The Highway Forums General Discussion Open Forum Evangelism Explosion

I'm pretty new to the highway, so I might be jumping to a wrong conclusion, but I have gotten the impression that most here, have a very low opinion of any type of "method evangelism." Do most of you feel that it is something best left up to the professionals?

I am a long time trainer in a ministry called Evangelism Explosion. The purpose is to teach lay people an effective way of sharing the Gospel (mainly by taking them out to first observe, and later participate), with the longer range objective that they will in turn be able to train others as well.

EE has been around for about 40 years. Are any of you familiar with it, and if so, what's your opinion?

Stucco

Here's something for you to read.<br>http://www.the-highway.com/explosive_evangelism6.html<br><br>Tom

I am very familiar with EE and other such PROGRAMS>

1. Evangelism is a matter of a person's heart and not submission to a program. Isaiah did not say "Here I am send me" until he was in the very presence of God Himself. God did not say now go take an EE course and gather everyone else......

2. True evangelism comes from a heart set on fire by the very presence of God himself. It is His commission to ALL that are in the church "continually"--as you go and not just for those "professional" types that do it on one day of the week and then say I have fulfilled my duty to God and man.

3. EE uses two transition questions that I occasionally will incorporate (a form of), though there are many others that I use as well, depending on the situation.

4. The article that is supplied I would say is one of the best on the issue. Of course, there are several good books out as well.

Stucco,

Simply put, I hold to biblical Calvinism and to the gospel of free sovereign grace which has been preached for ages among the churches, e.g., by such men as Calvin, Knox, Edwards, Owen, Boston, Whitefield, Spurgeon, Warfield, Hodge, Gerstner, et al. When I first read through Dr. James D. Kennedy's book Evangelism Explosion, I was unaware of who this man was and what he professed to believe. But as far as the book was concerned I thought it was just another Arminian "gospel" presentation using Madison Avenue methodology mixed with pop psychology. I haven't changed my mind about the book even after 30 years since I first read it. I have critiqued EE in other discussions here if you care to try and do a search for them. All I will say at this point is that I find little good about the book, either in its alleged "message" (gospel) or "methodology".

There are several other alternatives which are thoroughly biblical in both the message (Gospel) and methodology. Here are just a few of them:

[*]Tell the Truth by Will Metzger (IVP) It was intended to be used as a teaching manual for those desiring to evangelize, although an individual can surely benefit from reading this book. Highly recommended!

[*]Today's Evangelism, its Message and Method[/i] by Ernest Reisinger (Banner of Truth)[*][i]Explosive Evangelism by George Jaffray, Jr. (Out of print) The entire book can be read and/or printed online on The Highway.[*]Reformed Evangelism by R.B. Kuiper (Baker Books).

In His Grace,