Thread: On the Importance of Christian Scholarship in Evangelism
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On the Importance of Christian Scholarship in Evangelism
Posted : 20 Oct, 2013 01:38 PM
The Necessity of Scholarship in Evangelism
" �If salvation depends upon the message in which Christ is offered as Saviour, it is obviously important that we should get the message straight. That is where Christian scholarship comes in. Christian scholarship is important in order that we may tell the story of Jesus and his love straight and full and plain.
At this point, indeed, an objection may arise. Is not the gospel a very simple thing, it may be asked; and will not its simplicity be obscured by too much scholarly research? The objection springs from a false view of what scholarship is; it springs from the notion that scholarship leads a man to be obscure. Exactly the reverse is the case. Ignorance is obscure; but scholarship brings order out of confusion, places things in their logical relations, and makes the message shine forth clear.
There are, indeed, evangelists who are not scholars, but scholarship is necessary to evangelism all the same. In the first place, though there are evangelists who are not scholars, the greatest evangelists, like the Apostle Paul and like Martin Luther, have been scholars. In the second place, the evangelists who are not scholars are dependent upon scholars to help them get their message straight; it is out of a great underlying fund of Christian learning that true evangelism springs.
That is something that the Church of our day needs to take to heart. Life, according to the New Testament, is founded upon truth; and the attempt to reverse the order results only in despair and in spiritual death. Let us not deceive ourselves, my friends. Christian experience is necessary to evangelism; but evangelism does not consist merely in the rehearsal of what has happened in the evangelist�s own soul. We shall, indeed, be but poor witnesses for Christ if we can tell only what Christ has done for the world or for the Church and cannot tell what He has done personally for us. But we shall also be poor witnesses if we recount only the experiences of our own lives. Christian evangelism does not consist merely in a man�s going about the world saying: �Look at me, what a wonderful experience I have, how happy I am, what wonderful Christian virtues I exhibit; you can all be as good and as happy as I am if you will just make a complete surrender of your wills in obedience to what I say.� That is what many religious workers seem to think that evangelism is. We can preach the gospel, they tell us, by our lives, and do not need to preach it by our words. But they are wrong. Men are not saved by the exhibition of our glorious Christian virtues; they are not saved by the contagion of our experiences. We cannot be the instruments of God in saving them if we preach to them thus only ourselves. Nay, we must preach to them the Lord Jesus Christ; for it is only through the gospel which sets Him forth that they can be saved."
J. Gresham Machen, Education, Christianity & the State, pp. 20-21
On the Importance of Christian Scholarship in Evangelism
Posted : 20 Oct, 2013 02:14 PM
I've seen children and teens present the Gospel more effectively than many adults. It's usually when people get 'too smart' that their presentation gets too convaluted and less effective.
On the Importance of Christian Scholarship in Evangelism
Posted : 20 Oct, 2013 02:24 PM
"At this point, indeed, an objection may arise. Is not the gospel a very simple thing, it may be asked; and will not its simplicity be obscured by too much scholarly research? The objection springs from a false view of what scholarship is; it springs from the notion that scholarship leads a man to be obscure. Exactly the reverse is the case. Ignorance is obscure; but scholarship brings order out of confusion, places things in their logical relations, and makes the message shine forth clear."
On the Importance of Christian Scholarship in Evangelism
Posted : 20 Oct, 2013 02:48 PM
To have present day Calvinists advice about Evangelism is something like snails and turtles telling you how to win races.
The present Calvinistic churches include 4 Dutch Calvinstic churches which are about 95% people with Dutch heritage and are mainly limited to 5 areas in the USA which have Calvinistic schools. These 4 Dutch Calvinistic chuches have declined steadily about 20% in the past 20 years and only send evangelists to other Dutch Calvinistic churches.
Matthew 28:19,20: Jesus commands, "Therefore go and make disciples of **ALL** nations....teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you!" The present day Calvinistic churches have been by far the worst in keeping this Great Commission.
On the Importance of Christian Scholarship in Evangelism
Posted : 20 Oct, 2013 02:55 PM
:laugh: You have so many flawed and unBiblical presuppositions, it's ridiculous.
The Tortoise and the Hare, by Arthur Rackham
Once upon a time there was a hare who, boasting how he could run faster than anyone else, was forever teasing tortoise for its slowness. Then one day, the irate tortoise answered back: �Who do you think you are? There�s no denying you�re swift, but even you can be beaten!� The hare squealed with laughter.
