EVAN 101-B03
Methods of Evangelism Paper
Part ONE - Evangelistic Method #1 – Intellectual - The Four Spiritual Laws
A very popular method of evangelism that has been around for many decades is known as
The Four Spiritual Laws. Bill Bright wrote this pamphlet for use by Campus Crusades for Christ
in 19651. It is purely an intellectual approach to presenting the gospel message. It breaks the
gospel message down into four basic logical arguments designed to lead the listener or reader to
the conclusion of his or her need for repentance from their sin and restoration to a right relation
with the creator God.
Law #1: God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life2. God demonstrated his
love for mankind when he sent His son to die as a provision for man’s sin (John 3:16)3. God has
a plan and a purpose for every member of the human race (John 10:10)4.
Law #2: Man is sinful and separated from God. Therefore, he cannot know and
experience God's love and plan for his life5. Man is sinful (Romans 3:23)6. Man is separated from
God (Romans 6:23)7.
1 Bright, Bill. (1965). Have You Heard of the Four Spiritual Laws. Orlando, FL: New Life
Publications. N. Pag. PDF Document. Retrieved from
http://www.campuscrusade.com/fourlawsengpr.htm
2 Ibid
3 Ibid
4 Ibid
5 Ibid
6 Ibid
7 Ibid
Law #3: Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for man’s sin. Through him you can know
and experience God’s love and plan for your life8. He died in our place (Romans 5:8)9. He rose
from the dead (I Corinthians 15:3-6)10. He is the only way to God (John 14:6)11.
Law4: We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know
and experience God’s love and plan for our lives12. We must receive Christ (John 1:12)13. We
receive Christ through faith (Ephesians 2:8, 9)14. When we receive Christ, we experience a new
birth (John 3:1-8)15. We receive Christ through personal invitation (Revelation 3:20)16.
At the conclusion of the presentation of the gospel message it makes it clear that
everyone has a responsibility to make a decision as to how they will respond to that message.
They provide a clear and concise explanation of how to respond, including reasons why to and
not to respond to the presentation of the gospel and a whole section of next steps suggestions
after coming to faith in Christ.
The advantages to using this method are many. First it is a simple and complete method
of sharing the gospel with a complete stranger. Second, it is a positive presentation. Third, it
8 Ibid
9 Ibid
10 Ibid
11 Ibid
12 Ibid
13 Ibid
14 Ibid
15 Ibid
16 Ibid
provides a logical presentation—it is not dependent on an emotional plea. Fourth, it offers a
potential convert next steps to follow. Fifth, it is an easy plan that a new convert that came to
faith by following this method could easily turn around and use to lead someone else faith in
Christ.
The one disadvantage that I have always seen to this method of presenting the gospel is
that it has an overall passive feel to it. My pet peeve when it comes to presenting the gospel is
when a complete presentation is made and the presenter does not at least ask the hearer if they
would like to cross the line of faith. At least this method has that built in. But, the passive feel, I
have found can leave the listener feeling that it is not very important to make that decision right
now. I know that everyone is not ready to make the decision to come to faith in Christ at the
same time or at the same pace as everyone else, but I fear that when the presentation is purely
logical and passive, if the hearer does not make a decision at the time of presentation they may
go away and later decide that they have become a believer through a process of intellectual
assent. After the fact they may come to agree with what they heard and assume that such
agreement was enough and this could be a comfort that could lead them to ultimate destruction.
Part TWO – Evangelistic Method #2 – Relational - Lifestyle Evangelism
While I stated that I find the passivity of the Four Spiritual Laws method of evangelism
to be a potential drawback, I find lifestyle evangelism, which at first observation may appear to
passive as well, to be one of the most effective forms of evangelism that can be employed.
Contrary to the surface observation, lifestyle evangelism is anything but passive. For the believer
is may be the most vulnerable method of evangelism they can participate in.
In Matthew 5:13-16 Jesus admonished His disciples to be salt and light. Salt does many
things. It preserves, it seasons, and it activates alkalis to be used as a leavening agent. Salt draws
out moisture. Eating salty foods makes a person very thirsty. So, if a believer is to be salt, his
behavior would make those he is intimate in friendship with thirsty for the living water springing
up from within him.
Dave Earley in the book he co-authored with David Wheeler, Evangelism Is…How to
Share Jesus with Passion and Confidence states, “If secularized people…meet Christ, it will
probably be as a result of Christians who view evangelism as a process and a lifestyle, not
merely an event. They will be patiently willing to plow, plant, and water before they try to reap
(1 Corinthians 3:6). They will be intentionally willing to build friendships with people far from
God and live their Christianity in order to give a clear explanation of the gospel out of an
authentic lifestyle and a genuine concern. They will reach people as they allow investigators to
belong before they ask them to believe”17.
A lifestyle evangelist intentionally lives a genuine life in community with those who do
not have a relationship with God, building authentic relationships. It can be very risky because to
be effective the lifestyle evangelist will have to be willing to be vulnerable in situations when
most would not be willing to trust. They do not hide their faith nor do they apply it artificially.
While they do not compromise their principles or morals they do not expect their non-believing
friends to change their behavior just to accommodate their sensibilities.
