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Why so many people reject Christ (and one idea for winning them back)What will make your next-door neighbours consider the claims of Christ? Traditionally, one style of evangelism has been popular. This is a style used by Paul: reason (dialogue), telling the story of Jesus and his bringing salvation for us. For a number of reasons, particularly related to the impressions that the bad lifestyles of some Christians are making on non-Christians, I believe it's important that we now investigate using another style of evangelism as well. This is a style used by Jesus throughout his ministry, as well as by Peter, John and Paul. The Christian finds out the need that the non-Christian is most struggling with. By at least trying to meet that need the Christian can earn the right to share their faith and the non-Christian's response then may well be faith and repentance.+ Here are four issues that may lie behind many non-Christians' attitudes: 1. One-fifth of the world has 87% of its resources. In 1820, people in developed countries had income per person three times that per person in underdeveloped countries. By 1992, income on average per person in developed countries was 72 times that per person in underdeveloped countries.++ Yet the UK has 30% of its people in poverty and the highest level of child poverty in Europe.* 2. After 400 years of modernism, culture changed in UK around the mid-1970s to become postmodern.3. At current rates, within 30 years global temperatures will rise three degrees Celsius, an unprecedented level, with unpredictable results. 4. The majority of all evangelicals now live in underdeveloped countries.How have UK Christians responded to these challenges? 1. Poverty. It's good to give to charity! Yet 90% of overseas aid is estimated to go to supporting employees and employers from the West. While the West gave 58 billion dollars in 2002 in overseas aid, it spent 113 billion dollars subsidising its own agriculture to dump goods on other countries. And today 90% of all international transactions are financial, only 10% trade, so it's finance that needs tackling even more than trade. What's been the Christian response? Standing with underdeveloped countries as they challenge multinational companies? Working with Black and Asian Christians in UK to change attitudes and behaviour of employers and decision-makers? Changing their own lifestyle and sharing with those who have not (Mark 10.21; Luke 3.8-14; Acts 4.32-37)? What do people who demonstrated at Seattle, or live in underdeveloped countries or on estates like Stonebridge Park, Longsight or Easterhouse, think of Western Christians' responses? 2. Postmodernism. Anyone under 44 in the UK today is said to be postmodern. What has been Christians' re-sponse? Often 'more of the same' - more modern culture and control. And postmoderns? They walked away. Western media has exported postmodernism into most countries. Pre-modern societies struggling with the modern now have postmodern as well. What do they think of a West seen as Christian? 3. Environment. The 'evangelical' US president has disavowed Kyoto and put forward an energy plan foreseeing endless increases in fossil fuel production, refining and combustion and allowing a tripling in mercury pollution. Some have suggested that the Iraq conflict was largely about access to oil. 4. Evangelicals. Imagine there are just four evangelicals in the world. The other three are in underdeveloped countries. What might a Western Christian do? Seek them out? Become best friends? Learn what Jesus means to them? Be a blessing to them? What's been Western Christians' response? How many books by Black and Asian evangelicals have they read? How many Black and Asian people do they have as best friends? Which evangelicals have resources and power worldwide and in UK? What do Black and Asian evangelicals think about this? What links these challenges together?One important Scriptural theme is that of oppression. God works in support of oppressed peoples and against both oppression and oppressors (e.g. Psalm 10.17,18; Isaiah 58.9-12; Luke 4.18,19). In the Old Testament the poor, the fatherless, widows, and foreigners are generally viewed as oppressed peoples. In the New Testament Jesus's ministry was largely with people of low social status, often delivering them from oppression. 'This is just social gospel stuff: we're here to see people saved!' I want to see Muslims come to follow Jesus as much as anyone else. But how can I say to a Pakistani Muslim, 'Jesus makes you free' (John 8.32) when in the UK British Pakistani men earn on average £150 less per week than white men? Social action and evangelism need to be partners. What does the Bible say about witness to non-Christians that makes them want to find out more about Christ? i) Evangelical Christians loving one another, being united and becoming communities of reconciliation (e.g. John 17.20-23). Where people have differences, these should be discussed between the individual and God (Romans 14.22). Christians, sadly, often appear to be 'holier than thou'. ii) Non-Christians see Christians' good works and qualities and glorify God (1 Peter 2.12). Sadly, Christians have often retreated into a private, spiritual faith, leaving the public, material world to non-Christians. iii) Jesus's focus was on 'the Kingdom of God/heaven' (122 times in Matthew, Mark, Luke (MML)), in which people's actions in this life are of crucial importance. Christians' emphasis on sharing 'the gospel' (15 times in MML) can focus people's attention solely on avoiding punishment in the after-life. British Indian evangelists agree with Gandhi, 'If Christians would really live according to the teachings of Christ as found in the Bible, all of India would be Christian today'. In the meantime, people may need to face up to the consequences of their daily actions (Matthew 5.23-26; 7.3-5) before trying to sort other people out, for example... The Third World (and how you get their money) 'How's the Third World making me rich?' Western multinational companies. By 1989 the combined sales of the world's top 200 multinationals totalled $3,060 billion, equivalent to 27% of the non-socialist world's GNP. Today, just 360 people, enriched by multinationals, own more than half the world's wealth.++ Multinationals buy labour and materials cheap abroad and pay high salaries in the UK. And the results? In the West at least three boomerang effects: migration, drugs and terror. And in Third World countries corruption, civil wars, persecution of Christians, deforestation, economic devastation and 40,000 child deaths daily. Yet, in the first of those boomerang effects, migration, there is hope! Coming especially to our cities are Christians whose faith and works can bring new life in the midst of discouragement. Meeting in Tooting, for example, there are now up to 3,000 evangelicals (sadly, in around 50 churches), perhaps 60% African/African-Caribbean and 25% Asian. What can people learn from their experience in the UK? i) Evangelism. A predominantly Mauritian church recently had nine baptisms, roughly half from Hindu and half from Catholic backgrounds. ii) Faith. A church leader received 95% internal poisoning in a fire. The church prayed and he was healed. iii) Prayer. A church leader whose asylum claim failed was twice released from detention and twice stopped at the airport from being deported by plane. iv) Community (as opposed to individual). Asylum seekers with no housing are looked after by the community. v) Preaching. Bible centred. Never less than 20 minutes. Use oral narrative and relevant to issues faced daily. vi) Suffering. One refugee church had its building burnt down. Another where many Hindus had come to faith split when new migrants rejected the original leader. vii) Fasting. Most people fast at least once a week. So how can UK Christians respond effectively to the four issues mentioned above, so that Jesus can become attractive to non-Christians? 1) Build relationships with Christians who have migrated to UK, especially from the Third World. A Tooting pastor said, 'Most of the world's mess has been caused by artificial relationships'. In that relationship you can learn how the Third World sees you, Jesus, daily life in UK. 2) Recognise personal and public sin, resulting in a change in your lifestyle (repentance). Take practical action to right wrongs that are causing non-Christians to stumble. 3) Focus on the questions that the world is asking, rather than on the questions Christians would rather answer. 4)'People need to build relationships so they can talk, not shout.'** This is more culturally relevant to white people than others. It also demands moving from 'ingrab' (evangelising people once inside church buildings) to outreach, sharing faith on other people's territory. Alan Sharp+ Treated at length in Christian Mission in the Modern World by John Stott, IVP, 1975. © Evangelicals Now - August 2004 |