DISQUS

brucedanielson · 2 months ago

In one of your articles or blogs, you mentioned the 4 Spiritual Laws tract as reflecting the inadequate framing of the gospel message by evangelicals.
Recently, my wife and I have become involved in the "Kids Against Hunger" food relief campaign. The suggestion was made to include gospel tracts with the food portions. I was unhappy with the decision to go with "Chick" tracts.
I am contemplating creating a tract that presents the "Christus Victor" idea in a way that would be brief, clear, and universally relevant. Can you help by giving me your ideas of what the basic elements of such a tract should be? Any storyline ideas in which to embed this message? Thanks if you can.

simeon · 2 months ago

Wow that's a great question bruce!

I'm going to think a bit about how to answer it - i share your distaste for Chick tracts and it would be great if you could provide a better way of communicating the gospel.

While I don't have an immediate answer I do have a site to recommend - http://www.sharktacos.com/God/ has one of the best essays I've ever read on Christus Victor and the author is a animator of some kind. He might have resources to recommend.

I'm not leaving you with that though - I will think about this and get back to you...

brucedanielson · 1 month ago

Thanks for the response, Simeon. Yes, please do get back to me if you come
up with any ideas. In the meantime, I emailed Derek Flood (sharktacos) with
this question. He said he wasn't much into tracts but that his video,
"Emelia"carried the Christus Victor theme.
"Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow..."
"Jesus knows all about our troubles"
"Christ in you, the hope of glory"
"Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God's own choosing" -- Yes,
I think a tract could be made out of the ideas in Martin Luther's "A Mighty
Fortress" hymn.
Thanks, again
Bruce

madvbdog · 4 months ago

First thing, I think death of evangelicalism is greatly over exaggerated. Secondly I don't know if I would pick a Willow Creek as the church to bash as they are a church planting and a church that works very hard to both reach people and measure how they are doing.

Finally if you want to check out a church that seems to be trying to live out what the church looks like, check out http://www.kaleochurch.com/

Peace

simeon · 4 months ago

I guess we'll find out about the death of evangelicalism - get back to me in a decade or two and we'll see. As to Willow Creek (mentioned in the interview) - I sort of agree! Anybody who has the guts to study what they're doing wrong and talk about it publicly is doing something right, big time.

On the other hand - watch Hybel's summary of the Reveal study (http://revealnow.com/story.asp?storyid=49). I see much of the Church going down the same path - seeing "doing Church" as mostly participation in cool, attractive (and expensive) programs that don't help them become mature and make them increasingly dependent on programs (consumers) instead of becoming mature believers. And of course Reveal was extended to 30 other Churches as well to see if there was a general trend or if it was specific to Willow Creek. Yup!

Nice link - I like what I've read so far...

Jeshua · 4 months ago

Despite my three years at an Evangelical college, it has been my time in the Grace Brethren Church and the Missionary Church that I would say has given me significant interaction with evangelicals. But shallowness is not what I have found there. One could argue that even my interactions with these evangelicals still doesn't give me Willow Creek style understanding as both the Grace Brethren and the Missionary Church have Anabaptist roots that shape who they are, though they often seem eager to ignore it. I agree that Evangelicals presentation of the Gospel is often incomplete. But I keep finding Evangelicals who generally agree and who are working to place greater emphasis on the life of discipleship.

I think my main frustration with Evangelicals has changed from seeing them as shallow to seeing them as generally being unwilling to reframe their understanding of the Gospel. Nonresistance is a good example here, not necessarily simply because of its own significance, but because those of us who adhere to it automatically see the Gospel as something that is counter-cultural and doesn't adhere to the norms of our world. To me, the lacking in the Gospel presentation by Evangelicals seems to stem not from shallowness, but rather conformity to the trends of the culture. I don't know where I'm going with all this exactly other than to say I'm consistently running into people who, whether or not Anabaptism is their particular persuasion, are seeking something a little more revolutionary then what stereo-typical Evangelicalism has offered. I don't see it on Sunday mornings very often, but as relationships are built, I've seen an active Spirit in every church I've been in recently (save the Dunkard Brethren). But these have mostly been churches that have sought to be for something, to be heading toward Kingdom goals, as opposed to being against something. The DBs have more vested in what they're against (for fear of turning worldly or liberal), and perhaps BCF and the like also have more vested in what they're against (for fear of turning legalistic?). Vision requires a direction to go toward, not simply a course to avoid. I'm rambling now and may have completely departed from your original thoughts. Maybe you should go be Anglican or Lutheran for a while and find out more deeply where Dr. Wells is coming from ;-)