The advantage to this method of evangelism is that many people who would normally be
hostile to the gospel, Christianity, organized religion, even the idea of someone caring enough
about them to make an effort to reach out to them, often warm up to the gospel over time. It is a
process. First they warm up to the people of God first and then they become receptive to His
message. If they leave their guard down long enough their hostilities can melt away completely
17 (2010, p. 183)
and they become open to an invitation to receiving salvation and cross the line of faith. Most
individuals that come to faith by this method of evangelism make a deep and lasting commitment
and are quickly connected in community with other believers18.
The disadvantages that are involved with lifestyle evangelism have to do with the fact
that it is people-centric. It has all to do with people living in community with other people. Life
gets messy and when the believer is the cause or source of the mess of life it can sour non-
believers to the gospel message. Another possible disadvantage could come from a believer
being to timid or too afraid of offending a friend at an appropriate moment and not seeking the
opportunity to bring them across the line of faith. Leaving them at a friendly to the gospel state
for too long and never presenting the full gospel message or asking them to respond to the gospel
message can leave them felling like they have salvation as a result of “guilt by association.”
Part THREE – Evangelistic Method #3 – Confrontational - Evangelism Explosion
Evangelism Explosion began in 1970 out of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Ft.
Lauderdale, Florida. Pastor D. James Kennedy envisioned a simplified way by which he could
train his parishioners to effectively be able to share their faith with others that they came in
contact with. Ideally, after they became comfortable they too could train others to do the same
and those new trainees could continue the process of multiplication until untold numbers of
believers and new converts all over the world were effectively leading people to faith in Christ.
The presentation begins with what today has become two very familiar questions—the
diagnostic questions that are the foundation to the Evangelism Explosion presentation. “Question
#1—Have you come to a place in your spiritual life where you know for certain that if you were
18 Ibid
to die today you would go to heaven?19 and Question #2—Suppose that you were to die tonight
and stand before God and he were to say to you, ‘Why should I let you into my heaven?’ What
would you say?”20
The two diagnostic questions give you a good gage of what the hearer’s understanding of
the gospel is at the outset. Depending on the answers provided the presenter knows if the
individual they are talking with is a believer, is a person who is religious but does not have faith
in Christ for their salvation, or is someone who is far from God. The presenter can tailor their
presentation without having to spend a lot of time in very involved conversation.
The presentation has very simple to use and understand illustrations that fit well with the
scripture verses and points of the presentation. The full program includes tools for answering
skeptics and overcoming objections as well as preparing to become a trainer.
The main advantage that I find to the Evangelism Explosion method is that it is simple to
memorize and learn. I have seen only the basic outline and illustrations taught to a group of
teenagers with no witnessing experience in an afternoon and witnessed them go out and
effectively share their faith with total strangers in an area that was distant from their hometown.
As with any method of evangelism that works from memorization or a script it can
become easy for the practitioner to rely on performance rather than using it as a tool from which
to springboard to individualistic delivery. This can be a disadvantage. But, I feel that the more
exposure that the participant has with this method and the more comfortable they become in
using it the more they will insert themselves into the presentation and the more they will be able
19 Kennedy, D. James. (1983). Evangelism Explosion. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
p.16
20 Ibid
to adapt it to the individual they are sharing with. It will become less mechanical and less
scripted over time.
Part FOUR – Application of These Methods to Your Own Life
I must admit here that I have been a certified trainer for Evangelism Explosion for over
twenty-eight years. It was the first real tool that I found that I could effectively use to share my
faith consistently. I was so sold on the program that I went to my church’s youth pastor and
asked him if there was any reason why we could not get special permission to officially use this
with our high school group. Up to this point in time Evangelism Explosion International required
everyone in the program to be at least 18 years old for liability reasons. We had already taught a
group of them the basic outline and illustrations and taken them on street witnessing excursions
with great success. Evangelism Explosion International was excited at our enthusiasm and I very
soon helped train the first teen class in the history of the program.
I am admittedly a little biased towards the EE program, but personally my opinion is the
same about evangelism methods as they are about biblical translations. Whichever one is the one
that you are able to use most effectively use, that is the one that is best for you. Beyond that, I
would only add that I believe that we should all adapt lifestyle evangelism to our own
circumstances. It is easy in ministry and especially while in school to become insulated from the
world. When I previously attended Bible College I lived and worked on campus. I literally had to
go to Walmart to encounter a non-believer and then I had to scour through the crowd to find one.
If we truly believe that there is a Hell to avoid and a Heaven to gain, we should be motivated to
do everything in our power to make sure that no one ends up in Hell and everyone is living an
abundant life on their way to Heaven.
References
Bright, Bill. (1965). Have You Heard of the Four Spiritual Laws. Orlando, FL: New Life
Publications. N. Pag. PDF Document. Retrieved from
http://www.campuscrusade.com/fourlawsengpr.htm.
Earley, Dave and Wheeler, David. (2010). Evangelism Is…How to Share Jesus with Passion and
Confidence. Nashville, TN: B & H Academic Publishing Group. ISBN: 978-0-8054-
4959-4.
Kennedy, D. James. (1983). Evangelism Explosion. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
ISBN: -8423-0778-8
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