Biblical Perspectives on Evangelism: Living in a Three-storied Universe [Paperback]

Revered by many as one of our best biblical scholars, Walter Brueggemann prescribes a potent recipe for bringing Christ into the lives of the Unchurched, the Jaded Insider, and our at-risk Children. His advocacy for the narrow path between the legalistic Christian Right and the near Godless Secular Humanists comes, not from the gospels of the New Testament, but from the experiences of the Hebrew nation portrayed in the Old Testament. He shows us that maintaining a strong relationship with God was just as difficult for a thriving, aquisitive culture 3000 years ago as it it today. My current interest is in how to deal with the lack of support for spreading the "good news" in the old mainline churches in the Washington, DC metro area. I am a Presbyterian elder who is frustrated by the political, rather than biblical, focus of many members of our congregations. The first chapter is tough reading, lots of heavy theology terms. They are necessary to lay a foundation for the following chapters which contain the "meat" of his recipes. Each of the three covers one of the aforementioned groups. Because of my interest in the "Insiders", I found the last chapter on techniques for keeping our children close to Christ to contain much that also applies to adult believers-including myself. In the end, Brueggemann shows that one cannot choose a life in a love-of-neighbor covenant without giving up the anti-neighbor culture that surrounds us. The Christian church in America must "recover the nerve (courage and freedom) to say unambiguously that embrace of the news is pervasively transformative." He is very precise with his words. You can read it in an afternoon, but you will probably come back to it many times if you are struggling with issues of modern Christian life. Note: I knew of Brueggemann from sermon references but was drawn to this book by his commmentary in Bill Moyers PBS series "Genesis" and its companion book-still available I think. He has also written the definative theological commentary on Genesis.

Rooted firmly in the Hebrew Bible, in God's loving grace and the possibility of human response, reminding us about ways to be and ways to live as the people of God (=as the Church), just as in many of his other books throughout Biblical Perspectives in Evangelism Walter Brueggemann emphasizes the importance of the commandments, which he describes the ten commandments as "the working documents for covenanted community..."

The world is about a multi-faceted "3-stories" of architectural floors or tiers and narrative tales about the lives of people: long-time insiders to the gospel, typical outsiders and the next generation coming up. In addition, there are three central narrative stories in the salvation story (Heilsgeschichte) that in turn opens us to 3 scenes to the evangelism drama:

1. God's victory over chaos and death
2. the announcement of that victory - "gospel"
3. its appropriation by those who hear the announcement

and 3 stories are focal and normative and definitive:

1. the promise made to the [Israel's] ancestors
2. deliverance from slavery
3. the gift of the land

Brueggemann offers a pair of concrete definitions of evangelism, an activity impacting every aspect of life, personal, public, economic, political...first on page 10 "Evangelism ... is the invitation to re-imagine our lives in these narrative modes." And last, in the conclusion on page 129 "Evangelism ... is an activity of transformed consciousness that results in an altered perception of world, neighbor and self, and an authorization to live differently in that world."

The author brings us a trilogy to illustrate the 3 stories:

1. Joshua 24 "a meeting at Shechem whereby outsiders become insiders"
2. in Nehemiah 8 forgetful at least one-time insider members are "re-tented into the passionate vision of risk and vulnerability that is decisive for the community."
3. ongoing conversation with the offspring of believers/insiders = "children becoming adults." In this [hopefully] dialogue, [page 55]"It is always 'them' and it is always 'us,' always then and now, always there and here, concerning all of this community of telling and listening through time."

That continuing, continuous conversation is because "...in Jesus Christ, God has overcome the power, threat, and attraction of the power of death" and [pages 37-38]"...the continued re-enaction of this dangerous [page 38] news ... is the definitional account of [the church's] life in the world." But what news, news for what? [page 43] "...news for alternative obedience in the world" as we [page 46] "...recover the focal drama of baptism, which is a subversive act of renunciation and embrace" and are summoned [page 47] "From our several enslavements ... to a common, liberated obedience."

Regarding our ongoing need to live faithfully in the twenty-first century yet possibly concerned that the texts we rely on were transmitted and recorded thousands of years ago, WB reminds us "...all through the Bible the gospel has been exactly and precisely concerned with social relations related to power, goods, and access. Indeed, there is almost no aspect of the biblical presentation of the gospel that is otherwise." [pages 40-41] "The victory of God in our time over this deathly idolatry is hidden from us. ... It is hidden in the cross where it is always hidden, and in all subsequent manifestations of the power of the cross." In his marvelous book The Land, WB explains how the Church has concentrated on covenant to the near-exclusion of the centrality of land in the biblical witness and, without a doubt, in current twenty-first century politics and economics.

some reasons for us to remember, remember, remember...include that "Everything depends on a live memory. Everything is jeopardized by careless forgetting. Everything ride on remembering and forgetting." [page 78] and "Remembering is the hard choosing of an alternative present, authorized by a subversive past. When that subversive past is given up, and alternative present is rendered compositely unavailable." [page 84]

page 72 by the time of Nehemiah 8, Israel is a "people of the book." But in the re-texting of Israel in the Festival of Booths "Israel must bodily re-experience and re-enact the memory, recovering its vulnerability in bodily exposure."

Amidst all this talk about following and keeping the commandments in gracious response to the God Who in Jesus Christ calls us, saves us and sanctifies us by grace, [page 114] Martin Luther begins his Small Catechism, traditional preparation for First Communion with the Ten Commandments, "...for the one with whom the church communes is Lord of the commands. Finally it comes down to that, but it does not come down to that quickly or simply."

In his conclusion, WB insists evangelism isn't an ecclesial, a church thing nor a church agenda but "It is rather an offer that we might be on the receiving end of 'all things new.'"

I find it impossible to recommend this book highly enough and if Amazon allowed, I'd give it at least 50 stars, so why not read it and see for yourself?

I used this book in one of my seminary classes on Pastoral Visitation. This book explores the Evangelistic element of Pastoral Visitation. Recommended reading.