I agree with the above posts. I think this approach is very bad.
Interestingly enough, I have seen many churches - including Reformed Churches - basically take this type of approach. These churches are not as open and honest about it; but they try to appeal to 'felt needs.'
For example, one Reformed minister once said to me privately that it is easier to get church attenders in Latin America because if you offer food in poor countries, you attract people. In other words, he was saying if you appeal to carnal needs, like food, companionship, contemporary happy music, etc. you can build a bigger church.
His services entailed 30 minutes of happy Christian music, 30 minutes describing how kind Jesus is, and about two hours of socializing afterwards. (No vengeful God stuff, but I did learn a lot about soccer. In private, he would discuss that other side of God.)
I am not going to comment on whether or not this is correct. He and his superiors appear to feel that this is how you reach the lost in a very secular country like Canada.
My question is: How do you preach Reformed Theology?
How do you reach the lost in rich nations like the US?
Almost everyone - except me - has been confronted by a Jehovah Witness or Mormon. When was the last time a Reformed missionary - who did not know you were Reformed - offered to preach the Word to you in Canada or the U.S?
For the most part, it sometimes seems to me that the Reformed church really only wants to preach to the converted and not reach out to the lost in North America. I know myself personally, I have never gone up to a perfect stranger to preach the Word. This is not good.
When I was a boy, my dad told me a story. When he was a kid growing up in Holland, he knew a pastor that once went to the seedy part of a city and played cards with some unsavory characters. When he was done playing, he said something like, "Hey guys, I played cards with you at your place, how would you like to come to my place on Sunday and hear a Christian sermon?"
Was this the right way to reach the lost? I don't know. But at least he was trying to get converts. Maybe the guys in the above post can be at least credited for at least TRYING to get converts.
Interestingly enough this type of approach didn't work for me. Ten years of happy music, happy God sermons at a Vineyard-type church just left me confused.
I hate to admit it, but the article that changed my life was titled, 'God has a plan for your life, and you may not like it.' This article really explained the harsh side of God, which ironically made the Bible much more understandable. Suddenly, those passages that were so mysterious to me began to make sense.
Unfortunately, I know that since I started reading Reformed theology, I have made no converts. There is one Pentecostal guy who I have discussed Calvinism at length with for many hours, however, I have made minimal impact. Ironically, his counter-arguments have forced me sharpen my own theology. I fear I have gained more from these discussions than him.
The question remains: how do you reach the lost?
In the past 2 or 3 years I have kept a list of web sites that I think are particularly good at addressing specific Christian issues. I guess in the back of my mind I want a list of resources that a person can go to to learn about Christian issues. My dream is that if someone comes to me and says, ' Hey I want to learn more about Calvinism, or the so-called Prosperity doctrine I hear Benny Hinn preaching,' I can give him a web site article that can simply explain basic Christian concepts.
I've even thought of developing a web site that would have links to succinct, straightforward, easy-to-read, contemporary Christian articles. You know, stuff a person with little education, like me, can quickly grasp.
One Pentecostal lady I know is quite hostile to Calvinism. I thought to myself, 'how can I best introduce her to Calvinism?' Though she is very smart, I knew that if I gave her an academic dissertation on Calvinism, she wouldn't take the time to read it.
I sent her the link below and hoped that the sermon included would somehow succinctly explain the Sovereignty of God. I thought this sermon was a great introduction to Reformed theology.
The sermon was Biblically based. It was also short, it was simple, and it appealed to the emotions. I hate to say it but many people just don't have the discipline to handle meaty theology - even if they have attended church for many years. From my background with Vineyard, I also knew that many people need something that appeals strongly to emotions - something that draws interesting 'word pictures.'
This is the link:
http://www.salemreformed.org/RockinDoctrine.html
Anyway, sending this link appeared to accomplished nothing. Oh well, I hope God at least gives me some credit for trying.
How do you reach people with Reformed Theology? I would guess that 95% of North Americans have no understanding of Reformed theology.
Was the link I sent this lady really good? I think it is great, but what do I know?
Are there better web sites that can give non-Calvinists an introduction to Calvinism?
As horrible as the carnal marketing techniques are in the 'Church Lite' article, are many Reformed people in danger because we do not try hard enough to reach the lost? This gives me great pause for thought.
Are we content to spend hours sitting at our computers criticizing carnal 'church marketing techniques' etc., while at the same time doing little to spread the Word?
An example of how stupid I am:
When I first read Robin's post criticizing Purpose-Driven churches, I thought she was supporting them.
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