The Evangelistic Imperative

EDITORIALS

A wave of protest by many Jewish organizations forced the cancellation of a television program in several cities on the eve of Passover (see April 23 issue, pages 28 and 33). Opponents of the program said that the idea of using the contemporary celebration of Passover as a means to preach the Christian Gospel to Jews was offensive. The producer of the program was the American Board of Missions to the Jews, which is among the largest of more than a hundred such organizations in the country. It is noteworthy that most of these groups have a high percentage of Jewish Christians on their staffs.

This episode is one more illustration of how the whole principle and practice of trying to convert persons from one religious belief to another is denigrated today. Zeal for winning people to one’s views in politics or economics or military policy is generally commended, but zeal in evangelism, or “proselytism,” as its opponents brand it, is held to be a medieval hangup, unworthy of the modern spirit.

Two related issues are at stake. One is the teaching of “universalism,” which holds that whatever salvation there is will be shared by all men regardless of their religion. To try to win adherents of Judaism (or Islam or Buddhism or some other or even no religion) to Christianity is needless because they are saved anyway and can be harmful because it disrupts their normal community relationships. The other issue is the legitimacy, indeed the necessity, of evangelism, or “proselytism.” If someone believes that he has found the truth about the ultimate questions of the universe with which all the great religions are concerned, it would seem quite selfish if he wanted to keep that truth to himself or for the private enlightenment of his own ethnic group or nation. The exuberant sharing of the Good News about Jesus Christ should strike people as no more inappropriate than the sharing of the vaccine against smallpox among all nations. Yet the right to evangelize is frequently abridged, even by persons who are otherwise conscientious defenders of freedom of speech.

In 1966 a Congress on the Church’s Worldwide Mission was held in Wheaton, Illinois, sponsored by the Evangelical and Interdenominational Foreign Missions Associations, whose member agencies include some 13,000 missionaries. Two parts of the declaration arrived at by that Congress are especially germane to the question of proclaiming the Gospel to non-Christians, and because we believe they well represent the evangelical position we reproduce them here (from The Church’s Worldwide Mission, edited by Harold Lindsell, Word, 1966, pages 223–26):

Mission—And Neo-Universalism

The Underlying Issues.

During the first nineteen centuries of the history of the Church, any teaching suggesting that all men ultimately would be redeemed was vigorously rejected as heretical. In our day, universalism is rapidly coming into the mainstream of teaching acceptable to some leading Protestant and Roman Catholic theologians. Many prominent church leaders increasingly champion this viewpoint. The new universalism is based upon a fragmented usage of Scripture, not on an exposition of the Scriptures in total wholeness and context.

The teaching of universalism, which we reject, states that, because Christ died for all, He will sovereignly and out of love bring all men to salvation. It proclaims the essential and final unity of the human race, which will never be broken—now or in the future—by God or by man. All mankind is “reconciled”; those who have met Christ have an advantage above those who have not, but it is a difference in degree, not in principle. If men do not believe the gospel in this life—even if they reject it—their guilt and punishment will ultimately be removed. They are simply not conscious of the riches they possess.

The issue with universalism is not simply one of elevating human reason above the clear witness of the Scriptures and biblical Christianity. The whole mission of the Church is affected. The universalist merely proclaims a universal Lordship of Christ and summons men to acknowledge it in their lives. This can readily lead to syncretism and the eventual abandonment by the Church of its missionary calling. Christ is being betrayed by those calling themselves His friends.

The Witness of the Scriptures.

We fervently accept the universal character of the claims of Scripture: God loves the world (John 3:16); Christ is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2); all things have been reconciled to God through Christ (Colossians 1:20). God desires all men to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4), and to unite all things in Christ (Ephesians 1:9, 10) so that every knee should bow and every tongue confess His Lordship (Philippians 2:10, 11), “that God may be all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:28). Scripture, however, must explain Scripture. Christ taught eternal punishment as well as eternal life. He spoke of the cursed as well as the blessed (Matthew 25:34, 41, 46). Paul taught eternal destruction and exclusion from the presence of the Lord of all who obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus (2 Thessalonians 1:8, 9). Although God’s claims are universal and His triumph will be universal, yet His saving grace is effective only in those who believe on Christ (John 1:12). There is a heaven and a hell; there are the saved and the lost. Scripture gives us no other alternative; we must take seriously all it says of the wrath and judgments of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

WE THEREFORE DECLARE

That, we will, ourselves, be more forthright and thorough in our preaching and teaching of the testimony of the Bible on the awful reality of eternal loss through sin and unbelief.

