An extended review of a 2024 book by Judith Paulsen
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Baker Academic, 2024. 224 pages. $32 (e-book $24)
Judy Paulsen, professor of evangelism at Wycliffe College, University of Toronto, says the majority of students entering her classroom hold negative views of evangelism with little understanding of how evangelism connects to theology or to biblical texts apart from the Great Commission.
As an evangelism consultant to North American congregations and denominational groups, she also knows the problem is not limited to her classroom. Failure to understand and appreciate the vital role of evangelism in the Christian church is widespread.
A New and Ancient Evangelism is her challenge to those students, and Christians everywhere, to “reflect on their negative biases against evangelism and cultivate in them a healthier, God-centered view of mission.” She believes a study of the conversion process seen in biblical conversion stories will deepen our understanding and bring changes in our evangelism practices.
Following a brief overview of commonly held negative attitudes regarding evangelism, she explores 11 biblical conversion stories, mining theologically rich and valuable insights about the nature of evangelism.
Whereas readers may be anticipating a how-to handbook on evangelism, Paulsen begins with a challenge look at ourselves in light of what God has done for us through Christ. A deeper, richer understanding of who God is, what He is doing in this world, and how we might fit into this plan will revolutionize our feeling and approach to the evangelistic enterprise.
Each chapter concludes with several probing questions encouraging readers to engage with the material.
Countering a common view that evangelism is just another program, Paulsen writes: “Mission is not simply one of many things the church is to do. Participating in the missio Dei is at the very heart of the church’s identity.” For churches wanting to participate, she has included an appendix with several ideas for engaging their communities with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Because “conversion is first and foremost a work of God” – a theological truth repeatedly revisited throughout this book – it is critical that Christians approach evangelism through a healthy, growing spiritual relationship with God. Paulsen writes, “The Christian disciplines of silence, solitude, meditation and prayer are the birthing ground for sharing the gospel with others.”
Returning to these ancient disciplines is vital for both individual believers and church congregations. Because God is the “primary evangelist” – no one ever comes to faith apart from the active work of the Holy Spirit – Christians need to “learn again the importance of discerning where God is leading.” That leads Paulsen to remind us again that prayer must precede every evangelistic endeavour.
Each conversion story begins with the full biblical text of the account. Paulsen is a careful student of the text, and the principles and insights she gathers can be readily seen and supported by the biblical text. Each case study is filled with numerous quotable statements which are destined to appear in the sermons, studies and articles yet to be created by those who read this book.
While there is plenty of material here about how to go about evangelizing, both individually and corporately, Paulsen keeps readers anchored in the biblical theology of making disciples. I personally appreciated her commitment to keeping baptism integral to evangelism. She writes, “The sacrament of baptism is, first, an act of covenant between an individual and God, and second, a celebration of initiation into the church.” The author says baptism has been sidelined in some evangelical churches, and disconnected from the act of following Christ. She attributes some of this to the individualism and rationalism of our culture influencing the church’s practices. The church in the West must, she says, “reconnect evangelistic teaching, conversion, and the sacrament of baptism.”
Paulsen discusses motivation, saying that, while the command to evangelize is certainly a duty to fulfill, the best impetus for doing so is our love for Christ. Because God is the primary catalyst in bringing new life, keeping our focus on Jesus will make our message clearer and more compelling. It is what God has done in Christ, not how cleverly we may present the gospel, that matters most.
This book will be appreciated by pastors, teachers, lay leaders and all Christians who desire to effectively engage their culture with the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ.
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