Evangelism in the 21st Century

So, what does evangelism look like in the 21st century? Actually, I have no clear idea. I have, however, developed a passion for pursuing the topic. During a time in which I felt as if I had a concrete theology of nothing, (first semester of seminary) I was offered an opportunity by the good Dr. Powe to attempt an articulation of my theology of evangelism. Thankfully, we can turn to Brian McLaren here, William Abraham here, and Walter Brueggemann, here, for some help.

After chasing Greek words for four pages (euangelistēs, euangelion, euangelizō, euangelizomai, and euangelos) Here are some conclusions...

Ulrich Becker concludes, euangelion and euangelizomai…

“tend to bring out certain aspects of this powerful gospel which is not a human word but the word of God. It was entrusted to Paul as a preacher, apostle and teacher. It’s message of Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, and descended from David is not limited to a single, past event, but is experienced as a word charged with power in the present so that it cannot be fettered in human chains.  This gospel produces rebirth and new life. It brings peace, and draws together the near and far off, the Gentiles and the Jews. It gives salvation, and has “brought life and immortality to light” (2 Tim. 1:10). However varied may be the emphasis and development of the term euangelion in the NT, the reference is always to the oral proclamation of the message of salvation and never to something fixed in writing, such as a book or letter.”

my turn...

'In light of the above foundation I am more inclined to side with Brueggemann’s drama narrative that moves repeatedly through the sequence of victory, proclamation and appropriation than I am to succumb to Abraham’s discipleship-heavy set of intentional activities governed by the first time initiation of people into the kingdom of God. On the surface Abraham’s definition is inviting, but he appears to take evangelism through prevenient grace, past justifying grace, on into sanctifying grace and into the core of what I consider discipleship or the discipling process. While Brueggeman’s appropriation may initiate the discipling process, I believe that he allows proclamation to be a key element and leaves room for discipleship after justification. Brueggemann does not allow evangelism to rest completely in proclamation, but I get the sense that it is a critical aspect of his movement.'

Therefore, in an attempt to adhere to the challenge of biblical integrity, I envision evangelism as the verbal proclamation of the living story of God’s saving grace that is manifested in Jesus Christ, sustained by the Holy Spirit, governed by the vision of a process that initiates persons into the Kingdom of God and is realized through personal commitment and human action.

McLaren suggests that "good evangelists are people who engage others in good conversation about important and profound topics such as faith, values, hope, meaning, purpose, goodness, beauty, truth, life after death, life before death, and God. The previous mentioned level of conversation can only gain a sound foothold through verbal proclamation and relational interaction that comes through one-on-one or group sharing of the good news. Jesus himself was an incredible conversationalist. He was short on sermons, long on conversations; short on answers, long on questions; short on abstractions and propositions, long on stories and parables; short on telling you what to think, long on challenging you to think for yourself; short on condemning the irreligious, long on confronting the religious."