341
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
July 1930
Evangelical or Evangelistic? B y G. F rederick C ox (British Columbia)
OW many ministers, I wonder, eat their hearts but waiting for results that never come? Finney acutely put it: “ The minister is like the lawyer—he submits his case, then awaits a decision.” But there is this marked diiference between the two callings: The lawyer always receives a decision, the minister seldom or never receives one. O f the majority of his congregation he may never know which way they have decided as the result of any given appeal, or whether they have reached a decision at all. This accounts for the vagueness, the uncertainty, and many of the disappointments of the regular ministry. Thousands of ministers live in
futility (I would hesitate to say, hypocrisy) of the whole method is accentuated. It is a deliberate arbusing of emo tions without a moral end, a mode that exactly serves the Devil’s purpose; for it hardens the hearts of all who do not yield to the offer of grace. The method resembles nothing so much as bringing a horse to a trough, show ing him the water, and then turning him away without allowing him to drink. O f course everyone is aware that not every address is a call to conversion. The settled ministry demands many types of preaching-—instruction, reproof, warning, conso
lation, and edification in the things of God. The listener in the pew must be taught to be a good citizen; morality must balance spirituality; the mind must be furnished with the reasons of faith, and the soul must be garnished and emancipated. Still, this important factor in the regular ministry remains. In every congregation, and especially in one containing a large proportion of young people, there is imperative n e e d for regular and frequent calls to decision. Why should not every church institute these, fol lowed by inquiry room sessions and heart-to-heart talks? What is more reasonable than that the inquiring, anxious soul should be given the opportunity for which it longs and seeks—the opportunity of talking over the problems that perplex it? Is not this the reason so' many who will not come inside a church door instantly crowd to hear an ac credited evangelist? They went, perhaps, long enough to s o m e church to become puzzled and anx ious, but found no one who seemed ready and able to help them, until, finding the preaching only made them more miserable, they abstained from going to church altogether. V arious M ethods M ay B e U sed The larger the church, it seems
Saving Souls B y W illiam O lney It was for this the Saviour came Down to our earth; It was for this He shed His blood O f priceless worth l To cleanse, and purchase for the soul A heavenly birth. It was for this the Spirit came A t Pentecost, With an effectual call to save A countless host, Who would, but for His influence, For aye be lost. It was for this the Book was given — The Truth divine, In which God’s holiness and love Do intertwine, — The proof we have within the Word, His Holy Shrine. i It was for this disciples preached — Apostles wrote: Both Word and work in power divine The conscience smote: O f unbelief and godlessness The antidote. And, with this aim, the Lord intends His own to go, To near and far, home and abroad, To friend and fo e: That the Good News o f saving grace All men might know.
straight-jackets— t h e s t r a i g h t - jackets of a moss-grown, centuries- old tradition. They are confined by a rigid taboo to only one system in their preaching and methods. Hav ing joined evangelical churches, they have discovered too late that “ evangelical” and “ evangelistic” are not synonymous terms. They have full liberty to preach the central truths of redemption—that is not the trouble—but they know that, the moment they appeal for deci sions, the fat will be in the fire. They will meet with a frown of dis approval reminiscent of the old beadle who dug the visiting minis ter in the ribs with his staff when he saw him kneel, instead of re maining on his feet, to pray, and said: “ Such, things are not done in this church, young man.” In many evangelical churches the evangelis tic preacher is met with the attitude, expressed or implied, Such things as calling for decisions are not done in this church. T he C all F or D ecisions A n I mperative N eed Is it not the uttermost refine ment of devilish ingenuity which creates a system whereby the living
Word, with all its potent powers of growth, is suffered to be heard, yet under such hampering, fettering circum stances that its germination shall be effectively prevented; whereby the Word shall be heard, indeed, but hearers shall be hardened and ministers brought to despair? Everyone knows that an evangelistic address, if it is to be effective in its object, must be followed by an altar call and skilled dealing by trained workers. Otherwise the specific pur pose of the address is frequently lost. When, as so often happens, the evangelistic sermon is accompanied by specially chosen evangelistic hymns and solos, and no opportunity of public yielding is given, the
to me, the greater will be the need for these opportunities of personal contact. The average minister is a very busy man, his time being taken up largely with overseeing various departments, attending meetings of committees, organizing, and visiting the sick. His contacts with his flock, therefore, lack the intimate private atmosphere needed for personal dealing. Where, then, is he to get opportunity for the quiet talk and examination that must precede decision for Christ? Some ministers use the Bible class, young people’s society, or pre-communion class. Each of these may be used with success. Much depends upon the minister. But there is always the danger of
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