EVANGELISM
among
POSTMODERN YOUTH

The following insights have been summarised from key authors' thoughts on ministry among postmodern youth:

Kevin Ford, in Jesus for a New Generation, speaks about Process Evangelism: In process evangelism people are convinced of the reality of God's love not by prepositional arguments or one-time evangelistic rallies but by a daily consistent, practical demonstration that Christianity works and that God's love is real. In process evangelism pre-Christian people discover the reality of God and the love of God in the transparency and love of God's people.

The traditional approach to conversion was one that favoured the dramatic conversion experience - even though only about 20 percent of people testify to a dramatic 'Pauline' conversion. Evangelism was framed in commercial terms: we had the product (the gospel) and the customer (the pre-Christian) and our job was to sell the product to the customer. Conversion takes place when you 'close the deal'.

But most people have come to faith in a process manner. The disciples began with an understanding of Jesus as an 'above-average teacher' and as they relationship grew their understanding deepened as they started to see that he was a prophet, then the Messiah and finally the Son of God.

Jesus' pattern with his disciples is one that we need to follow. He entered into their world, he identified with their pain and their broken condition, he devoted great amounts of time building his life into their lives, he committed himself to a process of evangelising - not just an evangelistic event.

Postmoderns won't trust a stranger distributing tracts and witnessing in a chance encounter in a shopping mall. Trust must be earned over a period of time through an investment of involvement and relationships.

Evangelism can be defined as cooperating with the Holy Spirit in bringing a person one step closer to Christ.

Process evangelism can be distilled down to four essentials:

1. Authenticity - we must be authentic and committed to Jesus Christ. The Christian life must be the core reality of our lives, not just an act.

2. Caring - we must demonstrate genuine care and unconditional love for the pre-Christian - regardless of their level of belief or lifestyle. This does not mean that we never confront sin, but we must always show love and acceptance of the individual, no matter what the sin.

3. Trust - we must demonstrate absolute integrity, truthfulness, loyalty, confidentiality and openness. Only after we have established a deep level of trust will be able to share how the story of Jesus Christ has intersected with our life.

4. Transparency - we must be real and allow others to see the reality of our lives though our openness and vulnerability. We must admit our mistakes, confess our sin and tell the story of our pain and our problems so they can see God at work in our lives.

What then is the place of crusade evangelism? Mass evangelism and media evangelism have a place as long as they are linked with a personal, process-orientated approach. Many people think that evangelism is what takes place in a packed arena when Billy Graham gets up to speak - but for the vast majority of people who respond at the crusade, that single-point-in-time event was just the culmination of a process of being evangelised by the people who brought them to the crusade. The crusade is not the sum-total of evangelism - but the catalyst for process evangelism. While a crusade can have a profound impact on youth today it must be preceded by a long, caring relationship with the person that brought them to the crusade.

There was a time when we could preach at people and they would respond to the Gospel. But preaching at people doesn't work too well anymore. We can't just come at people - we have to go with them. We have to get into their world, just as Jesus came into our world and became one of us. This is called Incarnational Evangelism: becoming incarnate or being figuratively born into another person's world.

The incarnation approach to evangelism has five steps:

1. Do what they do - as we bond with non-Christians trust is built, which lays the foundation for evangelism. While the traditional approach to evangelism involves inviting people to do what we do, the Incarnational approach involve going to do what they do.

2. Enjoy and accept them - if I just go through the motions of doing what pre-Christians do and don't give them my heart they will feel patronised not loved. Evangelism is most effective when it is natural and unprogrammed - when we truly enjoy spending time with and talking to the people we are witnessing to.

3. Affirm what is good in their values - as Christians we have a tendency to be judgmental. We are afraid that any affirmation we give will make them believe that we agree with all their values and even their sinful habits. But refusing to affirm what is good in their value system creates distance between us. It also ignores the fact that God is already at work in their hearts - planting biblical learnings and values in their mind and drawing them close to himself.

4. Share the story of Jesus in their terms - this is the transition step and is the most tricky. We may have done the hard work of building trust and incarnating ourselves into their worlds but then we can blow it by using church jargon that they don't understand and which turns them off.

