LIBERTY UNIVERSITY JOHN W. RAWLINGS SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Bridges to the Gospel
A Paper Submitted to
the Faculty of the School of Divinity
in Candidacy for the Degree of
Doctor of Education in Christian Leadership (Ed. D) Department of Christian Leadership and
Church Ministries
By
Mary Gracias
Lynchburg, Virginia
5/2022
Bridges to the Gospel
Bridges are important for what used to be called ‘pre-evangelism’. Today this simply means
that we need to provide ways of crossing the great cultural chasm between the worldview of
christianity and the worldviews of our contemporary world, so that the Gospel can be heard for
what it is.
Contemporary bridges
1. The postmodernity of the young
2. A new involvement in spirituality
3. The fascination with the narrative
4. Cultural openness to worldview questions - film, novel, music
5. The ambiguity about the self and personal identity
6. Shared issues of justice, meaning, compassion and suffering
7. The hopelessness of life-after-God.
How do we use the bridges?
For two-way traffic
Bridges are not simply to transport non-Christians to faith. Nor are they so that Christians
can go over into foreign territory and tell people to repent. They also enable Christians to cross
over into a non-Christian cultural context and begin to understand it from within. Until we have
some knowledge of who we are speaking to, and what matters to them, we are less likely to be
effective ambassadors for the Gospel.
For regular use
Bridges give regular access to what lies beyond rather than offering people a one-way, non-
returnable ticket. There will be people who stand on the bridge a long time and not know which
way to finally go. Many non-Christians may need to cross any bridge many times over, checking
out the territory and making sure it is really inhabitable, before they decide to take up
residence on ‘the other side’.
For journeys with friends
We need to seek out the ‘people of peace’ (Luke 10) in building bridges to the Gospel for
these people to open up their networks to us and introduce us to many others. Some of them
will also journey with us and enrich us greatly on the way, but not come to our destination. We
pray for them, bless them, and leave them in the mercy of God. We do not know which other
Christians might encounter them later and help them to continue the journey. Others may
publicly (and sometimes vociferously) refuse to travel with us, but for all their insistence, we
can see they are quietly following behind. Yet others will be convinced of the truth of Christ
whilst they are with us, and become disciples.
With prayerful creativity
We use all the resources that the creation offers us. The Gospel can be communicated
through many means in addition to preaching, teaching, and debating. Drama, music, film,
story-telling, novels are all key areas open to Chrisians in a postmodern culture, and can be
used as key tools in apologetics. Conversational apologetics are also intrinsic to the way we
reach others today.
Conclusion
The greatest bridge to the Gospel is the longing of the human heart. Wherever there is
yearning for hope, peace, meaning, fulfilment and love, the Holy Spirit can erect, through us, a
bridge which takes people into the depths and compassion of God.
