CRISES

Evangelism Would Profit From "Lifestyle Apologetics"

Evangelism is often thwarted by things people think but don’t talk about.  Or by things people assume about truth and reality that are so taken for granted that they are not questioned.  Apologetics grew out of the need to address such assumptions.

Apologetics – that is, the defense of the faith – has been the Christian weapon for defending itself from arguments against it.  In earlier times it focused its strength mostly against heresy, against such claims as that there is no God, or that if there is, he is not the Christian God, or that if he is the Christian God, he is a monster, certainly not worthy of being followed or obeyed. 

More recently, it has also focused on claims from outside the Christian faith.  These are primarily that the Bible is not true, that it has been disproved by science and that there is no supernatural, and no supernatural explanation for anything.  From within the faith, apologetics has focused on a supposed need to reconcile Christianity with science, on claims that the Bible has not been accurately transmitted to us, or that the Bible should not be taken at face-value and therefore God and his commands may be interpreted somewhat differently than plainly described in the Bible.

All such apologetics are arguments to assist people in choosing God and his son, Jesus Christ.  They have no other purpose or justification. That is, the primary purpose for apologetics is to support evangelism, discipling and the church.

Now an additional branch of apologetics is urgently needed.  That could be called “Lifestyle Apologetics.”  Such a new branch of apologetics must not only counter the supposed facts which are used to support attacks on the faith.  It must also consider the motives of those making the attacks, as well as the motives of those who would like to accept them.  It must think on how to bring to light, address and change these motives. 

To address these underlying, unstated motives, it must counter the unstated, wide-spread assumptions on which they are often based.  Some critical ones are that living a non-Christian life is more gratifying than a Christian life, and that living in a non-Christian nation is better than living in a Christian nation.  To do so, it must counter them not only intellectually, but also on a factual, historical, often statistical basis.

This calls for a new branch of apologetics, with its own thinkers, researchers, think-tanks, academics, writers and speakers.  First and promptly, it calls for pioneers to lay out the basics, find and gather information, think rigorously about it and use the results to argue well.

What is the immediate, urgent need for Lifestyle Apologetics in support of evangelism and discipling?  It is that motives for rejecting Christ and his commands are more powerful than ever.  It is that what we would have to give up now to follow Christ seems much bigger, less reasonable and more costly than ever.  It is also that we seem to have so little to gain by doing so, at least in this life.  And doing so solely for the next life seems less important than ever, because of the inroads made in even the belief in a next life.

What do we have to gain, in this life, by following Christ?  That question is the “elephant in the room” whenever any attempt is made to draw others to Christ.  The “health and wealth” preachers have their own answer.  But, aside from questions as to whether or not they are right, are there other reasons to believe that Christians are better off than non Christians, in this life, and despite any sufferings they might endure for being believers?  And can these reasons be substantiated?  Can they be supported intellectually, factually, historically and statistically against claims and assumptions that being a Christian is not only an unintelligent, illogical, science-defying way to live, but also an inferior and less satisfying, less beneficial way?

The answers to the last part lie in two directions.  First, the internal benefits Christianity brings, such as peace, resilience, joy, contentment in spite of circumstances, and strength adequate to whatever comes.  Second, the external benefits that come from obeying the commandments of God.  These external benefits can be supported factually and statistically for individuals.  They can be supported factually, historically and statistically for nations.

It can be shown that individuals do better and have better lives when they love God, love their neighbor, honor their parents, refrain from murder, theft, lying, adultery and fornication and envy.

It can also be shown that nations with a majority of such individuals have been those who have done the best.  The reasons are fairly obvious, although complex and in need of careful scholarship to discern and support them.  Much work has already been done.

If Lifestyle Apologetics becomes strong and its claims become widely known, it would be a huge support to evangelism, to discipling and to the church in every way.  It would even be a basis for a political argument that nations are best served and better off when people live by God’s commands, whether they believe in Christ, or indeed any god, at all.  It is actually true that people, and nations, that live by God’s laws automatically become better off.  It is therefore right and praiseworthy to support the faith, even for purely secular purposes and for purely secular individuals and nations!

For believers, there is an important question: should we try to attract people to Christ because of the benefits in this life?  Is that not to undercut the need to come to God out of love, simply because he first loved us?  Could it not also undermine the expectation that we will suffer for following Christ, and to be patient when we do?

That is a distinction worth making.  To address it, we would need to know what God thinks about it.  But since the Bible says of him that he is “full of pity” and “not willing that any should perish,” and since we often see how he accepts any who come, even when it is not for the purest of reasons, perhaps we can lean more toward pity and less toward exactness for purity of motive.

