Evangelism or Inoculation?

We have a crisis in Evangelism in America that has been created by two things: one the heritage of modernism, and the other an inadequate Christology that has, in part, been perpetuated by Evangelicals themselves. The result is that we have great numbers of “evangelized” people who have said a salvation prayer, but are not in the Church. Frankly, that is a logical contradiction. Modernism has divorced Jesus from the historical records of the gospels and substituted its own pseudo-historical Jesus that conforms to its pre-supposition that God does not interfere with the lives of ordinary men and women. The word “Christ” has become a last name rather than a title describing Him as the Anointed of God. His central role as Redeemer has been moved to the back burner. The realization of corporate and personal sinfulness has been stripped from the human psyche by the psychology of “I’m OK. You’re OK!”

Evangelicals, in their compulsive frenzy to sell the gospel, have sold it out by marketing the salvation prayer without allowing the Holy Spirit time to perform his office of conviction of sins. What do these unchurched, yet evangelized, people mean when they say the salvation prayer? It is evidentially not an intention to commit themselves to the Jesus of the Church. They have in fact been allowed to say “Jesus yes. Church no,” as if that were a viable option.

The truth is that the only Jesus that exists is the Jesus of the Church and its creeds. He is inseparable from the church. He is its head, and the church is his body. The same Jesus is the substitutionary atonement for our sins. He is the bridge back to God the Father who waits in the midst of his family, the Church, to welcome them and enfold them in his arms in the midst of his redemptive family. Many of them have come out of Egypt but are still wandering in the desert.

In effect, what has happened is that they are incompletely “converted.” For them, nothing has happened in actuality in their human and lost condition other than the fact that “Jesus” has become a sop to soothe their vague feelings of guilt and make them feel better about themselves on a temporary basis. They are still harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. Conversion, to be true conversion, must not only be actual conversion from the state of sin, and from individual sins, but must also find its completion in turning to Christ who is to be found in the midst of his body which is the Church. It is in the Church that they will ultimately find the forgiving Father who will heal their prodigal natures and place on them the white robes of reconciliation.

What does God say about those who have come out of Egypt but are still wandering in the desert? “Who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? …And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? … For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened” (Hebrews 3:16,18 & 4:2 ESV).

There is a serious problem for those who say “Jesus yes. Church no.” There is an apparent refusal to complete their exodus and be enfolded in the family of God. They remain in the wilderness, untaught, unshepherded, and to all intents and purposes, unconverted. They have merely attempted to leave Egypt, but like Dathan and Abiram of old, they still long for the leeks and onions of Egypt and burn strange incense in their censers, all the time claiming that they are true followers of God (Numbers 16).

The challenge to the contemporary Church is not merely to introduce people to the “sinners prayer,” but to also enfold them in the body of Christ. That has been clearly recognized in the Billy Graham Crusades, but remains an ongoing problem. If actual Church congregations like ours fail to incorporate the “evangelized” in the ongoing life of living, yet imperfect congregations, those who have attempted to leave Egypt, may only continue to wander in the wilderness. The real danger they face is that of being inoculated against faith, by the methods of American evangelism.

Here, I believe, is the genius of Harvest Unlimited. Harvest Unlimited is essentially a program of incorporation into the body of Christ. The methodology follows a pattern established by Jesus. When Jesus said to Peter, Andrew, James and John, “Follow me,” he offered them incorporation into a new fellowship. It would take another three years of discipling and death, and resurrection, and Pentecost for the process to be complete. The danger of Harvest Unlimited is that if incorporation is not followed by discipling, conversion, and commitment to service you may end up with a whole congregation of unconverted Dathanites longing for the leeks and onions of Egypt.

For that reason, follow-up is absolutely essential. We have three concrete follow-up ministries planned to complete the incorporation of those who come to us. The first is the summer Alpha Session, the second is a Wednesday Evening Series in August called Summer Evening Retreats complete with potlucks, praise, and teaching, and the third is our fall Faith Alive Program. None of these will work if you don’t care enough to be involved, but if you will commit yourself to serving the Lord in the work of incorporation of new believers we can, and will, transform our Church, and go a long way towards transforming our community.

Father Rob +

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