That, we shall encourage all evangelical theologians to intensify their exegetical study of the Scriptures relating to eternal punishment and the call to redemption and reconciliation.

That, since the mission of the Church inescapably commits us to proclaim the gospel which offers men the forgiveness of sins only through faith in Jesus Christ, our verbal witness to Him should accompany our service to the poor, the sick, the needy, and the oppressed.

That, the repudiation of universalism obliges all evangelicals to preach the gospel to all men before they die in their sins. To fail to do this is to accept in practice what we deny in principle.

Mission—And Proselytism

The Underlying Issues.

The word “proselytism” means “the making of a convert, especially to some religious sect or to some opinion, system, or party.” Recently the word has also been used as a charge against evangelistic effort, especially among those who are members of any denomination or other ecclesiastical body. In reaction to the dynamic witness of evangelicals, some religious groups and nationalistic forces have demanded that “proselytism can and should be controlled.”

The proselytism that includes forced conversions or the use of unethical means (material and/or social) is contrary to the gospel of Christ and should be distinguished from that which is biblical and genuine.

The Witness of the Scriptures.

Throughout the New Testament the apostles and other Christians ceaselessly proclaimed Christ and persuaded men to accept Him, renouncing their old religious allegiances and joining the Christian church (Acts 5:29; 8:4; 13:15–41; 18:4–11; 19:8). The Jews through whom the revelation of God was transmitted and the idol-worshipping Gentiles alike were exhorted to repent, believe, and be baptized; they then became members of a church.

WE THEREFORE DECLARE

That, all followers of Christ must disciple their fellowmen. From this obligation there can be neither retreat nor compromise.

That, we shall urge church and government leaders throughout the world to work for the inalienable right of full religious liberty everywhere. This means freedom to propagate and to change one’s faith or church affiliation, as well as the freedom to worship God.

That, we shall obey God rather than men in resisting the monopolistic tendencies both within and without Christendom that seek to stifle evangelical witness to Jesus Christ.

That, we shall not use unbiblical, unethical methods of persuading people to change their religious allegiance. However, when we seek the conversion of unregenerate men, even though they may be attached to some church or other religion, we are fulfilling our biblical mandate.

Recipe For Disaster

One of America’s most distinguished philosophers, Dr. Will Herberg, observed not long ago that “the moral crisis of our time consists primarily not in widespread violation of accepted moral standards—when has any age been free of that?—but in the repudiation of those very moral standards themselves.… The very notion of morality or a moral code seems to be losing its meaning for increasing numbers of men and women in our society.”

The attitudes of several young people prominently in the news recently bear out Herberg’s contention.

One is the reported “motive” given by the convicted killers of actress Sharon Tate and six others in the celebrated Manson murder case. “All they said was ‘I did it because I did it,’ ” said a juror of Charlie Manson and three girl members of his “family” after 167 tedious days of courtroom hassling.

Another example is the rebel philosophy of the author of a fat (160 pages sell for $5.95 in paperback) tome called The Anarchist Cookbook. Written by a 21-year-old freshman at Vermont’s Windham College, the manual is an encyclopedia of everything illegal a revolutionary could desire: drugs, sabotage, weaponry, and “recipes” for explosives of all types. William Powell’s cookbook (published by Lyle Stuart, publisher of The Sensuous Woman, and The Sensuous Man, incidentally), is selling like, well, like hotcakes. The book is one of the most dangerous in print (it has been banned by the Canadian government and by Doubleday bookstores). Powell’s personal perspective is every bit as dangerous: “If I really want to do something,” he adds in a postscript to the cookbook, “I don’t particularly care if it’s legal, illegal, moral, immoral or amoral. I want to do it, so I do it.”

To quote Dr. Herberg again: “To violate moral standards while at the same time acknowledging their authority is one thing; to lose all sense of the moral claim, to repudiate all moral authority and every moral standard as such, is something far more serious.… The modern vogue of regarding truth as relative and conditional rather than absolute and eternal, reached its logical conclusion in the proclamation that ‘God is dead.’ ”

Exactly. When there are no moral absolutes, when ethics are tied to a shifting relativity, when every man does what is right in his own eyes, anarchy, moral decay and spiritual bankruptcy follow. We are already reaping the whirlwind from sowing the winds of permissive doctrine that shut out belief in God and a firm anchorage to the Scriptures. Biblical moral standards and commitment to God’s immutable laws alone can save our nation—or any nation—from God’s judgment and eventual destruction.

