This weeks Life in Wartime Podcast on the Eternity network is the most important one for me. It is what we are about – how do we tell the Good News in such a stressful situation.
SUMMARY
Since Jesus’ granting of the Great Commission, in season and out, His followers have sought to spread the good news. But what does evangelism look like in a world locked down by anxiety?
SHOW NOTES
COVID-19 has taught us many lessons about the imperative to evangelise, but also how important it is to adapt our methods to the circumstances of the day.
In the final episode of Life In Wartime, David Robertson and Stephen McAlpine discuss what it is to be an evangelist, and what form that evangelism can most helpfully take in a time of world crisis.
It seems that the imminent prospect of death by pandemic should be the ideal time for people to hear about eternal life – so why is the Gospel message not cutting through? How is it that the world can be never been more open to, but never more hostile towards what Jesus has to say?
WHAT IS LIFE IN WARTIME?
The COVID-19 epidemic has brought upon us all the moral challenges associated with living in a state of constant conflict. We have to choose how we’re going to respond to this global threat day by day, and David Robertson and Stephen McAlpine from Third Space are here to help you think through the implications of the messages we’re hearing, and how God would have us live in these challenging times.
Farmers being intelligent? Have yo read George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”. Everyone knows it’s not the farmer that is the intelligent one but the pigs. Of course being a dyslexic, I have living knowledge of dyslexics being the most intelligent of all – it is a superpower ;).
Seriously though I have heard you talk about ploughing ground before and I remember thinking that this was an appropriate metaphor for the time. With Covid and protests – is the ploughing being done anyway? It’s an interesting point. In WWI it was the shelling of the ground which made it fertile for poppies to thrive so maybe you have a valid point.
Surely “evangelism in wartime” is not about changing the message but adapting the message in how it is shared relevant to the time. So the first question must surely be to define what “evangelism” is? No ask seven different rabbis the same question and you will get seven different answers – there’s no difference in Christianity. But we can, I hope, agree that at core it is about speaking as if God is speaking and serving in the strength that God provides?
So what I think is interesting David, is what you say about church being both where people see Christ and also being turned off. That certainly has been my experience and my guess would be that both you and I could be described similarly to a greater or lesser degree – the line between good and evil is drawn down every human heart?
I think there was a good point that you made about the assumption of everyone being reasonable. You can get yourself into all kinds of bother with sharing pearls with swine – intelligent or otherwise. We know that they have no use for pearls, they will trample on them and may devour you in the process. And if anyone is in any doubt about this truth then a little experience in any social media conversation will soon put an end to that. OK so what then – do you wrestle with them “break up soil” so to speak? OK if there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s if you wrestle with a pig, you both get dirty and the pig enjoys it! In “wartime” the only thing that is going to work is to be fit for battle having strengthened weak knees and feeble arms, equipped with armour. And only then consider taking on “warriors” of the keyboard, social justice or any other kind.
So honestly, I think the church needs to find it’s strength and it’s joy in Christ in order to be effective and not in church tradition, perhaps weakened over arguments to do with secondary issues instead of preferring unity in Christ. A family divided will fall. And only when united will there be a sowing in tears and reaping in joy together.
And as for Steve not being beautiful well at least he’s covered that up with a rather substantial beard – perhaps it’s time to consider growing the goatie a little more David? (joking).