Introduction
Evangelism is the endeavor of Christians to convert people who do not believe in Christianity or who belong to other religions to convert to Christianity. Evangelism has its historical background because it was started in the 19th century in the historical era of ‘The Great Awakening.’ However, in modern times, there has been witnessed a great change in evangelism with the incorporation of modern trends into evangelism. There is also the use of technology in evangelism and the use of modern communication technology in evangelism is a common trend today. Evangelism has also taken a financial turn, and many people who are against evangelism claim that the evangelists are out there to make money out of the people they preach to (Borthwick, p. 192).
Evangelism has been widely criticized today from various fronts, but the most amazing thing is that it is flourishing and this is why some people see it as a new industry in the making. Evangelists today use the aid of technological advancement to reach out to people, and there arose such terms as televangelists who are seen to be very influential people in the society as they command multitudes of people into religious and moral issues. Although it is facing a lot of criticism, evangelism has also been enjoying its fair share of success (Copan, 123).
History of evangelism
The Bible claims that after Jesus had died and risen again from the dead, he commanded his disciples to spread the word. In this case, spreading the word is taken to mean to spread the news about Jesus Christ and how he is the son of God who was sacrificed to save humankind from their sins and the eventual punishment in hell. The first people to be involved in evangelism were the disciples themselves, and key among them was Peter. During the early evangelism that was conducted by Peter, the Roman Empire was the ruling empire, reaching its tentacles almost all over the world. The Romans were opposed to the spread of Christianity, and so were other tribes that considered Jews as their enemies (Everts, p. 29).
This laid a basis of persecution of the early evangelists, and they were hunted and killed like animals. However, success was still recorded with many people converting to the new religion, which they found to be appealing. This trend would continue, and somewhere along the times, the Romans came to accept the religion. From that point on, evangelism has grown from strength to strength, and this can be attributed to various factors, which include increased attention being given to religion in various times in history. Through history, we come to learn various methods that have been used to evangelize, and some of them may have been cruel to other people, especially the violent Crusades which were witnessed in medieval times. However, in modern times evangelism has completely taken a new outlook (Wagner, p. 201).
In the past, evangelism was simply about converting people to Christianity, and it was very sincere. In those times, only the major denominations were involved in evangelism, and their main goal was to convert people to Christianity. However, in modern times there has emerged a class of evangelists who have initiated their own denominations, and they are facing a heated criticism because they are seen as using the concepts of evangelism to make their own riches. These evangelists use sophisticated technology in reaching out to the people. What is important to note is that the people themselves are responsible for funding the expenses that are incurred by the new or rather Younger Church (Peters, p. 34).
Concepts used in modern evangelism
The Younger Church has adopted new technologies in their endeavor to evangelize. They use such concepts as television, radio, internet and other forms of communication to reach out to the people. In so doing, they have been successful in reaching millions of people, and they still are reaching out for more. This means that they have outnumbered the original denominations in attendance and they are continuing to gain through conversion. They have also employed such tactics that they are even converting people from the traditional denominations to the Younger Church denomination (Wright, p. 156).
One of the concepts they use is evangelizing using the television. This is a modern concept and is commonly known as televangelism, and those people who are involved in this kind of evangelism are known as televangelists. The common having become a normal household item that is boasting of the widest coverage of audience in these times is a prime thing to involve in any endeavor in the world today. The evangelists have not been left out on this either. Their programs are aired live on various television channels, and some are recorded to be aired later in the television channels. There are well established televangelism television networks that are started by evangelists themselves. These require a lot of capital injection and many criticizers believe that the followers foot these bills. Televangelism can be recorded while the evangelists is preaching to the faithfuls, or he can be recorded alone preaching to the viewers directly (Sire, p. 136).
Another concept is the radio evangelism which had reached its peak during the final years of the last century. This is where the evangelist conducts his business of converting people into Christianity through the radio in various programs. Just like televangelism, there are establishment of radio stations which are exclusively for the purpose of evangelism. The evangelists are recorded live or recorded for their programs to be aired at another time. There are also concerns that the followers of such evangelists foot the bill for the maintenance of radio stations which are used for evangelical purposes. Some evangelists also hire out airtime to radio stations and the followers are also believed to be foot the bills (Arias, p. 210).
In these days of increased internet usage, evangelism has not been left out, and there are a significant number of websites which are for the purpose of converting people to Christianity. These sites come with shapes and formats and sometimes expensively designed so as to appeal to the people they are targeting. Almost all of the evangelists who have made some mark in the world today have a website entitled to them and which serves the purpose of creating an interaction point between the followers and the evangelists. Nowadays, people do not need to go to a particular Church to get the message, but they can log on to these sites, which are fully interaction enabled, and one can even donate money through the website to support the mission (Hunter, p. 45).