China And Christianity

Now that the “bamboo curtain” has been pierced by a ping-pong ball, the attention of Christians has been focused once again upon the country where approximately one-fourth of the planet’s inhabitants dwell, China. The Church has suffered greatly in that land over the past two decades, and the cost of publicly being a Christian in China is far greater than we in more favored lands can imagine.

In view of the hostile attitudes Chinese leaders have expressed toward America in recent years (not unreciprocated, to be sure), how unexpected was the cordial reception given to our table-tennis team! Is it too much to hope that official attitudes toward religion in general and Christianity in particular can also manifest a dramatic change? China does not have to give up Communism in order to grant more religious freedom. Yugoslavia has maintained both. Nor do we expect freedom for Western missionaries to enter on the terms on which they did before the revolution. Indeed, we doubt that informed Christians would want to do it that overly paternalistic way. But we can hope and pray that our fellow believers in China will someday be granted more freedom to demonstrate that Christianity and good citizenship are fully compatible. Also, we hope that soon Christians from other countries can have opportunities to exchange visits with their Chinese brethren.

Meanwhile we should accept the moves of our government that enhance possibilities for further penetrations of the “bamboo curtain,” both ways. Of great prominence in the foreign-policy views of Christians should be the consideration of what actions are most likely to promote fellowship and evangelism.

Social Action Aborning

Some evangelicals who have not been noted previously for activity promoting social reform have recently been stirred into action by the change of laws on abortion. In taking action they have commendably recognized that rather than trying to make a congregation or denomination the spearhead of the effort, they should form special-purpose pressure groups. In this way they can ally themselves with others such as Catholics and Jews who share their concerns on this issue without compromising or deemphasizing the other issues on which disagreement remains. A broadly based alliance is more likely to accomplish change than a group restricted to people who agree on a broad range of issues.

we do hope, though, that those who have very strong opinions on abortion, anti-Communism, aid to private education, Viet Nam, and the like will not let this disrupt fellowship with their brothers in Christ who disagree with their applications of biblical principles to contemporary problems. This is a major reason for forming special groups, rather than trying to capture church structures for one side or the other. The congregation should be a place where all believers feel welcome no matter what their opinions on matters of specific social policy.

For those who are concerned about the changing climate on abortion, the New Jersey Right to Life Committee (Box 1213, Trenton, New Jersey 08607) offers In Defense of Life, a very practical manual for social action. We urge that the right to a decent life be defended not only for those in the womb but also for those in the ghetto, and that those who oppose abortion as a means of population control support alternative means to that end.

Renewing Church Membership

From time to time it has been suggested that marriages should not be permanently binding. They should be entered into for a specified period of time and be renewable by the consent of the partners when the contract expires. Now the suggestion has been made that church membership be placed on a year-to-year basis with the option to renew.

While we think marriage should be a lasting arrangement, the idea of annual renewal of church membership sounds intriguing. A local minister recently told us that the church to which he recently came has lost contact with a third of its membership. The problem is not only that these “members” do not attend or contribute; they can’t even be located. No one knows whether they are dead or alive.

With tongue partly in cheek we offer the following recommendations: (1) Every church member must reapply for membership by December first of each year. (2) No member will be accepted for renewal who has attended fewer than ten services a year unless he has a good explanation for his delinquency. (3) No one will be renewed who does not give at least 5 per cent (10 per cent preferred) of his income (before taxes) to the work of God’s kingdom. (4) No one can continue who has not led at least one person to Jesus Christ during the year. (5) Each renewal must be accompanied by a pledge to read the Bible through during the year, to pray daily, and to live an orderly and circumspect life.

There go the church statistics!

Drinking In Ireland

Traditionally, the Catholic Church has held a tolerant view of drinking. And in Ireland, land of the stereotyped “hard whiskey-drinking Irish Catholic,” the church’s view has been more than tolerant. But the archbishop of Armagh and primate of all Ireland. William Cardinal Conway, seems intent on changing this stereotype. Last month in a seminar on drugs and alcohol for secondary-school students the archbishop called attention to Ireland’s drinking problem.

