Forward: I know this post is going to be
controversial. As much as that is not my intention, it seems controversy is
inevitable when dealing with a subject like this and critiquing a well-known
author and speaker. I want to say this beforehand to those who support Carl
Medearis. I like Carl. I have had conversations with Carl and attended seminars
with him as the keynote speaker. I have read his book Speaking
of Jesus. I appreciate his heart and work
for the Kingdom of God. Carl is a fellow Kingdom worker. There are people in
the Kingdom because of the work God has done through him. Carl, thank you for
your faithful work for the Kingdom of Heaven.
To
those who faithfully follow and read – this post may be more technical than
most. I do not apologize for this. Sometimes this is necessary to address
issues. I have taken over one month to research and address this issue. [1] I humbly ask that you consider the words
before you. My hope is that this post will lead to a series of helpful
discussions about this issue (hopefully with Carl).
The
Issue
On September 2, 2014, Carl Medearis posted
the following on his Facebook page after having a
twitter conversation with his followers. Although Carl has become well known
for bringing up controversial topics (of some I agree with), the following was
too much for me to swallow:
Okay, now that the
Twitter conversation is over - I need to tell you guys that I don't even
believe in Evangelism as it's commonly practiced. Which is, of course, why my
book "Speaking of Jesus" has the subtitle of: The art of
NOT-evangelism." It's an
unhelpful, un-useful and un-biblical word and concept. "Making disciples" is the
term Jesus used. A disciple is a follower. So...we encourage people to follow
Jesus. That might sound like semantics - and partly it is - but it's a hugely
important shift. From
evangelizing people into Christianity, to discipling (mentoring/encouraging)
them to follow Jesus from whatever their background. The Way of Jesus is
everything!
Later, in a comment he made on this post, Carl said
since the word “evangelism” does not appear in the Bible, we shouldn’t use it.
The issue we will be looking into today is this: Is
the concept of evangelism biblical? Or, is it something that came around
after the time of Jesus and the Apostles. And in the words of my friend, Carl,
“That might sound like semantics -
and partly it is,” because words and the way we use them matter.
Historical Usage of “Evangelism”
The first written
appearance of the English “evangelist” was in the 1380s when John Wycliffe
produced the first English translation of the Bible. The English word
“evangelism” came into common usage in the early 1600s. While this may seem
late for a word to gain common usage, it is important to note that it is a
direct transliteration from the Latin word evangelismus,
which means “a spreading of the Gospel.” [2] What is interesting about this
word, is that it has roots in French and German, which have earlier
transliterations of the words “evangelist” and “evangelism”, both in their
respective languages. All of these languages trace their transliteration back
to the Greek verb euangelizo, which
literally means “to declare the good news.” [3] This is not an English word
made up in the later Church. It is a biblical word rooted in early Christian
thought and writing.
Biblical Usage
As stated above, the
English word “evangelism” can be transliterated directly from the Greek euangelizo. While it may seem pedantic
to list the number of times this word is used throughout the Greek New
Testament, for the purpose of this post it is necessary.
In the Greek New
Testament, euangelizo is used 54
times. [4] Within the 54 times there are a variety of ways the word can be
translated into English. The diagram below should be helpful. [5]
From this, it seems clear enough that evangelism is
at least a biblical concept. But, one of the other issues Carl brought up is
that it is not a biblical word. On a small level, this is slightly true. While
the English word “evangelism” is never outright translated that way, it is
still a biblical word when looking at the original language. And to be fair,
there are three times where the English word “evangelist” is used in most
English translations of the Bible. [6] To take this point even further, both euangelizo(evangelism) and euangelistes (evangelist) have their roots in the Greek word euangelion, which literally means “the
good news.” [7]
Knowing this, we can
be certain that anytime the concept of evangelism is mentioned, our minds
should immediately recognize this as a proclamation of the good news of Jesus
Christ. A very biblical concept, indeed.
Does this Really Matter?
Simply, yes. Carl
called evangelism unbiblical. But from what we can see above, it is clearly a
biblical concept (and word). While I may be wrong, it seems as if his poor
definitions of the word or how he has seen it portrayed are what led him to
call evangelism “unhelpful, un-useful and un-biblical.” He is correct in saying
this is an issue in semantics. What words mean and how we use them matter. If
we use words as a weapon (even the Gospel) we’ve missed the point. And I think
this is his major concern – we have missed the point in our evangelism. The
Gospel is Jesus. [8] I agree. 100%.
So, Carl’s solution.
Simply make disciples. But what does that mean? And what does that look like?
Doesn’t making disciples include telling them about Jesus? I mean, if no one
has told them the truth (euangelizo),
how will they believe? (Rom. 10:15) I think Carl would at least agree with me
on that point. And is simply telling people about Jesus the same as the gospel?