A number of evangelical organizations have also continued to use the traditional print media in their effort to reach out to many people. They use such things as magazines, journals, books, and even sometimes newspapers. They have been used traditionally, and it is also important to note that their faith is based on the Bible, which is a book that has been transformed so many times to be what it is today. The organizations that use print media use other means of reaching out as well and the most commonly used tool of print media are the magazines and books, which are very numerous today (Peters, p. 108).
As far as technology is concerned, the evangelism organizations have not been left out either, and nowadays they are interacting using mobile phones to the people. There are various organizations that are reaching out to the people through Short Message Service (SMS) and also warp-sites which are accessible by all data enabled mobile phones. These services are also being used to appeal to people so that they can contribute to the organizations by various means (Borthwick, p. 192).
This concepts and methodologies of reaching out to the people are playing a great part in the number of people who are converting to Christianity. Many people are enrolling as members of these evangelical organizations due to the fact that they feel that the Church is doing a lot in trying to reach to the people. There is a lot of investment involved in following any of the above concepts, and people feel they are obligated to reward the efforts of the evangelical organizations by either contributing or enrolling as their members. The good thing about this evangelical organizations using various information technology advancement is that they do not require the followers to be there, but they can teach the followers in virtually anywhere so long as he can access their materials either through the media or other forms of communication like internet (Moore, p. 321).
Reasons for increased evangelical success
There has been increased evangelical success in today’s time, and this can be attributed to various factors which have combined to bring about this success. It is important to note that the most affected people by these modern evangelical organizations are the youths and young people, while the old people have stuck to their traditional denominations. This is because the young people with their spirit of adventure are seeing that the news organizations have different perspectives when compared to the traditional denomination. This has the effect of attracting a lot of youths into these new organizations, which have a very appealing outlook to the youths and the young people (Knechtle, p. 149).
One of the reasons for the increased success and rapid growth of these organizations is the fact that people have started recognizing that the organizations are more interactive than the traditional denominations. In the traditional denominations like the Catholics or the Presbyterian, there is very minimal interaction between the clergy and the congregation. This is because they are directed to give only the information, and when somebody feels like they need to speak to the clergy, they have to make an appointment, and mostly these appointments are held on weekdays. On the other hand, the Younger Church has come in with the era of self-expression in religion matters. People are involved in testimony giving, whereby people are given a few minutes to talk to the congregation. This is very stimulating for a religious experience, and this is why many people are flocking into the Younger Church. Apart from that communication is highly encouraged in the new evangelical organizations, whereas the opposite can be said of the traditional denomination. This means that the people who are flocking into the Younger Church need a platform on which they can express themselves and tell others what religion has done for them (Tippett, p. 39).
The traditional denominations have been rather dull over the years, and this has contributed a lot to people, especially the young and the youths changing to the Younger Church. The Younger Church is offering a lot of entertainment during services. These evangelical organizations have invested in major entertainment equipments and these equipments have played a major role in attracting the youths. The traditional music which mainly composed of hymns are done away with by the Younger Church and the kind of music they are playing include a blend of gospel and secular music which are very entertaining to people especially the youths and the young people (Gleason, p. 89).
The doctrines followed by the Younger Church are not very strict like those followed by the traditional denominations. This leaves the followers have some freedom over what they can do and very few limitations as to what one cannot do. The traditional denominations have subjected the followers to very a very strict way of living, and this has played a very important role in the moving of people to the Younger Church. Such denominations as Anglicans and Presbyterians have also come up with guidelines for their followers to follow, and without following these guidelines, you cannot receive some services from the Church. The Younger Church has appealed to many people because of the approach to religion which has an outward aspect on it (Little, p. 120).
One other reason for the flocking of followers to the Younger Church is the fact that they have a lively way of conducting sermons rather than the traditional denominations, which have stuck to their traditional way of conducting sermons. There is the incorporation of humor and real life experiences in the Younger Church, whereas the traditional denominations have stuck to the old and boring practice of basing their teachings on the bible and other holy books. These teachings have been repeated over time, and people practically become bored with the teachings as they reflect on the same issues of morality day in and day out. The Younger Church tends to be outgoing in terms of the deliverance of the sermon and incorporate such elements as narration and blending in with their new style of music. These sermons are so lively that they have become addictive to some people who are now going to Church almost daily to get a glimpse of these sermons (Allison, p. 125).
Many people in the world would like to be associated with youthful things, and this is one thing the Younger Churches have incorporated in their outlook. This has ensured that many people are flocking into the Younger Church because the evangelism is associated and directed to the youths and young people. In fact, even older people are going to these Churches just to be associated with the youths, and this is one of the strong points of the Younger Church. Many find it more comfortable because they are not subjected to the boredom that the traditional denominations are subjecting their followers to. The Younger Church is also fashion oriented and hence it is experiencing a lot of following as the people are interested in other things, not just the teachings that the Church will offer. In today’s religion, there is a strong attachment to social issues, and this has brought about the trends of fashion that are displayed in the Church. The kind of fashion is not the too much revealing but a special kind of fashion where people will be more respectably dressed rather than just sticking to the old fashion when it comes to religious matters (Groothuis, p. 123).
