- Making Converts
- The Sinner's Prayer
- "Do you know Jesus as..."
- Tribulationism
- Testimonies
- The Altar Call
- Witnessing
- Protestant Prayers
- The Church Growth Movement
- Chick Tracts
I happen to agree with the general thoughts behind his points, if not with all the points themselves. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Read the whole post here and let me know what you think.
(HT: Paul McCain)
(HT: Paul McCain)
4 comments:
I rate this article as a ten on the BS scale. Not having anything of any value to write about the author generalizes the topic into the ground. Example: "The Evangelist doesn't make 'converts', he is called to make 'disciples'." In the first place Man doesn't make anything. God uses Man to accomplish His will. In the interaction between the Man and the Unsaved, God puts words into the Man's mouth to CONVERT him from his unbelief to faith. God might even use the Sinner's Prayer to start the convert's journey towards discipleship. And it goes downhill from there.
I agree completely that it is ultimately God who makes disciples and converts. Yet given Christ's command to "make disciples of all nations," I think Carter is biblically justified in using such language.
In his comments section, he sharpens the focus of what he is saying on that point by stating, "Conversion, of course, is necessary for discipleship. But too often, it is the ending point rather than the beginning of a believer's journey."
Don't know if that helps at all, but I thought I'd share it. Thanks for reading and for offering your feedback!
I've been thinking about this (on-and-off) for a day or so. I suppose the biggest problem I have with it is #7 (witnessing). This seems to contradict what Jesus said in Acts 1:8. Now, if the author wants to define 'witnessing' to some specific offensive activity, I suppose he can do that, but the narrow meaning he hints at is not the more common meaning of the word to most believers.
He may be using a bit of a logical fallacy in #1 (making converts). He likens it to a process (in the form of discipling) but its not a process, it is an event. Agreed, it is done by the HS, but the means are of course the proclamation of the gospel.
I strongly agree with him on #2 (the sinner's prayer) and #6 (the alter call).
I'm still digesting the others.
Thanks for your thoughts, Dr. Boren. I appreciate the feedback!
Without putting words in his mouth, I think that the Carter would probably say that Acts 1:8 actually reinforces his point. He suggests that in the Christian life, "witness" ought to be more of a noun (as it is in Acts 1:8) than a verb. I think his point is to distinguish between decontextualized door-to-door "witnessing" to strangers, and sharing the gospel within the context of sharing all of life with people.
On a side note, we often take Jesus command to be "witnesses...to the ends of the earth" as an imperative to do foreign missions (which is certainly a valid application). It is interesting to consider that those of us who live in the western hemisphere are actually fruits of the fulfillment of that command. When Jesus was speaking about "the ends of the earth," he was talking about us!
Anyway, like I said before, I'm not sure that I agree with the precise points made (they're purposely worded in a very provocative manner), but I agree with the ethos behind them...or at least what I take that ethos to be: The Church is often far too concerned with the sensational (numerical growth, conversion stories, etc.) and quite often negligent in the less quantifiable work of going deeper in our relationships with God and fellow members of the Body of Christ.
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