Anyone who is seriously thinking about evangelism should read Robert Webber's Ancient-Future Evangelism. I never thought that I would learn so much about evangelism from studying the early church. In what follows, I would like to reflect on one of the marks of the early church that empowered their evangelism.
Openness?
Webber explains that one of the reasons why the early church was so successful in evangelism was that they were open, as a living community, to everyone. Most Christians will read that last sentence and think, "We're Christians. We believe that salvation is exculsive. We could never be open to everyone". On one level this is true. But on another level this attitude is mistaken.
Liberal Christianity
Many Christians today have [supposedly] taken the early church's advice and swung their doors wide open to everybody. But they have done so in a way that actually contradicts another fundamental principle held by the early church. The early church was not only open to everyone, but it was open to everyone with a very specifc message. The message of the early church was that Jesus is Lord. He is the only name that can be invoked to bring salvation. This wasn't seen as an oppresive exclusivism but a liberating particularized universalism. I admire the fact that many liberal Christian churches have embraced different people with the arms of authentic love. I need to learn alot from them! However, I think that many liberal Christian churches have not gone the full nine yards in their love. They have shown compassion and charity, but have not given people the most loving thing- the radical [exclusive-yet-universal] message of the gospel- that in Christ Jesus alone salvation is found.
Fundamentalist Christianity
While most fundamentalist churches have embodied the early church principle of communicating a particular message of salvation- they have failed to be open to their surrounding communities. It is actually quite sad. I often wonder whether or not fundamentalist Christians actually understand the very message they are trying so hard to protect. The reason why the early church was so quick to open their doors to everyone was becuase they were so excited to share the good news of Jesus Christ! Thier exclusive message inspired them to be inclusive.
How open?
Anyone who has "done" evangelism in a post-Christian world knows the tension between genuinely loving people and communicating a message of exclusive salvation. It's very difficult!
But it has to be done. What the early church teaches us is that reflecting more and more on the content of the message (the boundless love of Jesus Christ) will empower and motivate us more and more to be open to our communities. Being open means following Jesus' example of being a friend to sinners. As a larger church, we need to invite people of all walks of life to witness our communication of and participation in the grand-drama of redemption rehearsed in our worship services. As individual Christians, we need to invite different people into our lives to share and enjoy movies, meals, memories. We don't want to see non-Christians hurt by spiritualities and philosophies that lead to despair or moral chaos. The reason why we want to proclaim the exculsive message of the gospel is becuase we passionately believe that in the gospel alone people find true joy and meaning.
Openness?
Webber explains that one of the reasons why the early church was so successful in evangelism was that they were open, as a living community, to everyone. Most Christians will read that last sentence and think, "We're Christians. We believe that salvation is exculsive. We could never be open to everyone". On one level this is true. But on another level this attitude is mistaken.
Liberal Christianity
Many Christians today have [supposedly] taken the early church's advice and swung their doors wide open to everybody. But they have done so in a way that actually contradicts another fundamental principle held by the early church. The early church was not only open to everyone, but it was open to everyone with a very specifc message. The message of the early church was that Jesus is Lord. He is the only name that can be invoked to bring salvation. This wasn't seen as an oppresive exclusivism but a liberating particularized universalism. I admire the fact that many liberal Christian churches have embraced different people with the arms of authentic love. I need to learn alot from them! However, I think that many liberal Christian churches have not gone the full nine yards in their love. They have shown compassion and charity, but have not given people the most loving thing- the radical [exclusive-yet-universal] message of the gospel- that in Christ Jesus alone salvation is found.
Fundamentalist Christianity
While most fundamentalist churches have embodied the early church principle of communicating a particular message of salvation- they have failed to be open to their surrounding communities. It is actually quite sad. I often wonder whether or not fundamentalist Christians actually understand the very message they are trying so hard to protect. The reason why the early church was so quick to open their doors to everyone was becuase they were so excited to share the good news of Jesus Christ! Thier exclusive message inspired them to be inclusive.
How open?
Anyone who has "done" evangelism in a post-Christian world knows the tension between genuinely loving people and communicating a message of exclusive salvation. It's very difficult!
But it has to be done. What the early church teaches us is that reflecting more and more on the content of the message (the boundless love of Jesus Christ) will empower and motivate us more and more to be open to our communities. Being open means following Jesus' example of being a friend to sinners. As a larger church, we need to invite people of all walks of life to witness our communication of and participation in the grand-drama of redemption rehearsed in our worship services. As individual Christians, we need to invite different people into our lives to share and enjoy movies, meals, memories. We don't want to see non-Christians hurt by spiritualities and philosophies that lead to despair or moral chaos. The reason why we want to proclaim the exculsive message of the gospel is becuase we passionately believe that in the gospel alone people find true joy and meaning.
2 comments:
I like your blog! I am proud of you and Kristen for starting blogs.
In response to your question about MBE and morality, here is what she says in her book, S&H:
"Sin and disease must be thought before they can be manifested. You must control evil thoughts in the first instance, or they will control you in the second. Jesus declared that to look with desire on forbidden objects was to break a moral precept. He laid great stress on the action of the human mind, unseen to the senses."
"The teachers of schools and the readers in churches should be selected with as direct reference to their morals as to their learning or their correct reading."
"The pure and uplifting thoughts of the teacher, constantly imparted to pupils, will reach higher than the heavens of astronomy; while the debased and unscrupulous mind, though adorned with gems of scholarly attainment, will degrade the characters it should inform and elevate."
"This conviction, that there is no real pleasure in sin, is one of the most important points in the theology of Christian Science. Arouse the sinner to this new and true view of sin, show him that sin confers no pleasure, and this knowledge strengthens this moral courage and increases his ability to master evil and to love good. Healing the sick and reforming the sinner are one and the same in Christian Science."
I hope these sorta answered your questions.
And I like that photo of you, has that been taken recently? I guess its been a while since I have seen you!
Magdiel
I agree with you :)
I guess, to the CS, and don't quote me on this, but to them "sin" is simply "unreal" which kinda contradicts orthodox christianity. Its "unreal" because man is "spiritual" and made in the image and likeness of God. They reason that because we were made to reflect God's image, and God is sinless, the "real man" which is spiritual, cannot sin. For example, if we believe that someone can be an alcoholic, drug addict, or a sexual addict, then this is called a "false belief, an illusion."
If we see this as a reality in our experience, our thought needs to be corrected. Once we correct our thought, then we will see that person as the spiritual image and likeness of their Creator. And this in turn, will eliminate sin. The same logic follows for disease and even death. To correct this is done through prayer and applying the principles as stated in Christian Science.
Mary Baker Eddy states that there is only one "Mind" a synonom for God. This Mind is omnipotent, omipresent. If this is true, logically, there can be no other power called "evil" since God has all power and evil or sin cannot be where God is. And God fills all space.
In other words, MBE sees Christianity and God in a "scientific" way. Just like there are laws of gravity in science, so there are spiritual laws that govern the universe, and when these are applied in a consistent manner, they will always result in healing of any problem. Hence, the name "Christian Science." According to MBE, this is the way Christ Jesus and the apostles healed.
I hope this made it kinda clear. :) Its kinda confusing to me too. MBE treats all this in a logical manner. She basically states that if God is good, all-powerful and everywhere, can there really be another power called evil that creates sin, sickness or death? Her answer is no.
Sorry for the long post. I hoped this helped.
magdiel
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