Disclaimer: I'm sorry this ended up being so long, but please bear with me! I say this, not only because I think these truths are essential, but because this blog probably best defines who I am and why I do what I do. I hope that what I write about in this particular blog helps you to understand not only who God is, but who Ben Friedman is.
I recently found out from a certain potential supporter (who will, of course, remain nameless) that she and her husband would be unable to support me on The World Race because they don't typically give to organizations with an "evangelical bent." This statement made me initially furious and subsequently motivated, though not for the reasons you may expect.
I was not, for one, angry about the fact that I did not receive their financial support. God has been blessing me beyond my wildest imaginations as I have sacrificed my pride and time. I am reminded of Malachi 3:10: "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it." My supporters have been so incredibly selfless in their giving that I am brought to me knees in thanksgiving on an almost-daily basis. I am light years ahead of pace and a hair shy of being fully-funded. To say "I don't need their financial support" is not a stubborn way of dealing with rejection, but rather an almost anti-climatically logical way of labeling the current financial situation God has blessed me with.
Secondly, I was not angry about the fact that they opposed those Christians with an evangelical bent. Yes, I grieved over the fact that they opposed those Christians with an evangelical bent and yes, I believe that one day they will, like us all, have to stand before the throne of a Holy and perfect God and provide an account for their response to the Gospel, but no, I was not angry that they opposed Christians with an evangelical bent. Paul constantly reminds us throughout the New Testament that we too were once opponents of Christian evangelism (Ephesians 2:13, Ephesians 5:8, Colossians 1:21, and 1 Peter 2:10, to name a few). He says this not so that we could self-righteously brag about some intellectual or moral feat of our own that helped us to change world-views, as if to turn to the unbeliever and say, "How haven't you picked up on the truth by now?", but instead for the exact opposite purpose, namely to humble ourselves and say, "Glory be to God and to God alone for my knowledge of his truth and that knowledge's unavoidable overflow into an affinity for world evangelization." I was not angry that they opposed Christians with an evangelical bent. In fact, I can identify with them because I myself would not give a single penny to an organization that opposes my view of the truth.
What made me angry was both the fact that the phrase "evangelical bent" even exists and the fact that so many Christians accept it. There is perhaps no better quote than this quote by James S. Stewart on that very subject:
"The concern for world evangelization is not something tacked onto a man's personal Christianity, which he may take or leave or leave as he chooses. It is rooted in the character of God who has come to us in Christ Jesus. Thus, it can never be the province of a few enthusiasts, a sideline, or a specialty of those who happen to have a bent that way. Rather, it is the distinctive mark of being a Christian."
Good point, Stewart. I couldn't have put it better myself. Everything in the Bible, both New and Old Testament, confirms this reality. I know this may be a bold claim, but read any of the "fathers of the faith" – think Spurgeon or Tozer or CS Lewis – and you will see that they second this Biblical reality again and again. God is not a social reformer; God is a missionary. Scripture shows us this again and again. Look at slavery in the Bible: God never condemns slavery outright, rather He sends Jesus to die on a cross for the payment of our sins and all who legitimately believe in that Gospel and understand the character of God will naturally see slavery as so fundamentally evil and fundamentally opposed to God's character that they are compelled to fight slavery. Thus, it is no surprise that it was 19th century British evangelical William Wilberforce who was credited with abolishing slavery in Britain.
Look at the social issue of racism in the Bible: God is silent on the issue of racism, not because it is unimportant, but because He sends Jesus to die on a cross for the payment of our sins and all who legitimately believe in that Gospel and understand the character of God will naturally see racism as so fundamentally opposed to God's character that they are compelled to fight racism. Thus, it is no surprise that it was the evangelical Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who was credited as the leader of the civil rights movement of the 60's.
Similarly, it is funny how God, when addressing his people, warns them constantly of the material hardships, persecution, and trials, they will face during their temporary stays on earth. God takes every last possession of his faithful follower, Job. Jesus warns his potential followers in Matthew 8 and Luke 9 that they won't even have houses. Jesus warns his disciples they will be unjustly arrested and brought to court (Matthew 10:17-18). Jesus warns warns his disciples that many of them will even be killed for their faith (Matthew 10:16-24). How can we possibly think that God's main goal (or his people's) main goal will be social justice here on earth when he never once promises his own followers justice here on earth but rather severe injustice? The Bible teaches time and time again, especially in Corinthians, that the natural response to Christ's sacrificial love for us is sacrificial love to others (1 Corinthians 13:13), but it never once teaches that God, who constantly brings social injustice on his very own people, is a social reformer.
