Evangelism and A Biblical Worldview

I'm reading a good book right now called "UnChristian" by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons. The basic premise of the book is simply what a new generation really thinks about Christianity and why it matters. It is a good read for any person who considers themselves to be a Christian.

In the book Kinnaman talks about how the perception is that Christians are only concerned with converting outsiders and don't really care about them beyond another "notch in thier salvation belt." Some of the ways this seems evident is the emphasis on making a decision after an emotional appeal to "accept Jesus as your savior." While this is important within the spiritual process of deciding to follow Christ, it is not the goal. The goal should be spiritual transformation of people, not just decisions and baptisms. Kinnaman's finding demonstrated that there was no real difference in the lifestyles or beliefs of "Christians" or "Outsiders" in America.

So what is "spiritual transformation"? It is a shift in the way you think, the way you love, and the way you listen. It involves embracing a Christian worldview which Kinnaman defines this way:

1) believing Jesus lived a sinless life
2) God is the omnipotent, omniscient creator and ruler of hte universe
3) Salvation is a gift from God and cannot be earned
4) Satan is real
5) A Christian has a responsibility to share his or her faith in Christ with other people
6) The Bible is accurate in all of the principles it teaches
7) Unchanging moral truth exists
8) Such moral truth is defined by the Bible.

I like this concept of moving toward a new worldview not just a decision at an isolated event that may or may not actually change the way a person lives their lives.

Christianity has reached a point where people do not really like us. While sometimes that may be okay - we represent love and peace when many people would rather hate and promote war - in this instance people's dislike of us is often justified. We are simply not easy people to be around.

If our goal is to help people experience true spiritual transformation which involves renewing thier minds over a lifetime, then we might need to shift some of the ways we practice evangelism. I will be exploring these thoughts over the next few days and weeks.

Jason