The archbishop cited some damning statistics about his country and alcohol. Eleven per cent of personal income is spent on it. Consumption of hard liquor rose 10 per cent in 1969, and most Of the increase, the archbishop said, was due to “the marked growth of drinking among young people.” Cardinal Conway went on to say, “The person with young blood in his veins who needs artificial stimulants to enjoy life has surely something very wrong with him, and it is certainly a topsy-turvy world which regards it as a sign of courage to yield to pressure to take such stimulants.” He stressed that the church will not “pussyfoot” on this issue.

We commend the archbishop for responsibly facing the problem, and for determining to do something about it. However, the Catholic Church seems to be “topsy-turvy” itself in its concern about the drinking problem. At St. Mary’s Hospital, Castleblaney, County Monaghan, the country’s first hospital bar has just opened with nuns tending bar. But the archbishop can be comforted by the fact that the bar will serve only “stout,” not hard liquor. At least the hospital will not be contributing to spirits statistics.

Vanishing Motherhood?

Are mothers a vanishing breed? Aldous Huxley prophesied this in Brave New World. But at that time no one really believed that “test-tube babies” were possible. Now we are in the midst of a biological revolution, with experimentation in artificial insemination, embryo implants, and artificial wombs.

Recently published articles and books tell of a future motherless society. One woman may conceive a child, another carry it to term. Who is the mother? Experiments with sheep in artificial wombs have so far proved successful. And experimentation with human fetuses in tube-like wombs continues. Some scientists are predicting the time when human reproduction will be asexual.

The old Negro spiritual “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child” may become true physically as well as spiritually. Perhaps a child physically may have two mothers, or be his mother’s genetic twin (see April 9 issue, page 11). The biological revolution raises the fundamental question of the meaning of motherhood, a question that science cannot answer. Motherhood—at least as we now think of it—may be on the way out.

Freedom Trek

Five American churchmen traveled around the world last month to arouse sympathy for American prisoners of war in Indochina. They were received by North Vietnamese diplomats in Sweden and Laos but could not persuade the Communists to allow them to go to Hanoi.

Perhaps the most heartening result of the journey was the measure of attention gained for the plight of five American missionaries taken captive by the Viet Cong. Missouri Synod Lutheran president J. A. O. Preus said that the delegation’s appeal in behalf of the missionaries aroused the most interest in the North Vietnamese. President Nathan Bailey of the Christian and Missionary Alliance said the North Vietnamese officials had “heard the story” of the captives but disclaimed any official knowledge of the events, or of the whereabouts or welfare of the missionaries.

The group, which also included Catholic archbishop Joseph Ryan and Presbyterian George Sweazey, got promises of added help from officials of several neutralist nations plus a sympathetic hearing from Pope Paul VI. Conscientious follow-up is now in order. A breakthrough on the prisoners could be the thing that ends the war.

Something To Sing About

A note of joy is ringing through the land these days. It’s sounding forth from the proliferating new Christian music festivals and marathon concerts, the hundreds of churches visited by touring young choral groups with the latest gospel folk musicals, and just about everywhere tuned-in-to-the-Spirit people—young and old alike—congregate in song. They’re singing about Jesus. A recurring theme heralds his soon return and what it will be like for us to be with him.

The reminder is timely. Evangelicals are currently emphasizing this-world implications of the Gospel. It is a correct emphasis, but we must never lose sight of the other-world realities that keep everything else in focus. Jesus personally resides in that other realm, and sooner (by death) or later (by translation at his coming) we will join him there: “And so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:17).

This biblical notice of our impending change of address should comfort (1 Thess. 4:18), not distract or dismay. Admittedly, death is hardly a comforting thought when viewed from the departure side rather than the arrival side. We’ve been conditioned to think of death as coming to destroy everything for which we’ve lived. In reality a committed Christian sustains net gain, not loss, affirms Paul (Phil. 1:21).

Funeral sermons often measure the gain as release from bodily affliction and worldly troubles, which it is. For Paul, however, Christ himself is the ultimate gauge. To live is to experience daily the love and wonders of the Lord Jesus Christ, while “to die is gain.” Phillips translates it: “For living to me means simply ‘Christ,’ and if I die I should merely gain more of him.”

Thus the right approach to death and the hereafter is inseparably linked to our love for Christ here and now. There is a joyous meeting ahead. The fourth and fifth chapters of Revelation show that our first reaction in his presence will be one of worship. Then we’ll hold the biggest music festival ever (Rev. 5:9). It may last a long time, for we’ll have a lot to sing about.

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