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Is a Partial Gospel Really Good News? by Joel McClure

I wonder what Paul would say were he to sit in on much of what is called ‘evangelism’ in America. Would Paul point out inadequacies with what passes for ‘good news’ in contemporary communities of Jesus’ disciples? From what he wrote in his letters and from what Luke records of his activities, it is quite probable that Paul would take issue with the presentation of today’s version of ‘good news.’ What might Paul of Tarsus say is wrong with ‘evangelism’ in its early 21st century American ‘evangelical’ incarnation? What corrections might need to be made to our message and, in light of that, our methods?

Extracted from the full, rich, and enculturated writings of the New Testament authors, distilled down to palatable and marketable ‘timeless truths’, and compressed into short pithy statements, the ‘evangelistic’ message today presents itself in roughly the following formula: You are a sinner. Sinners go to hell. Believe that Jesus died for your sins and ‘paid the price’ for you. (Perhaps) be baptized—depending on your particular denominational affiliation. Publicly profess your agreement with a certain list of doctrinal statements. So that you can have assurance that you will go to heaven when you die. ...

... We need to stop trying to fit the gospel onto bumper stickers. Todd Hunter’s hypothesis that “something went drastically wrong when a reductionistic rendering of the Gospel got married to the American marketing machine” suggests that minimalization, while perhaps expedient, is not helpful in the long run. This is a big story and it takes time to get your mind around. It also takes more than words to understand it. We can be honest with people and say, “This story is too big for me to tell you in four sentences. Can we walk together for a few years so you can see it properly?”

We need to stop thinking in terms of converting people in one conversation, and start thinking of discipling people in terms of years (with conversion perhaps taking place somewhere along the way). This will not necessarily take place in formal contexts. It may even take place without people knowing it at first. ...