Evangelism, Not Conversionism
Evangelism is a word that is thrown around quite a bit, and what we usually mean by it is “converting people to our way of thinking.” Biblically speaking, that is not entirely what evangelism is. Simply put, evangelism is proclamation of good news. The good news that we are to proclaim is not that people can go to heaven when they die (I know that may sound shocking to you!), but that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is King over the whole earth and is inviting everyone to live cooperatively under his ruling and reigning (his ‘kingdom’) by following in the Way of Jesus the Messiah.
What we are calling people to do is not to simply agree with our way of thinking, but to enter an entirely new order, or way, of life. We are saying that this world and its present order, or approach to life, is on the way out; and that anyone who implants their life in the present order is not only headed for a ruined life, but disconnecting themselves from the very Source of life. We are saying that there is a new order that is breaking into the present order, and will one day completely replace it. In this new order, people of all nations, races, languages, and cultures can live connected to the very Source of life by placing themselves in the Way of Jesus—becoming his students and partners in God’s mission of healing all of creation.
We are saying to people who are in captivity to the present order that "God isn’t mad—he’s sad" (thanks Jim). We are saying that God misses them and searches for them like a shepherd searches for a missing sheep, or like a woman searches for a missing coin, or like a father searches for a missing son.
For far too long, we have trivialized the gospel. We have allowed our message to be truncated into a message about making arrangements for death. We have turned evangelism from announcement of God as King over the whole world and calling—both through our words and the quality of our lives together—for the world (individuals, communities, societies, etc.) to live accordingly, into a neat little formula for securing eternal self-preservation in unending, non-embodied, spiritual bliss.
God wants every part of his creation to experience the goodness of his rule and reign. Right now, much of creation finds itself in the situation of the prodigal son: the inheritance has been spent (or nearly so), pig food is passing for meals, and the faded memories of a life long past are stirring up a longing for even the lowliest place in the father’s house. Our task is not to point out the terrible state of the prodigal—he already knows that—but to join the father in his search and join him in his embrace and celebration when the prodigal does come home.
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