The people who conduct the sermons at the Younger Church are people that the followers can relate to. The traditional denominations have kept a distinct distance between the clergy and the congregation, and this has also helped the Younger Church to acquire more followers from the traditional denominations. This has the effect that people want to receive religious teaching with people they can relate to and not the people who have assumed that they are very holy compared to the followers. The Younger Church have created a basis on which the congregation can interact with the clergy, and this is very beneficial to the congregation because some people may have personal issues which they want to talk to people they can assume are equals and not guardians like the traditional denominations have been acting (Cook, 129).
Criticism against the modern evangelism
The modern evangelism has been viewed by many people as a means by which evangelists are taking advantage of religion to gain financially. Most of the modern evangelism is based on the principle that that the followers are responsible for taking care of the expenses of the Church and the evangelists as well. There are also other Churches that have incorporated commercial activities in it, and this has brought a lot of criticism from people who are concerned that the Churches are exploiting the followers for financial gains. This has brought a lot of hostility and animosity directed towards the emerging Younger Churches. There has been evidence that the evangelists are living exorbitant lives which the followers are being exploited into paying for (Pippert, p. 195).
Another criticism arises from the authenticity of the Churches. Although all the Churches are saying that they are preaching the word of God, the sheer number of all the denominations is increasing at a very alarming rate. These Churches are seen to be motivated by other issues rather than the issue of religion itself. Some Churches have started a cult of their own where the leaders of such Churches are only concerned with controlling the social sets of the communities in which they are located. Other Churches have the agenda of gaining a political foothold as many Church leaders have been seen to do in the recent past. This makes the people wary of their honesty when they claim that their sole purpose is to teach the word of God, and this is one of the reasons some people are sticking to old Traditional Denomination that existed since time immemorial (Eisenman, p. 145).
There are also rising concerns of evangelists being involved in scandals that leave many people disillusioned about the religion the evangelists are claiming to be teaching about. In the recent past, there have been evangelists who have been caught in various scandals ranging from criminal activities to sex scandals. Yet these are the people that are supposed to uphold the morality in the society by being a good example and teaching the people about the advantages of living a moral life. These are the same people who come out later and say that it was the work of the demons and the devil that led them to such temptation, yet they will be very quick to rebuke those who engage in such behaviors. It leaves many people disillusioned because in the first place, they claim that they can talk to God in some cases, yet they are also prone to fall into the trap of the immoralities of the world (Bruggemann, p. 53).
Another criticism comes from the fact that a number of the evangelists confess to being involved in demonic deeds before they were converted to Christianity. This is seen by many people as an indication that the devil is placing his agents in such Churches and then using them to mislead the people in following the wrong way. However, many people are concerned whether all this is a hoax and a marketing strategy for the evangelists. The evangelists who claim to have been involved such activities ironically have very large followings and this is acting as a social concern because if it should turn out to be a hoax, many people may end up being further confused about religion and this means that many people will altogether abandon the religious faiths they have conformed for so long just because of a fake evangelist (Bosch, p. 65).
Impact of the Modern Evangelism
When the new kind of evangelism was started, it was well for people to believe in it, and in fact many people converted to their faiths. However, due to increasing awareness and the fact that many people believe that the modern evangelism is about making money and not spiritual teaching, many people have come to regard the entire religion practice as a hoax. This has led to the degradation of social values in the society which the Church played a very important role in upholding. Many people are also confused about the nature of the Christianity religion because many evangelists are coming up with their own teachings and interpretations of the Bible. This has had the adverse effect of the social life because, like the paper had indicated earlier, religion plays a very important part in upholding morality (Terry, p. 76).
Another effect is that many people have stopped taken Christianity and region as a whole seriously because with the increased confusion and conflicts the multitudes of Churches are bringing onto people, many see it as just a set elements that are supposed to dictate how people live and how they behave and not a realistic thing. Lately, there have been conflicting messages being transmitted around the world, and they are concerned about the reality of the existence of God and how Jesus is supposed to be the Son of God (Allison, p. 125).
Conclusion
It is a personal thing for one to choose which religion and which denomination or sect one should be aligned with. However, there has been a growing concern over the issue that the increasing number of evangelists may be exploiting their followers, and thus, they have been living an exorbitant life while the followers are funding their lifestyles. There is also the concern that many evangelists are lying to the people about the way one should conduct him/herself because some of them are caught in scandals.
The paper comes to the conclusion that a person should be wary of which religion. Denomination or sect he abides with. There are some fake evangelists out there to take advantage of the people, and so the people have a responsibility to chose their religions wisely and go to a religion where you will be satisfied with the order of things. It should be spiritually fulfilling as well as soul-nourishing.
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