5. Invite them to follow Jesus in a way they can relate to - there are two dangers here - either we get so religious that we scare the person off, or we never get around to inviting the pre-Christian at all. But if we have really gotten to know the person, it will not be difficult to ask whether they are up to following Jesus.

Jimmy Long, in Generating Hope, explores how evangelism needs to change among youth today. A transition has changed from the Enlightenment era to the Postmodern era - and a new approach is needed.

While the church must continue to tell the old, old story, it must now do so by helping people to consider the plausibility and authenticity of the gospel - not by making a rational defense of its credibility. Christians will need to live out their faith in front of people so that it allows them to see that what they believe is credible.

The need for story is still relevant. Narrative evangelism involves a merger of 'our story' with 'God's story' as we share it with others. People will make a commitment to Christ when they hear a story that seems coherent and rings true to them

The postmodern mindset does not accept absolute truth. Truth is determined in the communities or tribal groups to which one belongs. In the old days the essence of a tribe was communicated by stories that were passed down from generation to generation within the community.

The story that the Christian community adopts is Jesus' story - Jesus' life. To become a Christian (to convert) is to adopt the story of Christ so that one becomes part of the story line. It is possible that people today are more open than ever to hear God's Story because of the emptiness and brokenness of Postmodern life. The Gospel story intersects with this generations experience in a number of ways: (1) They feel alienated: God's story brings reconciliation; (2) they feel betrayed: God's story restores broken trust; (3) they feel insecure: God's story brings a sense of safety within a protective, healing community; (4) they lack a defined identity: God's story brings a new identity in Christ; (5) they feel unwanted and unneeded: God's story offers them a place of belonging, a place for involvement, and a place where their lives can be used in service of a purpose that is larger than themselves.

The conversion process in narrative evangelism can be called a 'collision of narratives' - our story collides with God's Story - His story challenges our story and makes us question our reality.

In postmodernism where absolute truth is not a given a new type apologetics is needed: one that is referred to as embodied apologetics. The Gospel is unchanging, but the way we go about proclaiming or defending it must change. Previously, Christian apologists used to defend the faith with a rational defense of Christian truths. This made sense since the attacks came from people influenced by the Enlightenment - where people accepted that there was truth. Evangelism was then concerned with persuading people of the cognitive truth of the Gospel.

Postmodernism has disregarded any notion of universal truth and recognises only preferences. All claims to universal truth are equally valid. All belief systems must be regarded as equally valid. Yet we have been taught to follow the apologetic path set forth in 1 Peter 3:15 - giving an answer to the hope we have within us. The Four Spiritual Laws simply don't connect with people who no longer accept universal laws of any kind. People today want to dialogue about things; they want to disagree with everything as they question truth statements.

We will need to lead people to discover truth for themselves rather than telling them what to believe. If we arrogantly claim to know the truth, we will not be well accepted.

A Socratic method of evangelism where questions are used to lead people to worth through issues maybe a better approach to take. This will need to take place in the context of relationships where trust has been established over a period of time - it won't work in a hit-and-run context.

Today people today seldom ask, "What do you think?" instead they ask, "How do you feel?" Our apologetic must deal with this new approach - we can no longer continue to provide a rational answer to issues - this is no longer what people are wrestling with. We need a new apologetic - a defense of the Gospel that is appropriate for the contemporary mindset.

It seems that Jesus and Paul had different approaches. Jesus primarily used stories while Paul primarily used rational arguments. The difference lies in the differences between Hebrew and Greek thought. Greek thought was static, placing emphasis on contemplation and thinking; while Hebrew thought was dynamic, placing emphasis on action. The Greeks emphasised the individual while the Hebrews emphasised community. Jesus spoke in story form because it captured the minds of the Hebrew people; while Paul spoke in abstractions that engaged the Greek mind.

It is accurate to equate the Enlightenment with Greek thought and Postmodernism with Hebrew thought. This means that those wishing to reach a postmodern generation will spend more time in the Gospels and Old Testament narrative passages which the postmodern mindset can identify with. Postmoderns will be reached, like the Hebrews, more though the heart than the mind. Questions of the heart will be more important than intellectual questions.

