A GUIDE FOR EVANGELISTS

One of the most important Evanston discussions was devoted to the problem of how the churches in the 20th century should go about spreading the Word. The resulting message might have been more shoptalk for clergymen. Actually, it is addressed also to laymen--"missionaries of Christ in every secular sphere"--and forcefully defines the job of being a Christian. Excerpts:

On Unity. "The people of God . . . are never alone with their Lord in iso lation from the world. It is the world which He came to save . . . But this witness of the church to its Lord is weakened by our faithlessness--not least by our divisions. Therefore will the church deal with these divisions with holy impatience, and passionately strive for unity."

Faith & Works. "Wherever [Christians] encounter social injustice, they will do battle for its redress . . . The church must break out of its isolation and introversion, meeting the individual where he is . . . [This] is particularly relevant to workers and intellectuals, many of whom are conspicuously outside the life of the church . . .

"Too often our words have been impotent because they have not been incarnate in relevant works of service . . . It is not enough for the church to speak out of its security. Following our incarnate and crucified Lord, we must live in such identification with man, with his sin, his hopes and fears, his misery and needs, that we become his brother and can witness . . . to God's love for him. Those outside the church make little distinction between faith and works . . ."

The Role of Laymen. "The laity stand at the very outposts of the kingdom of God . . . Theirs is the task to carry the message of the church into every area of life, to be informed and courageous witnesses to the will of Our Lord in the world . . . It is urgent that the church come to life in small neighborhoods, e.g., in 'street or house churches,' where neighbors, church and non-church, gather to think and pray . . . In many parts of the world today, the determining context of a person's V life is not where he lives but where he V works . . . Therefore . . . the Gospel [must] be addressed to the group as well as to the individual . . ."

Modern Techniques. "Such developments raise questions about the adequacy of traditional forms of parish life . . . The convictions and decisions of individuals in many countries are reached under the pressure of a common mental climate which . . . media of mass communication tend to create. Hence the church cannot neglect the use of these same media, for it is essential that Christianity, the questions it asks and the answers it offers, should permeate the general consciousness . . . Serious thought should be given to a more realistic training of its ministry, including . . . service of theological students in industry . . ."

Nationalism. "The renascence of non-Christian religions and the spread of new ideologies necessitate a new approach in our evangelizing task. In many countries, especially in Asia and parts of Africa, these religious revivals are reinforced by nationalism and often present themselves as effective bases for social reform . . . They [are] based on man's persistent desire to be master of his own destiny. The Gospel hope, on the contrary, does not rest upon what man can do for himself but on God's promise, in judgment and mercy, finally to fulfill His purposes."

The Christian Promise. "The tragedy of the world is that it knows no judge, no Lord of history. To the church it is given to know that man is not condemned to an endless succession of meaningless nights and days . . . to uncomforted mourning or ever-disillusioned hoping . . . The time of evangelism will not last forever; it will be succeeded by the time of the kingdom fulfilled. The good news will not remain forever a promise: it will become a promise kept."

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