Why secular postmoderns need and deserve a new style of outreach
Seventh-day Adventist theologian Jon Paulien uses his latest book, “Everlasting Gospel, Everchanging World,” to make the case for a different attitude toward evangelism.
There are two analogies used to describe spreading the gospel: the “city on the hill” and the “salt of the earth,” writes Paulien, dean of the School of Religion at Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, California, United States. The first approach involves Christians ensconced in a shining city that radiates God’s light over the surrounding countryside. Inhabitants of the hill send out scouts from time to time to bring outsiders into the safety of the city walls. Most of the time, however, Christians stay safe from secular influences by remaining inside the walls and associating only with fellow believers.
The second method, the salt of the earth, requires Christians to mix thoroughly with the people around them and gradually change the flavor of the world by their very presence. Paulien coins the phrase “radical conservatism” to illustrate a give-and-take attitude that’s still firmly rooted in the gospel.
Adventists are often leery of such models, and Paulien doesn’t belittle that fear. Instead, he maintains that both strategies have their purpose and neither is inherently superior. However, “Everlasting Gospel, Everchanging World” illustrates which method is effective when it comes to reaching secular or postmodern individuals.
While people of any age can be classified as secular, postmoderns are generally referred to as those aged forty and younger. These individuals are much more receptive to an accepting, one-on-one approach, the method Paulien illustrates with the salt analogy. To meet the needs of the skeptical and cynical postmodern, Christians need to first meet physical and emotional needs, listen, understand, and last of all offer advice or instruction.
Paulien’s delicate handling of the topic shows his reluctance to alienate Adventists who practice “traditional” evangelism methods. He also diplomatically says that not everyone may be able to practice this school of evangelism, as being part of the world (but not exactly like it) may prove too spiritually risky for some. At the same time, he draws undeniable parallels between the ministries of Jesus and Paul, the writings of Ellen White, and the salt method.
For Adventists who already have a postmodern viewpoint, “Everlasting Gospel” can be useful in understanding their parents and grandparents who may struggle with changing mindsets in the church. Younger generations of Adventists may already instinctively know how to reach fellow postmoderns.
Paulien’s book provides clarification on a topic that the Adventist Church seems to struggle with. “Everlasting Gospel” is relevant in a culture often defined by tent meetings and mass baptisms. Paulien makes solid points and coherent, mild arguments. He believes wholeheartedly in the topic, and he meets his target audience on neutral ground.
Adventists who feel they don’t relate to the postmodern worldview or quite understand how to reach that culture will find this book an excellent place to start.