds, and that's wonderful!

But the bottom line is that evangelism is not just a normal part of the Christian life--it is Christ working through us for His good pleasure. In this way, every piece of the Christian life is evangelistic in a certain respect. We desire to promote and share the Gospel in all we do and with all whom God puts before us. And the way we do that is not formulaic. It is faithfulness, rooted in gratitude and empowered by the Gospel for which we're grateful.