Where has Evangelism gone?

[Amisk]

"I have strong memories of evangelistic services when the lostness of man and the devastating of sin were soundly preached. Will my sons have the same memory?" :cry: Ian Murray ****The Old Evangelicalism"

[TheDag]

My response to this would be what are you doing about it then? We do need to recongnize that times change and the way people relate to each other and what they respond to tend to change. Once upon a time an open air service was the way to go to get peoples attention. These days people want more personal. So relationships become much more important. As long as we don't fall into the trap of making a friend simply so they can be converted but rather make a friend for the sake of making a friend and also share the gospel with them. This does not mean that open air services and crusades don't have their place but we do need to be careful that we aren't just trying to recreate past "glory" days.

[JoshuaCh1v9]

My response to this would be what are you doing about it then? We do need to recongnize that times change and the way people relate to each other and what they respond to tend to change. Once upon a time an open air service was the way to go to get peoples attention. These days people want more personal. So relationships become much more important. As long as we don't fall into the trap of making a friend simply so they can be converted but rather make a friend for the sake of making a friend and also share the gospel with them. This does not mean that open air services and crusades don't have their place but we do need to be careful that we aren't just trying to recreate past "glory" days.


Why do we? The past 'glory' days were the days when the Army went in for all out in your face evangelism. They took the message of Jesus ut to the people because they recognised that the people were not going to come to church any other way.

But the best evangelism is the type that gets people attention. Sure, for every one person that listens a couple of hundred won't. Jesus warned us about that with the parable of the sower. Most of the seed that is planted will not yield anything. But if you don't sow, you don't reap. We seem too afraid of rejection and ridicule these days. We are obsessed with not saying or dong anything that might offend someone. The early Salvatoinists had no such fears. They accepted that as part and parcel of what they did, even to the extent of suffering physical abuse and imprisonment in many cases.

I do agree with what you say about friendship and one to one relationships. But that will not win the war for Christ.

Take a look at our Halls every Sunday.

How full are they?

Amisks point was that much of the message we give out today leaves people very unlike a certain Mr Bond. Neither shaken nor stirred. The problem is that many of our leaders in the modern Army have lost the ability to preach. Sure, they can read an address, the content of which is excellent and Biblically sound, but the manner of presentation is what is lacking.

So we need to get back to basics on the one hand, whilst making sure that we make full use of every new option available to us on the other. Thats what Booth did. Hence many of our best songs are set to popular secular tunes. He gave out out an uncompromising message that was relevent to the people. That is the line for us also. We cannot win this war from the safety of our halls. We must fight the devil in his own back yard.

[JoshuaCh1v9]

And if we want to fight the devil in his strongholds, then there is one massive 'fort of darkness' which is badly in need of attack.

General Booth once said "why should the devil have all the best tunes"

I say "Why should the devil have the internet?"

50% of homes here in Britain have broadband internet access.

1% of the population regularly attend church.

Does it need spelling out?

I'm 100% behind a return to traditional, time proven, methods of attack. We must get ourselves back out on those streets again. We must get ourselves to where the young people are (which lets face it is usually the pub).

But we must also realise that the internet is a battle gound we cannot ignore. The potential, in Evangelistic terms, is immense. And virtually nobody is using it.