We need to speak of
Jesus more often. However, it is a theological and practical error to separate
evangelism and discipleship. The Great Commission doesn’t separate the two
issues, so neither should we. [9] And as we speak of Jesus more often, it is
critical that we do not leave out the fundamental issues of the gospel. We can
talk about Jesus all day long, but it does not help if we forget to mention
some of the critical messages he gave us (you know, like repentance and living
a faithful, holy life devoted to his Kingdom and cause). In an email
conversation I had with Chad Ragsdale, Assistant Academic Dean at Ozark Christian College, he said on this point, “Simply telling
people about Jesus is not necessarily the same thing as the gospel. It is
possible for us to swap stories about Jesus and still miss the fundamental
story of the gospel.” [10]
Maybe this is a word
that needs to be redeemed from what it has become (you know, like the word
“Christian”). Maybe we need a different word. But the concept is still there. I
don’t know. But what I do know is this – Evangelism, whether you like the word
or not, is a biblical concept. It is proclaiming the person of Jesus Christ to
a world that needs him. It is leading people to the foot of the cross and
showing them the empty tomb so they can meet the risen Christ. It is showing
them how to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. So, I’m going to stick with speaking
of Jesus, because that is the art of evangelism.
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Notes
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[1] A special thanks goes to a number of people for
helping make this post possible. Scott Reed – thank you for your work in
determining the use of the work “evangelism” in other languages. Jordan
Edmondson – thank you for your work in etymology and the usage of “evangelism”
throughout the history of spoken and written language. Chad Ragsdale, M.Div. –
thank you for checking my work and Greek for accuracy. Dr. Terry Bowland –
thank you for your endless words of wisdom in helping to bring about the proper
thoughts with this post. Thank you also for reviewing it for accuracy. Erik
Winston, M.Div. – thank you for the countless hours at I-HOP discussing these
issues and challenging me to think critically about Jesus and what he has
called us to be and do. Your words of wisdom have helped shaped this response.
I owe you a stack of pancakes!
[3] Swanson, James. Dictionary of Biblical
Languages With Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament). electronic ed. Oak
Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997.
[4] Cf. Matt. 11:5; Luke 1:19; 2:10; 3:18; 4:18, 43;
7:22; 8:1; 9:6; 16:16; 20:1; Acts 5:42; 8:4, 12, 25, 35, 40; 10:36; 11:20;
13:32; 14:7, 15, 21; 15:35; 16:10; 17:18; Rom. 1:15; 10:15; 15:20; 1 Cor. 1:17;
9:16, 18; 15:1, 2; 2 Cor. 10:16; 11:7; Gal. 1:8, 9, 11, 16, 23; 4:3; Eph. 2:17;
3:8; 1 Thess. 3:6; Heb. 4:2, 6; 1 Pet. 1:12, 25; 4:6; Rev. 10:7; 14:6.
[5] Note – the translations used are from the
English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001. However, you
will encounter a number of different translations of this word in every other
translation of the biblical text.
[6] Cf. Acts 21:8; Eph. 4:11; 2 Tim. 4:5.
[7] Kittel, Gerhard, Gerhard Friedrich and Geoffrey
William Bromiley. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Grand
Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1985. Note – euangelion (good news) appears over 70 times in
the Greek New Testament.
[8] Medearis, Carl. Speaking of Jesus: The Art of
Not-evangelism. Colorado Springs, CO: David C Cook, 2011. 48.
[9] Bowland,
Terry A. Make Disciples: Reaching the Postmodern World for Christ. Joplin,
Mo.: College Press Pub., 1999. 20.
[10] Ragsdale, Chad. On this same issue in response
to Carl Medearis’s post: “One concern I have is that following Jesus is
certainly biblical – but so is repentance. Plenty of people in Scripture
followed Jesus out of curiosity. But not many truly repented. He [Carl] is
presenting a method of ‘conversion’ which isn’t really conversion at all. I
would argue that it borders on mere curiosity.”
An excellent resource to consider on this issue is Concentric Circles of Concern: Seven Stage
for Making Disciples by W. Oscar Thompson, Jr. You can purchase the book on
Amazon.com.
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Thomas Montgomery
resides in Joplin, Missouri where he studies Psychology and Counseling at Ozark Christian College. Thomas is a pastor at Nashville Christian Church. He enjoys watching football and NASCAR (Go Dale Jr!). His hobbies include hiking, cooking, reading, and talking to people about the person of Jesus Christ. He loves people, evidenced by his service to the Church and those who do not yet know Christ. Thomas, who was an EMT for some time, wants to counsel firefighters and paramedics in the future.
Follow him on Twitter: Follow @tjmontgomery90
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