God, is, however, an evangelical (evangelical literally means "gospel" or "good news") missionary, and He is one down to His very core. This idea of God as an evangelistic ("Gospel bearing") missionary is not a mere characteristic of God to be added to a checklist. This idea of God as an evangelistic missionary is not a vague idea derived from one or two lesser-known Biblical passages. This idea of God as an evangelistic missionary is the entire purpose of the Bible. Everything God does is so that we may know him. Jesus says, in Luke 19:40, that even the rocks cry out to us from God. God's got good news for us and he wants to show it to us through creation! God's got good news for us and he wants to show it to us through his saving of Noah! God's got good news for us and he wants to foreshadow it through the Old Testament prophets! God's got great news for us: we are sinners knocking at the door or death, decayed in every way, wholly unable to save ourselves and fully deserving of his wrath, yet he sent his only son Jesus Christ to be ruthlessly executed on a cross for the atonement of our sins. As if that wasn't enough, He lavishes on us the additional undeserved benefits of adoption into his family, eternal life (yes, heaven is merely a "perk"), and insurmountable joy here on Earth, regardless of how good or how bad our social justice condition is. Now that is great news. God is a Gospel-sharing missionary to his core. God's son, Jesus, is a Gospel-sharing missionary to his core. Jesus commands us to be Gospel sharing missionaries to our very cores. Jesus' final, overarching, climatic command to us: "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." (Matthew 28:19). Evangelism is not a bent. Evangelism is not a flavor. Evangelism is everything.
Granted, it is true that starving people will not be very receptive to the Gospel and we must absolutely make sure people's most elementary needs are met before sharing the Gospel. With that being said, though, we must recognize that this is a means, not and end. To make another clarification, evangelism has a bad name because when we hear the word "evangelism", we often picture rude and intrusive people handing out tracts by mall water fountains or airport terminals. This is entirely ineffective and never what the Bible calls us to do. We are called to evangelism, and true evangelism is evangelism bolstered by long-term accountability, with the future goal of healthy disciple-making.
Because I was an atheist for the first 19 years of my life, I can easily see why one would not see the concern for evangelism. If you don't believe in Jesus, of course you wouldn't believe in the value of evangelism. I believe that is a grave eternal error, but because of my past experience, the logic of it makes complete sense. For one to confess he or she believes in Jesus Christ, however, but to not view evangelism as central is ludicrous. The writings about Jesus and about evangelism come from the same book! More times than not, the writings about Jesus and about evangelism come from the same chapter! Sometimes, they come from the very same sentence. "God was pleased to reveal His son to me, in order that I may preach him among the gentiles." (Galatians 1:15-16).
Last night at church, we had the opportunity to watch a ten minute recorded Skype session between our church and two persecuted believers in India. We asked them both about their persecution and about how we could pray for them. They told of an angry Hindu mob that stormed their church one Sunday morning. The mob killed several of their brothers and then proceeded to burn their houses to the ground. The two men escaped possessionless by fleeing deep into the jungle. Incredibly, though, they told us of the unspeakable amount of joy they were feeling, not just then, but at the time of their persecution. When we asked them how we could pray for them, they answered only one thing: "Pray that the Gospel advances in our community." They could've asked us for any prayer they wanted, and we undoubtedly would have obliged, yet they never once asked us for money to restore their homes, clothes to put on their back, or food to eat. Equally shocking was the fact that they never even asked us to pray for the violent persecution to end.
What a perfect way to finish this blog. Believers who had nothing materially and suffered physically asked us for nothing material and nothing physical, but rather for the satisfaction that comes from Christ, which they already knew, to be advanced throughout their community. They understand the character of God. I am not embarrassed of the word "evangelical", because it means "good news". I will not try to cloak little bits of evangelism in social justice and smuggle them in to what I do. I don't merely "lean evangelical". I topple over evangelical. Jeremiah 20:9: "But if I say, I will not mention his word, or speak anymore in his name, his word is like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in. Indeed, I cannot."