If we present truth to this generation they will yawn and say, "Whatever". What they need is an embodied witness that clearly demonstrates why they should care about the truth in the first place. We will have to live our lives in community in such a way that people ask, "Why are you so different?" "What keeps you going?" "What is the hope in your heart?"

People will need places where they can observe and participate without becoming too involved.

While this generation may not be looking for the truth, it is looking for what is real. Our apologetic will need to emphasise an inclusive community that welcomes people to come in and observe the reality of the Christian faith. It needs to emphasise a loving community that reaches out to the needy and the hurting. It also needs to emphasise the hope that we have.

Could it be that the Great Commandment will be the Biblical mandate needed than the Great Commission. The Great Commandment focuses on relationships and community.

So the new apologetic must be lived out in a faithful community; demonstrate an active love, and offer eternal hope. Echoes of this is found in: Colossians 1:4-5, "we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints - the faith and love that spring up from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven." There are three elements in the apologetic: (1) Faithful Community - today we need to establish the plausibility of the faith long before we talk about it's credibility. Postmoderns will best understand a holy, just and forging God when they see a holy, just and forgiving community of believers. Postmoderns will be impressed when they see truth lived out in community. So, evangelism is only possible when the community doing the evangelism lives out the Christian message. (2) Loving Community - Jesus stressed that we would be known by our love. The greatest apologetic for Christianity is a loving community. At the heart of the gospel is a person - not a proposition. As lost as we try to debate with this generation on the basis of right and wrong we will turn them off and turn them away. We will build bridges to them as we demonstrate compassion to them through performing deeds of love as God's community. Leighton Fords says that our evangelism needs words and touch. Our clear voice must be matched with a touch of grace. Trust will develop as they see us loving and caring for them; and as we listen to them sharing about themselves, they will be more eager to hear what we have to say. People today need to hear that they matter to God - that He has created them, that He loves them and offers hope to them. (3) Hopeful Communities - this generation is struggling to find meaning and hope for the future. We will have to emphasise with the pain and sufferings of this generation. The community of faith can offer an eternal or heavenly hope where tears and pain will no longer exist (Revelation 21:1-5).

We are called to be witnesses. A witness is someone who has seen and experienced something and who then proclaims it to others. A witnessing community demonstrates the Gospel though good deeds and also proclaims to others what it has experienced firsthand. We are often afraid to be witnesses because we have been told that to speak about what we believe demonstrates intolerance. But respecting the beliefs of others does not mean that we have to keep quiet about our beliefs. How then can we go about loving our neighbours and pointing them to Christ?

There are six phases in a postmodern conversion:

1. Discontentment with Life - People who are context with their lives are not usually open to the Gospel. A sense of discontentment with one's life can lead to people finding Christ.

2. Confusion over Meaning - media slogans like: "just do it" discourage people from a search for meaning. Some have given up the search because they have been frustrated in their pursuits of meaning.

3. Contact with Christians - unfortunately many seekers do not have a very high opinion of Christians. Maybe they have had negative encounters in the past or they have wrong stereotypes. Christians will need to develop trust that will lead to breaking down negative stereotypes. Once evangelistic friendships have been developed the following guidelines apply: (a) issues of the heart more than the mind must be addressed; (b) realise that it will take a long time for the person to make a commitment; and (c) the friendship must be moved into a community.

4. Converted to Community - it is important that individuals become involved in the Christian community as part of their decision-making process. This may involve a small group, a seeker event or a social outing. Postmodern people make decision based on their experience within the community. The evangelistic process is more of a community affair than a one-to-one encounter. Postmoderns experience a two-stage conversion: they become converted to the community - over a period of time they begin to identify with the commit and feel a sense of belonging. At this point they may be a member of the community without having made a commitment to Christ. The next stage is making a conversion to Christ.

5. Commitment to Christ - as the seeker identified with the community they may not be aware of the need to make a commitment to Christ. This may form over a period of time or it may take place at a specific moment. Either way, a commitment to Christ needs to take place. People must take the next step and make a commitment to Christ and not just to the community.

6. A Calling to God's Heavenly Vision - we must help people understand God's story, from creation to Christ's Second Coming. This understanding will give them the meaning they have been lacking in the past. They need a perspective that is lived from the future (Christ's return) in the present (pain and suffering) while being anchored to the past Christ's death and resurrection).

