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GG: Green Gospel -
Evangelism with New View

This page presents some draft practical tools for evangelism under the 'new view. That page discusses the more general issues, including

Tabular Comparison of Three Evangelistic Presentations

Here is how New View might provide a 'Green Gospel' (GG) skeleton presentation. We compare it with the versions developed by Campus Crusade (CC) and Evangelism Explosion (EE). The following sets out the main items; in GG it is a draft, and far too wordy, so needs developing; the other two are from memory, and might be slightly inaccurate.

(NOTE to those who don't like this kind of structured approach: I am NOT hereby putting GG into a box. Rather, I am speaking to those who value structured approaches, to suggest a structured approach for this. If you don't like this, then just skip it. Perhaps you'd like to skip to 'Telling and Answering'?)

Item GG
(draft) 		CC
(approx) 		EE
(approx)
Introductory Idea We were given the privilege and responsibility for tending and developing God's creation. God loves you
and has a wonderful plan for your life. 		Heaven is a free gift;
it is not earned or deserved.
The Problem But we have messed it up ... We do not experience this ... None of us are worthy of it.
Root of Problem ... because we - all of us - have treated the creation as though it belonged to us. ... because we have turned away from God. We are all sinners.
God's Dilemma Because of his love for all his creation, he must judge us when we harm it. As a result, we are separated from God. God must punish us because of his justice.
But he does not want to punish us because of his love.
This gives God a dilemma.
God's Solution God entered the world in the person of Jesus Christ
who died 2000 years ago to bring forgiveness to us
and so the Spirit of God might live in each of us. 		Jesus Christ died on the cross to bridge the gulf between us and God. God solved this in the most amazing way -
by coming into the world in the person of Jesus Christ.
Christ died to take on himself the punishment for our sins.
The Result The Spirit of God grows his 'fruit' of a different attitude for the rest of creation in us
and he gives us power, comfort and wisdom to live in a new way, despite pressures from those whose vested interests might be threatened by us. 		We are no longer cut off from God, and gain our purpose. We are no longer guilty before God.
Our Response We must submit to Jesus Christ and allow the Spirit of God control of our lives. We must ask Jesus Christ to be our Saviour and Lord. We must ask Jesus Christ to be our Saviour and Lord.
Suitable For Those who, deep down, are worried about environmental and other global problems. Those who feel they have no purpose in life. Long-standing church people who are unsure how they stand before God.

Telling and Answering

"Repent and be baptised every one of you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven" (Acts 2:38), spoken by Peter in his first sermon after Pentecost, is perhaps one of the best-known statements of the gospel-invitation. We assume Peter told them to "repent ...", and take that as our role model, but look again. He said this in response to "When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, 'Brothers, what shall we do?'" (v.37) We forget that verse 38 is in response to verse 37.

Peter's famous statement was not so much a telling as an answering. There is a difference.

The instruction, "Repent ...", was appropriate when the hearers were "cut to the heart". The hearers were wanting, yeah desperate, to hear what to do.

So what did Peter tell them that made them desperate to hear what to do? Peter told them the specific evil they had done: they had killed the Holy One of God.

This is what 'green gospel' does. It tells people they have done evil: they are destroying the very inheritance of God, and doing so for no good reason other than a selfish attitude.

Moreover, in century-terms, unlike the situation in Western lands until recently, what Peter told them, and then gave as answer, was 'new news'. That we are destroying God's earth by our selfish attitude and that the answer is to repent and turn to Christ, is 'new news' to most Western people today.

It is now the appropriate time to begin to proclaim 'green gospel'.

Draft Evangelistic Talk

As explained in the page on Green Gospel and Revival, I believe that the New View might be key to more effective evangelism among certain groups of people today (at least in the developed world). If so, I must face the challenge: What should the content of an evangelistic talk be? Here are some ideas for a talk entitled:

Climate Change: Science, Responsibility and Attitude

So What Can Men Do?

See So What Can Men Do? in page on evangelism.
These pages present 'New View' theology. Comments, queries welcome.

Written on the Amiga with Protext.

Copyright (c) Andrew Basden 2003-4, but you may copy this page as long as every copy includes this full copyright notice, and the copying is not for financial gain.

Created: 3 August 2005. Last updated: 23 November 2006 Tell + Answer. 24 July 2008 a bit more Intro in response to someone's comment, and link to Evangelism page.