We must certainly try our best to use Lifestyle Apologetics in a way that explains that whatever the benefits in this life of being a Christian, there will still be suffering and loss.  But that with these come more than enough grace and strength to withstand them, and still have peace and joy in Christ that “surpasses all understanding.”  That whatever may come, God’s promise to us is that “all things work together for good to those who love the Lord.” So he assures us that he will turn every evil into ultimate good for each of us.

It is factually, literally true that the benefits of the Christian life-style, in this life alone, far outweigh the downside, both for individuals and for nations.  It is past time to make that case much more strongly and spread it much more widely.  Now is the right time for the birth of “Lifestyle Apologetics,” for the support of evangelism, discipling and the church.

Kenya to Stop Christian Evangelists

An urgent appeal for help has just arrived by email, from Shad Williams of 'We Go To Them', one of the most productive and fruitful ministries of our time. 

Over 5 million converts have resulted from this tiny, shoe-strinig ministry's 25 years in the field, especially in India and Africa.  Not only have they led hundreds of thousands of Africans to Christ in Kenya alone.  They also have trained many Kenyan pastors and evangelists, who have established of dozens of new Kenyan churches.  (See www.wegotothem.com)  Now their ministry in Kenya is being threatened.  The email says:

"The new government of Kenya enlisted a Muslim man to draft a new constitution, which will be voted on by the general population on November 21.  In it there is a clause which says it will no longer be legal for Christians to hold open-air meetings.  That would mean we would no longer be allowed to preach in the slums, in the streets, in the open-air markets and in our evening film shows.  The public-place field evangelism ministry in Kenya would be completely shut down - for us, as well as for the national (Kenyan) team.  Muslims, on the other hand, will be allowed to conduct public meetings for the purpose of propagating Islam."

Shad continues:

"The constitution has not even been voted on yet, and conflicts are already occurring between Muslims and Christians.  Last week, Ben (Kenyan pastor and evangelist) hosted a group of musicians from Arkansas.  They attempted to conduct open-air meetings, but were hindered from doing so by clashes between Muslims and Christians, which had to be put down by Kenyan military police.  Their evangelistic activity had to be confined to schools and churches."

He goes on:

"The response to the gospel is higher now than it has ever been before...The Muslims have been watching what we are doing and have learned our methodology...field evangelism...(it) is the mainstay of our ministry.  Most of the 5 million people who have come into the Kingdom of God through this ministry so far were reached in 'we go to them' field evangelism events - the kind of events that will cease to take place in Kenya if the new constitution is approved."

This is grossly unfair and anti-democratic.  In a democracy, there should be religious freedom.  Each religion should have the right to do everything they can to PERSUADE people to accept their religion.  (Not to scare them into it by killing them if they do not!)  That is what freedom of religion means.   It includes the freedom to try to persuade.  It also includes protection from being stopped from trying to persuade or being punished for doing so peacefully. 

Islam is making more and more of an effort to take over Africa.  That is their right.  But let them do it democratically, peacefully, fairly, not by trying to limit the rights of other religions to do the same by unfair and undemocratic laws.  And especially not by using force, riots, persecution, mutilations and slavery and killings and genocide (as in Sudan) and discrimination to win the competition.  Let them compete.  But let it be democratic, peaceful and fair.

All of us who do not want to see Africa succumb to Islamic rule, especially when so much of it aims at world domination and conquest, need to pay attention, right now.  This is the cutting edge.  The crucial time in this conflict of religions has arrived.  And more is involved than religion alone.  If Africa becomes officially Muslim, the war of radical Islamofacism well get longer, bloodier and more ferocious.

Most Americans would not want to dictate any country's religion.  But they want the people of every country to have the opportunity to choose freely what religion they will follow, without coercion of law, riots, mutilations or wars.

Africa is a continent of failed states.  Since it threw off colonialism after WWII, it has gone steadily downhill.  The people are poorer than before, and poorer every year.  The native governments who replaced the colonialists have almost all been corrupt dictators who have stolen everything, impoverished their people and established such anarchy that there is almost no rule of law.  It is ripe for a religion willing to convert by force and coercion.

And Africa is in play.  It could go with the democracies of the world.  But it is more likely to be taken over by Islamofacists, because it cannot protect itself from the force they are so willing to use, to convert and to rule.

Now is the time to help ministries like this one, who are on the front lines.  This is a struggle for the Christian faith.  But it is much more.  It is also on the cusp of the time we have left to rescue Africa from Islamofacism, until it can work its way toward responsibile freedom and true democracy.

For all these reasons, please pray!  Pray every day between now and November 21.  Give!  This ministry needs financial help to deal with this new situation.  And - Pay attention to Africa!  The war we are in with the Islamofacists will most likely involve more and more of Sub-Saharan Africa.  And sooner rather than later.  We have to stop ignoring it.

(You can read more, and give, at www.wegotothem.com.)

