Filed under: Missional Musings
“What is especially striking is the way in which the gospel of the kingdom initially spread. It did not spread because of a carefully designed program of evangelism; nor did it start because the early disciples meditated on the Great Commission and felt that they had better obey it to assuage their feelings of guilt. The church did not begin its evangelistic activity because it was terrified about the prospects that faced those who died without hearing about Christ; the Christian movement was not initiated by a band of professional evangelists eager to sign up a public relations firm and get the show on the road. Rather, the gospel spread and the church grew because the sovereign hand of God was in the midst of the community that found itself surrounded by people who were puzzled and intrigued by what they saw happening. The overwhelming impression created by the traditions witnessing to the early evangelistic activity of the disciples is that the Holy Spirit was present in the community, bringing in the reign of God and inspiring the disciples to speak boldly of the mighty acts of salvation that God had wrought through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.” William J. Abraham, The Logic of Evangelism p. 37-38
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Well, I suppose that was worth waiting 3 1/2 months for
Is that an older book or is it new? I’d be interested in knowing more about it. Hope you’re doing well – we’re all a-ok here.
Comment by Cindy September 25, 2008 @ 8:07 pmI know, isn’t it awful? What a sorry excuse for a blogger I am. It is actually a relatively newer book…it was published in 1989 by Eerdmans. Abraham is a Methodist and teaches at Southern Methodist University. I really appreciate his approach to theology and church life. The book is a really a look at two forms of evangelism that have been popular at various times in the history of the church; proclamation and church growth. He devotes a chapter to each of those demonstrating their strengths but mostly the weaknesses. Then he moves into a discussion of how the early church initiated (evangelized) people into the church by discussing the catechumenate. If you don’t know what that word means, look it up. It has been one of the most thrilling and revolutionary findings in all my studies. I can’t believe it took 15 years of being a Christian before I heard about it. Anyway, he seeks to demonstrate the importance of thorough discipleship as initiation into the faith or as he would say, the kingdom. You can get a used copy of this book on Amazon for about $4. There is also another book that he helped edit that was released earlier this year called “Canonical Theism.” I haven’t read it yet, but have perused the articles in it and it looks great. Anyway, thanks for commenting.
Comment by chrisbollegar September 26, 2008 @ 12:55 pm