Okay, now that I have your attention and before I get beaten to death by an angry crowd of tract-wielding “soul winners,” let me explain.
Although the concept of evangelism is all over the New Testament, the actual word “evangelism” is never used once: that’s right, not once. The word “evangelize” is used 52 times, and the word “evangelist” is used a few times as well, but the word “evangelism” is as absent as a loudmouth in a boot camp for mimes.
But just like with the word “Trinity” (which is never used once in the Bible either), the concept is all over the pages of the New Testament. You see it in action through the life of Jesus in each of the Gospels, watch it unfold as an unstoppable force of societal transformation in the book of Acts, and witness its impact in the lives of the early believers in the Epistles. For a word that is nowhere to be found, its presence is felt everywhere.
But this good word has fallen on hard times. Although evangelism literally means “the act of delivering good news,” this very positive word is often viewed negatively. From images of bullhorns and “Repent!” signs to stereotypes of money-grubbing, bling-wearing TV evangelists, the word evangelism has gotten a bad rap by those who have wrapped it in angry judgment or gaudy jewelry.
And that’s a shame because to evangelize is to bring the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection to the bad news bearers of their own sin and God’s coming judgment. And those of us who deliver that good news must do it with humility, knowing that we, too, were “objects of wrath” until somebody delivered that good news to us.
When you think about it, to evangelize someone with the right motives is the ultimate act of love! You are doing your best to save people from the hell they are going through and the one they are headed to apart from Jesus Christ. A few years ago in an online rant, renowned showman and atheist, Penn Jillette (of Penn and Teller fame), made this point in a powerful way. He asked his online audience, “How much do you have to hate someone not to proselytize?” Penn goes on to share that, although he’s an atheist, if he was a Christian and truly believed someone was headed to hell, he would do everything in his power to keep them from going there by sharing the gospel with them.
So, if evangelism is a positive word at its core but tends to be viewed negatively, what can we do about it? We need to either work hard to bring new, more positive stereotypes to the word or come up with a word or phrase that communicates the true and loving core of what it means to deliver the good news of the gospel to someone else.
Hmmm…let’s see…what are some words or phrases that would fit the bill? Oh, here’s one…we could use the word, “proseltyze” (just kidding!) “Sharing your faith” is a good and accepted phrase, but it feels a little tepid. After all, Mormons can share their faith, too. What about “advancing God’s kingdom” as a new phrase to describe evangelism? On second thought, no…it sounds a little like a catch phrase for the Crusades, and that’s a stereotype we don’t need. How about…I don’t know. Any ideas?
Well, until we come up with a better word, let’s get busy evangelizing, or whatever you want to call it. But let’s do it with humble hearts, listening ears, and mouths that are declaring the good news of Jesus in a loving and compelling way.
