The trouble with most evangelistic courses or programmes is that they focus on imparting information. That isn't bad in itself - and the ones like 'Simply Christianity' which introduce you to a text of the Bible and to the person of Jesus, which is great.
However, I wonder if it would be possible to construct an evangelistic course around the idea of teaching people to pray.
The basis for this idea is firstly that people think of themselves as 'spiritual', and like the idea of praying, but have no idea how one might do this - 'in the Christian/Anglican tradition'. Secondly, it is less confronting than an out and out 'investigating Christianity' course. But, thirdly, you can't explain Christian prayer without explaining the gospel. That is, Christian prayer is very much shaped by the nature of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. You can't avoid talking about topics like forgiveness and confession of sin and God's soveriegnty and his Father-heart - topics that bring you into the gospel itself.
And while you might focus on some specific practices that have helped Christians pray - kneeling, praying over Scripture, some famous Christian prayers - you would also try to subvert the idea that Christian prayer is a technique, or a means of somehow accruing greater religiosity. Christian prayer is specifically not about grandiloquent words, or about goading God into action. You could very usefully talk about prayer in other faiths as a way of doing comparative religion in a gentle way, as well.
Of course, the Sermon on Mount would be a key text. But Paul's prayers prare so attractive that it would be great to show them to non-Christians...
Is it a go-er?
15 comments:
Intriguing idea. I'd love to see someone try this angle in a suburb like Newtown and see what the response is like.
So write one and send it to a publisher you might know or be related to
Hi Michael
Both the Evangelical theologians
Gerald Bray and Telford Work have done systematic theologies around the Lord's Prayer recently. Although I love the Creeds and the traditional theological loci myself, it is interesting to see the shape of Christian doctrine through this prayer. You cover the cost of forgiveness of others, learning to depend on God and other things not covered so well by the medium of traditional dogmatics.
I wonder how evangelism would be different?
Paul
I agree with anonymous!
It's an interesting idea (and I shall makes sure one of my colleagues reads it).
Michael,
I really like this idea, especially for reasons 1 and 3. The assumption that prayer is "less confronting than an out and out 'investigating Christianity' course", however, might need a rethink, as might the assumptions behind the proposition in the first place.
Still, I like the idea your exploring here.
Paul W, what's the title of the G. Bray book?
Hi Luke, to answer your question:
Gerald Bray, Yours is the Kingdom (Inter-Varsity Press, UK, 2007).
Ooooh! I tried this in Oxford... and wrote a lit review on it in my first year at Wycliffe.
The major problem I came across was that prayer (beyond a certain level) is really hard to convey before people have become christians... that and the frustrating fact that most of the literature on it ends up "selling" prayer as a "relaxation technique" - something in more akin to Yoga than a dynamic relationship.
I'm really interested in exploring evangelistic techniques that are based on emotional experience rather than logic though alone... One model that has worked well (is accessible and authentic to conveying who Jesus is) is something like Lectio Divina where you read out a meditation encouraging people to imagine themselves as a bi-stander in a gospel story. If I was going to run a course for arty, emotional types I think a Biblical meditation course with a discussion group might be where I'd start thinking.
I also came up against the theological question of how much CAN you pray before you've become a christian? Either you convert or the course stops making sense.
Maybe a taught course like this would be helpful - there are certainly a lot of nonchristian people who go to monestries on retreats and ask abbots for help in prayer... one of my friends who's a liberal christian Benedictine has hundreds of nonchristian business executives and city people who book slots with him to talk about how to be more in touch with their spiritual side each year.
The question is could this be done while holding on to our evangelical beliefs of conversion?
Would be very interested to hear other people's ideas on this.
Do it! Great idea.
Can I put my vote in too!
I went through my evangelistic courses last night trying to find one that didn't begin by saying 'what it means to be God is to have authority'. While I'm fine with God having authority, I'm wondering whether it is the only thing (or even the first thing) that can be said.
Hi Michael,
I'm late to this discussion, but am currently teaching a course on prayer as a special Lent thing. I'd assumed it would be a church family thing, but some have been bringing friends along.
It has struck me that this is a particularly good way in for those who are nominal. They might feel too "got at" being invited to a Christianity Explored course.
But, as you say, a course on prayer teaches the gospel wonderfully. What makes Christian prayer Christian is that it flows from the gospel - it is the application of who God shows us he is in Christ.
So, from my experience of having done this for three weeks, go for it!
Michael,
I agree this is an interesting idea but the responses seem to have over looked at least half of the equation of prayer and that is, as Francis Schaeffer put it, God is There and He is not Silent. If we keep praying in an egocentric perspective it turns on the things we can do, say and think but if the perspective is one of God is really there and listening and watching then there is reason to expect a response as Scripture clearly indicates. In that case prayer becomes spiritual and only partially attached to our createdness and only in the doing, saying and thinking. If answers are anticipated the whole dynamic changes. How are we to recieve these answers? There is also the implication that we are spiritual beings capable of communicating with God who is Spirit.
While I'm late to the discussion, it seems that a course on prayer can help people begin to see the active work of God in their life.
Information can come alongside interpreting experience.
The caution is that it gets disconnected from the Gospel and just becomes or stays a religious experience.
The group leader should be one who has their own dynamic relationship with Christ and capable of helping people find that relationship.
As I've been praying for my neighbor, he's talking more with me about his spiritual need. We prayed together last week particularly about how to start following Jesus.
We've been praying with his family at special events when they ask, and for particular needs when they ask.
Put respect boundarys with prayer. See Take the Risk, Offer to Pray.Chris W
EvangelismCoach.org
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