The Decline of Christian Evangelism … and What We Can Do About It
Ed, you study the big picture of evangelism in America today. Give us a snapshot.
American Christians have moved away from a focus on sharing the gospel. Historically, there are seasons to this, where people emphasize gospel proclamation for a while, then emphasize gospel demonstration for a while. Right now, we’ve been moving into a season for about the last decade where our emphasis has been on gospel demonstration. I believe strongly in that, but we also need to raise a flag and have people rediscover sharing the good news of the gospel through proclamation. We can’t lose that.
The church today is at a critical moment. As culture shifts, we are beginning to feel the new realities of marginalization. How we will respond? But in the midst of all those questions we’re asking today, we have to commit to showing and sharing the love of Jesus in the midst of our broken and hurting world.
Is sharing your faith a personal passion?
Yes, certainly. I grew up in a nominally Roman Catholic home, but didn’t hear what I’d consider to be the gospel for some time. My sister actually rode a bus to a church just outside New York City, near our home, heard the gospel and became a believer. My mother followed, and I saw the change in her life.
Having not grown up in a Christian home, I never outgrew a concern for lostness. I still have that. There are people who need Jesus. That deeply drives my heart and my life. That is why I have been so focused on church planting in the past, to reach people. It’s why I have worked for church revitalization, to reach people. Evangelism is the recurring theme of what matters to me.
- Talk for a moment about the larger cultural picture. Are Christians really drifting away from proclamation?