Key Insights:
* The key question for people today is "Is it real?" not "Is it true?"
* Their lives are more likely to be changed through the heart than through the mind.
* They need to see the incarnation of the gospel in people's lives more than to hear the proclamation of the gospel though our words.
* They need a place where they can see the gospel in action - they need to be invited into community.
* They need to experience the love of Jesus more than they need to be informed that Jesus is love.

Our Approach:
* We need to enter their communities more than expect them to enter ours.
* We need to care about people as real people with real hurts.
* We need to meet people where they are and listen to their stories.
* We must pray for wisdom to know how to demonstrate God's love by word and deed.
* We need to pray that God will draw people to himself.
* We must share ourselves and the hope of the gospel with them so they begin to understand that God loves them and desire to give them a home where they belong.
* We must help them understand that only God can provide them with hope for discovering life's meaning, purpose and direction.

Tim Celek and Dieter Zander, in Inside the Soul of a New Generation, present a model for evangelism based on Paul's encounter on Mars Hill in Acts 17. They suggest four guidelines: (1) Real - we must work hard at being vulnerable, transparent and imperfect. People will relate to us when they are honest about our struggles. (2) Rousing - as we use our genuine, honest experiences, we will rouse people from their hiding places. (3) Relevant - it must address the questions this generation are asking and not those of a previous generation. (4) Relational - more and more evangelism is going to happen through relationships. The Gospel is going to be communicated more incarnationally than propositionally or cognitively.

Celek and Zander say, "With a postmodern mindset, Busters process truth relationally. In order for them to sort through an issue, or delve into the deep waters of their emotional makeup, they need time to process the radical message of Jesus. They need to think about it, talk about it among their friends, and talk about it some more. That process probably isn't going to be finished in an hour or two. Or maybe even a month or two. When you try to wrap things up nice and tidy, Busters sometimes will see that as being unreal and trite you minimize the search." Page 114.

Dawson McAllister in Saving the Millennial Generation, says the movie Contact has the following four messages: (1) Experiences is the ultimate measure of meaning. (2) Evangelical, Bible-believing Christians are antiprogress, reactionary, stupid and dangerous. (3) God's real representative is one who loves passionately, is reasonable and compassionate, but doesn't draw any harsh lines in the sand. (4) Though an experience may be attacked by others (either agnostics or Christians), it is the foundation for personal truth and cannot be dismissed.

Leonard Sweet in soulTsunami speaks about Postmodern Storytelling Evangelism which has four stages: (1) Reckoning - here there is listening, observing, learning, identifying and interpreting the stories that are already being told. We should use interviews and questionnaires to find our what issues they take seriously. (2) Drafting - here one puts forward Bible stories that connect with their context and models stories that match with their experience; getting people to respond to a variety of approaches. (3) Piloting - here one builds on what one has garnered from the first two stages to implement a storytelling strategy and test it validity and reliability. (4) Sailing - here one continues to refine and refocus what one is doing, trusting the Spirit to lead and guide and bring the person home.

Thomas Hohstadt in Dying to Live: The 21st Century Church, says: "Like the ancient Hebrews, today's youth measure knowledge by experience. Their bodies often know things before their minds do…they are more spiritual than cognitive. In short, they see no distinction between spirit and body…mind and emotion. In place of myriad facts, for example, they prefer raw experience. Rather than traditional doctrines, they desire altered states. Instead of left-sided brains, they crave multisensory worlds…Clearly a new way of sharing the Word is needed." Thomas proceeds to talk about some of the features of the new way of sharing: (1) we must be real - we must truly believe what we say and what we say must be relevant to youthful lives; (2) we must relate without condescension or manipulation; (3) we must develop two-way relationships in which youth can participate and interact; (4) we must speak the language of youth - using language that conveys transcendent images, words and actions that carry an implicit, rather than explicit, message. Youth want to be able to draw their own conclusions. Hohstadt says, "For the Church, this postmodern language will take the form of endless 'prophetic metaphors.' A constant flow of fluid and fleeting images will replace our linear and logical rhetoric as the preferred path to religious experience. Because - when prophetic - metaphors create us more than we create them. They inform us more than we inform them.