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Originally Posted by kvanlaan  My concern with 'innovations' is the buggaboo/strawman/bogeyman under every bed/slippery slope (call it what you will) that you will innovate until you come to the misty mountain top where Finney summed it all up: "Is it fit to convert sinners with?" Quote: |
A question you need to ask Perg, is whether or not these things may "by good and necessary consequence be deduced from Scripture", and thus divinely ordained? If these things may be legitimately deduced from Scripture, then they are not innovations.
| With that as the litmus test, can we say conclusively that if it fails that test, it is not a legit 'innovation'? |
So, by good and necessary consequence, which of these is permissible:
• Blanketing an area with radio and/or TV broadcasts and telling listeners/watchers to write in for a correspondence course. In similar fashion, having a website ministry.
• Going door-to-door and asking people to come to a Sunday meeting.
• Conducting huge tent or stadium crusades and hoping that converts could be gathered together afterwards to form a worshiping church.
• Translating the Bible into the local language and praying that the co-translators will be the first ones to come to know Christ.
• Building a huge, beautiful church building then inviting people to come fill it (like the Alliance did in Lima, Peru).
• Starting home Bible Studies among interested people and hopefully gathering them together into a church at a later date.
• Starting cell groups with the goal to making them multiply within a few months (a la Ralph Neighbor).
• Massive literature distribution (a la Every Home Crusade).
• Friendship evangelism, especially in closed countries.
• Starting hospitals, schools, and orphanages with the hopes that people will be exposed to the gospel while there.
• Doing community development in the hopes that social action will be interpreted as Christ’s agape love for the world.
• Concentrating on planting a church planting movement—the big buzz word today in missions. (list compiled by another)
Also include radio and music and film ministry. Throw in puppet show ministry, storying, and internet evangelism.
What can be drawn from Scripture. Paul seemed quite flexible in method and yet had a Gospel core he preached. Compare acts 14 and Acts 17 for Paul's rhetorical variety. Paul even quoted pagans and preached in pagan debate arenas. Paul preached, explained, wrote letters and seemed to attempt to communicate by all possible means at his disposal.