Authentic Mission....no more encyclopaedias!

“In the post-Christian era, the medium is the message, and the medium of evangelism is regarded with extreme distaste by the surrounding culture….evangelism easily becomes the marketing ploy for Christianity akin to selling encyclopaedias. Various techniques are used in a highly manipulative agenda designed to get prospective customers to “sign up”. This is about as far away from the story of Jesus of Nazareth as it is possible to get.”

[Riddell, M. (1998) Threshold of the Future: Reforming the Church in the Post-Christian West. SPCK]

Nice one Mr Riddell! I find comfort in knowing at least there is one other person on this planet about God's business who thinks the same as me.

'Fraid for too long the churches evangelism has been a bit too much akin to blanket bombing, give 'em both barrels of our best apologetics and move on in the knowledge we've done our bit for the kingdom. Where we are "Authentic Mission" is what gives us the right and credibility to be more precise. We're trying to understand that more and more and more!

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