�Beaten in a race? By whom? Not you, surely! I bet there�s nobody in the world that can win against me, I�m so speedy. Now, why don�t you try?�
Annoyed by such bragging, the tortoise accepted the challenge. A course was planned, and the next day at dawn they stood at the starting line. The hare yawned sleepily as the meek tortoise trudged slowly off. When the hare saw how painfully slow his rival was, he decided, half asleep on his feet, to have a quick nap. �Take your time!� he said. �I�ll have forty winks and catch up with you in a minute.�
The hare woke with a start from a fitful sleep and gazed round, looking for the tortoise. But the creature was only a short distance away, having barely covered a third of the course. Breathing a sigh of relief, the hare decided he might as well have breakfast too, and off he went to munch some cabbages he had noticed in a nearby field. But the heavy meal and the hot sun made his eyelids droop. With a careless glance at the tortoise, now halfway along the course, he decided to have another snooze before flashing past the winning post. And smiling at the thought of the look on the tortoise�s face when it saw the hare speed by, he fell fast asleep and was soon snoring happily. The sun started to sink, below the horizon, and the tortoise, who had been plodding towards the winning post since morning, was scarcely a yard from the finish. At that very point, the hare woke with a jolt. He could see the tortoise a speck in the distance and away he dashed. He leapt and bounded at a great rate, his tongue lolling, and gasping for breath. Just a little more and he�d be first at the finish. But the hare�s last leap was just too late, for the tortoise had beaten him to the winning post. Poor hare! Tired and in disgrace, he slumped down beside the tortoise who was silently smiling at him.
On the Importance of Christian Scholarship in Evangelism
Posted : 20 Oct, 2013 05:14 PM
What a better story than the tortoise and hair is a personal testimony from from a repentant sinner person who believes and is saved by God and willing to share it to all who would listen? We all who have lived life our own way and came to a time of realizing in one form or another that maybe we don't know so much as we had thought when God comes by way of a messenger or in some way by the Spirit with the word of truth that causes a life changing moment in our lives....
How many in the writings of the Gospels were healed from their sickness and told to tell no one, yet they could not keep themselves from proclaiming Jesus had healed them and glorifying God? What are these writings called the gospels but a testimony of the kingdom of God and of Christ who is our salvation?
I do agree their is a point in time we (me) need to study and better understand truths that will help be more effective in evangelizing, yet God chooses and uses circumstances in our lives for His glory and gives us the words we need and the unspoken example of our deeds... just me thinking here guys:rolleyes:
On the Importance of Christian Scholarship in Evangelism
Posted : 20 Oct, 2013 05:18 PM
IWA wrote: "You have so many flawed and unBiblical presuppositions, it's ridiculous. "
*******
So do you.
I am not impressed with your efforts to throw around vocabulary or to redefine basic words in the English language or any other language. I see too many people who think the bigger the words they throw around, the smarter they appear. It takes more intelligence to take complex topics and make them understandable by an average or less than average individual,
On the Importance of Christian Scholarship in Evangelism
Posted : 20 Oct, 2013 05:44 PM
The other thing I meant to say as an after thought is hey IWA, why not use some of this acquired higher schooling for the cause of the Gospel, cut the bull, quit picking apart the small things of others here and use that wealth of knowledge you've gathered to evangelize the needy and back off a bit on the criticism and sarcasm dude?:buddies:
On the Importance of Christian Scholarship in Evangelism
Posted : 20 Oct, 2013 05:45 PM
More acrimony and sanctimony from Teach. :laugh:
"So do you" --
Yes Teach, so you say but you have yet to show a single example of one. :laugh: Instead, you are now reduced to accusing me of "redefining basic words in the English language" (where is your proof of this?) Is this in place of admitting your own lack of competency to read and understand what you read? Language and the use of language is very important in communicating ideas with precision. I do not feel bad that I do my best to convey my thoughts through my word choices. I am not going to have a legalistic burden placed around my neck by you for exceeding your personal vocabulary level. Often times, I use the simplest examples possible to convey my thoughts. I have even used simple "object lessons" to relay ideas and concepts.
Please find something more significant to accuse me with next time. :laugh:
On the Importance of Christian Scholarship in Evangelism
Posted : 20 Oct, 2013 05:58 PM
One --
Take a look at this thread. It looks the same as just about every other. Please notice that I posted an article on the importance of scholarship in evangelism. Actually, I am not the author of this particular article but I think it makes some very good points.
Now, please tell me how that doesn't aid in the cause of the Gospel? Tell me how I am "picking apart the small things of others here"
"Use that wealth of knowledge you've gathered to evangelize the needy" Precisely what I do day in and day out. Am I getting paid for taking my time to write articles here? I am not. What I have been freely given, I freely give back -- knowledge and understanding.
"Back off a bit on the criticism and sarcasm dude" -- I don't have any desire to change my approach to false teachers or to those who mock, pervert, and reject the Word.
Bro, do you actually not see what I am enduring here to continue on this site? Honestly? Please review some of the threads if you aren't seeing it. I will be happy to go through them with you.
On the Importance of Christian Scholarship in Evangelism
Posted : 20 Oct, 2013 05:59 PM
Sojourner, good points.
IWA, let's start with the word ALL. You have tried to redefine that too many times and yet it still means ALL.
As for too big of words...not a problem for me; however, there are others that also read these posts that may not be native English speakers that you deter from growing in the Word.
Why utilize a 7 letter word when you could use a 3 letter word to convey the same thought?
