"Spiritual Abortion?"

Yes, I did put that particular phrase up there to get your attention. Did it work?

I was looking for a particular Keith Green song for Sunday, when I ran across a blog with an interesting passage from a publication he had written, called "What's Wrong with the Gospel?" I checked out the LDM website and found several written messages from Green about the church, missions, and heaven.

A few weeks ago, I watched as great conflicts erupted on a discussion forum as Christians and non-Christians all discussed salvation, evangelism, heaven and hell. Many hearts were shared, and many toes were stepped on. Some good for the Kingdom was (surely?) accomplished, as was (unfortunately) some not-so-good. The same can be said for recent discussions (and national news coverage) regarding a high school in our area and their scripture signs at football games. (That is a post forthcoming, as well...)

As someone who was raised in a fairly conservative Southern Baptist Church, attended a Baptist college, married a ministry student and is now an active church member and minister's wife, I have had my fair share of discussions about evangelism. I've definitely developed my own opinions about it all, some of which I will share more in depth another time.

In general, I am one of those people who thinks actions speak louder than words. I'm not a big fan of gospel tracts, drive-by witnessing, or guerrilla (spiritual) warfare. I've shared before about my passion for reconciliation, which includes trying to show Christ to people who have been hurt by the Church. This includes those who feel they are continually being targeted to be another "notch in the belt" of well-meaning Christians seeking to save them from themselves.

Let me be clear- I believe we all need Christ. But I also know there are many people who need to see more than another "Do you know for certain that you have eternal life?" pamphlet or hear more than another recitation of the ABC's of becoming a Christian or the Romans Road. (Let me say, though, that the ABCs and certainly the book of Romans are valuable tools- just perhaps sometimes over- or misused.) They have heard that they are going to hell so often, they start to believe that it couldn't possibly be any worse than attending church. They know what we have to say about their final destination, but they don't see us living in a way that proves ours.

What does this have to do with Keith Green? Well, for starters, he was passionate about missions. And he was someone who read the New Testament as a teen but still searched for truth, until he found what he was looking for at 21 and never looked back.

But his writing, "What's wrong with the gospel?" is very thought-provoking. There are some things that he says that sound very harsh. (He is as my husband says, very hard-core in his convictions.) There are some things he says that make a lot of sense, and some that make me react,"yeah, but..." Of course, God's redemptive work in a person's life is, in my opinion, completely, divinely unique, so none of the criticisms or suggestions he offers can apply to every situation or person. But this one, in particular, struck a chord with me. Especially after those recent discussions. And especially with such shocking terminology. See for yourself:

As you can see, when we try to picture Jesus Himself using our modern methods of evangelism, it seems completely foolish. I think this is a very good test for any method. "Could I see Jesus doing this?" or "Could I see Jesus preaching or teaching this?" Since the Bible tells us, "Walk in the manner that He walked" (I John 2:6), we should always try to compare our actions and message to the Master's.

It is obvious that there is no "set" sinner's prayer. There are many variations, with different lengths, different wordings, different endings, etc., but the contents are usually the same. The prayer usually includes phrases like, "Dear Jesus," "Come into my heart," "I admit I have sinned" (at least the better ones contain this last statement - there are some who do not even like to mention sin in their "sinner's prayer"), "Fill me with Your Spirit," "In Jesus' name. Amen." Extremely harmless . . . nothing wrong with a prayer like that, right? Wrong! It isn't the wording that's important, it's the state of heart of the one saying it.

I believe that a true "sinner's prayer" will gush out of anyone who is truly seeking God and is tired of being enslaved to sin. (Matt. 5:6) The very act of "leading someone in a prayer" is utterly ridiculous. You will find nothing even remotely like it in the Bible, or among the writings and biographies of those in Church history. It completely savors of crowd and peer pressure tactics, and (please forgive me) brainwashing techniques. I do not believe that Jesus wants to have His disciples "repeat after Me," I believe He wants them to follow after Him!⁴

Premature Birth

As with the altar call, the practice of having someone repeat a prayer with the minister probably originated from the best of intentions. And no doubt, there are those who have "followed through," continuing to pray and walk with God, entering into the path of righteousness through God's infinite grace. But also, like the altar call, the so-called "sinner's prayer" is one of those tools that make it alarmingly easy for someone to consider himself a Christian, when he has absolutely no understanding of what "counting the cost" (Luke 14:28) really means.

The greatest reason I believe that God can be grieved with the current use of such tools as the "altar call" and "sinner's prayer" is because they can take away the conviction of the Holy Spirit prematurely, before the Spirit has time to work repentance leading to salvation. With an emotional splash that usually doesn't last more than a few weeks, we believe we're leading people into the Kingdom, when really we're leading many to hell - by interfering with what the Spirit of God is trying to do in a person's life. Do you hear? Do you understand that this constitutes "spiritual abortion"? Can't you see the eternal consequences of jumping the gun, trying to bring to birth a baby that isn't ready?

We are so afraid that we'll see a "big one that got away," that we'd rather rush someone into a shallow decision, and get the personal gratification of seeing him "go down the aisle," than take the time to fully explain things to him, even if it takes long hours and nights of travailing prayer for his soul. We just don't "have the time" to do things God's way anymore.⁵

But God would rather see one true convert than an ocean full of "decisions." Oh, can't you see what a mess we're in? What we've done to the Gospel? And when those "converts" no longer want to fellowship with us, when they want to go back to their old friends and their old way of life, we have the nerve to call it "backsliding," when we stood in the very way of them ever "front-sliding" toward the cross! Oh, it breaks my heart to think of that awsome day when God will judge those who have "stumbled one of these little ones." (Mark 9:42)


Well, what do you think? Interesting idea, isn't it? There are many other thought-provoking points made in this publication, but I think it is best summed up with this:

Maybe I've gone a little too far to make a point, but I think the world is completely sick to its stomach with our sayings and "witnessing tools." It's time for us to be expressing the truth with our lives, and then the whole truth of God with our lips!

Amen.