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To restrict one’s comments on our constantly changing world to social and economic factors would be to speak as if one was a politician. It’s often said that “everything is politics.” We also need to say that “politics isn’t everything.” Even in the Church, there seems to be a reticence of speaking about the Good News of Jesus Christ. Recently, I attended a conference where one questioner said, “I’ll mention the awkward word - evangelism”! This comment seems to reflect the feeling that the Church is being squeezed into the world’s mould. We talk of the world’s problems – “What a mess we’re in.” We hesitate to speak of the Saviour who can get us out of our mess. We watch as people fill their lives with many things. We hesitate to speak of “a God-shaped blank” which only Christ can fill. We’re called to be more than social commentators. We’re called “to preach Good News” (Luke 4:18). We live in an ever-changing world. We can get so wrapped up in an analysis of the changes in society th

Teaching Evangelism In the preface to his book, The Evangelism of the Early Church , Michael Green states a personal reason for writing the book: “Most evangelists are not very interested in theology: most theologians are not very interested in evangelism. I am deeply committed to both. So the study of this subject was particularly congenial to me” (p.7). Green’s book contains a brief but helpful section on “Teaching Evangelism” (pp.204-206). Green’s emphasis on the unbreakable connection between theology and evangelism encourages us to develop an evangelistic theology. A theology which does not lead to evangelism remains remote from both the Gospel of God and the need of human beings. An evangelism which shows little interest in theological reflection tends to become rather superficial, lacking the depth and range of “teaching evangelism”. Looking up to God and looking out to our community Here are some more thoughts from Local Church Evangelism, edited by David Wrig