Ligon Duncan brings up a great quote from Francis Schaeffer over at the Together For the Gospel Blog.

“It is because we are committed to Evangelism that we must speak in antithesis at times. If we do not make clear by word and practice our position for truth and against false doctrine, we are building a wall between the next generation and the gospel. The unity of evangelicals should be on the basis of truth, not evangelism itself. If this is not so, “success” in evangelism can result in weakening Christianity. Any consideration of methods is secondary to this central principle.”  –Francis Schaeffer

The problem, as I see it, is what passes for Evangelism these days.

Recently, there has been an ongoing clamor within the Southern Baptist Convention as Reformed Theology has made a resurgence, and SBC Evangelists decry that Reformed folks are not interested in evangelism and therefore the need for SBC evangelists is declining.   This erroneous idea is perpetuated by articles such as the interview we find inSBC Today with Dr. Bill Wagner, former IMB missionary and recently-announced candidate for the SBC Presidency during this June’s Convention meeting.  In the interview, there is yet another SBC leader who grossly misstates reformed theology and displays very elementary errors concerning the understanding of the Reformed position.  In the audio interview, Dr. Wagner mentions the following:

….I have spoken to a lot of our missionaries overseas and its a very strange thing because our missionaries have said that we are beginning to get more and more people out on the field who are Calvinistic in their theology, and it is strange, but those that are Calvinistic are not nearly as desirous of winning people to Christ as they are about talking about theology. So I am little bit fearful, that if Calvinism begins to have too much influence, that we might go the way of some of the other Protestant denominations have gone and that is to deemphasize our missions. Now, I know of a lot of tremendous missionaries who are Calvinists. But I say, by and large, Calvinists have a tendency to be less missional in their approach.

I couldn’t help but wonder, since, according to Wagner, Calvinists are “less missional,” then why are “more and more people who are Calvinistic in their theology” entering the mission field? That, in and of itself, would indicate the opposite of what Dr. Wagner states. But more importantly, I think a clarification needs to be made. If by “less missional” Dr. Wagner means “less willing to lead someone through some magical, parroted prayer to be saved” then I would have to agree. You see, the difference between most of those in the reformed camp and the majority of Southern Baptist evangelists, is that, though we both have a desire to see people saved, we may have different approaches to accomplishing this goal. One seems to rely on elements of coercion based upon an immediate response from the one with whom they are counseling and the other is willing to answer the difficult questions potential converts may have and is careful not to lead someone into a false profession based simply on a man-centered idea of salvation and an emotional high that often accompanies such meetings.  How many times have you seen public manipulation at the front of the auditorium?  Be honest!  We need to be careful when handling the word of God and we need to be just as careful in handling a potential convert.  If the Gospel is worth sharing, and I, even being Reformed, believe it is, it is worth sharing accurately and absent of coercion, scare tactics and emotional pleas.  While emotion may indeed be a part of one’s conversion, it should not be a “decision” one makes based on the aforementioned emotions or scare tactics used by many of today’s evangelists (God’s Three Deadlines, anyone???   This is not a numbers game.  It is not a popularity contest.  It is the most important occurence in one’s life:  the regeneration, (which precedes faith) justification and redemption of a lost sinner into the glorious gain and life of the cross.  It cannot be manufactured and it cannot and should not be manipulated.  The Gospel, after all, is not man-made or man-initiated but God-ordained and initiated by God Himself via the Holy Spirit through the preaching of the Word.  It doesn’t get any plainer or simpler than that.