Post 9: Evangelize While the Ruts Are Open

Civilizations could not exist without our mental ruts.  We could not function without them.  Habits of thought are labor-saving, a way to do things routinely, without thinking.  They save us from thinking through everything, all over again, all the time.  They let us spend more time and effort on the things that matter.  They make us more effective.

Mental ruts, however, can get in the way of hearing and considering the gospel.  It can be heard better when people are out of their ruts.  Or when they at least pause in their ruts, look around and consider taking a different fork in the road.

How can we open those ruts?  One way is to get people into a different, isolated setting, like a retreat.  There, away from their other routines, they are less bound by their old habits of thinking.  The Emmaus Walk, for instance, where people are in retreat, has been a good way to bring them into a new or better walk with Christ. 

We know that one of the best places to bring a teen to Christ is at camp, away from old distractions and habits of thinking.  It is probably the best of all times for the camp counselor to have the long awaited one-on-one, where so many teens choose Christ.

Mental ruts are open at other times too.  We just don’t always see the opening.  God is always at work, opening those ruts. Our job is to offer the gospel, without knowing whether or not the person has been “opened” to hearing it.  Or whether we can “open” them ourselves, simply by letting them hear the gospel.

Many preachers have had this experience, but it was my first time.  After a sermon I was shaking hands at the door when a stranger said to me, “How did you know that about me?”  She was serious and obviously upset.  I hadn’t a clue as to what she meant.  “Know what?”  I wondered.  “You know!” she said.  “You were preaching straight at me!”  For a moment I was dumbfounded, mouth hanging open.  Then I got it.  “Oh, so you were the reason the Lord woke me up at 1:30 this morning and made me get a new sermon!”  I explained further that I never saw her before and knew nothing about her, but God did.  And that obviously he had planted a message in my sermon just for her, without my knowing anything about it.  And that I still did not know what it was.  But she did, and that was what mattered.

God made that opening.  He does it all the time.  We just usually never know it.  But when we present the gospel, whether in a sermon or a one-on-one conversation, we never do it alone.  God is working too, invisibly but powerfully.  Our part is to share the gospel, whether we see him working or not.

That is not all: when we simply ask people to make a decision about accepting Christ, that can open the ruts they are in.  They think about it.  They decide “No” or “Yes” or they pause.  They consider it.  It is at the front of their view.  It is one of those rare times they may consider leaving their ruts.   

That is why it is so important, not only to present the gospel, but to ask people to decide, right then, whether asking from the pulpit or face to face.  Just the asking opens those ruts a little.  It pauses the tape.  Some of them feel some pressure building inside.  Should they make this big change, or not?  If we do not ask them to decide, or if we stop at that point, they may stop too.  And not have such openness to God again for a long time.

So in addition to asking them to decide, it is important to give them an opportunity to show that they have decided, right then.  All kinds of outfits besides churches know this.  Charities know that when they send a letter asking for a donation, more people respond if there is an envelope enclosed, so they can respond right then.  When a presentation is made asking for volunteers, the response is much greater when there is an immediate way to sign up right then.  When someone wants to get married, someone has to ask.  And that asking brings about a decision, usually in a short time.  Simply asking for a decision opens ruts.  It causes people to consider.  And asking them to decide right then deepens the opening and helps them to choose.

This does not mean that every sermon has to be about evangelism, addressed just to seekers and ignoring the others.  Or that invitations should go on and on interminably.  But at some point in the service, it is important to confront people with choosing Christ, asking them to respond right then.  If invitation after invitation passes without response, that does not mean no one responded.  Ruts were opened simply by the asking.  Decisions for Christ were considered.  Seeds were planted for future watering and possibly harvest.  If they had not been asked to decide, many would not even have considered it.   Many who eventually respond were brought to that point by being asked over and over, struggling silently each time before they finally decided in favor of Christ.  Invitations open ruts.

Being asked one-on-one, if what someone wants is to accept Christ, also opens ruts.  Especially when the gospel is presented in a sensitive, well-structured way leading to the point of asking for a decision.  Just being asked to decide, in the right way, is very powerful.  That is why it is important to learn better ways to talk to people about Christ, and to get a lot of experience in doing it.  There is simply no other way that leads as many people to Christ in every-day, ordinary situations.

We have heard about those times when God’s Holy Spirit moves powerfully and masses of people come to Christ.  All who love God dream and pray for such times.  But even while we wait and pray, there can be steady streams of converts to Christ – people who in the course of ordinary Sundays or simple conversations are broken out of their ruts, consider Christ and accept him, simply because someone asked them to decide.  Asking opens ruts.

Whenever the ruts are open, evangelize!  And remember, just the simple sharing of the gospel itself can open the ruts.  While they are open, ask!  Ask them to decide, right then.  Right then is the best possible time.  Don’t let it go to waste.