Elmer Gantry
Although Sinclair Lewis penned his satiric novel Elmer Gantry in 1927, many of the issues raised by the book are still relevant today. The title character uses the institution of religion and the American evangelical revival of the early 20th century as a means of making money. Gantry is just as cynical as a corrupt politician or banker. After deciding not to become a lawyer, Gantry instead turns to evangelism, although he has no compunction about womanizing, drinking, lying, and stealing. Evangelical tent revivals are 'big business' at the time and Gantry has contempt for those who actually believe in the snake oil he is selling. His powerful and magnetic persona encourages people to believe in him, even while he laughs behind his back.
The main 'romance' of the book is between Gantry and a female evangelist named Sharon Falconer who is equally corrupt as Gantry. Gantry supports her ministry. Gantry radiates...
Evangelism Walking in the Word Evangelism is vital when it comes to walking in the Word. Every Christian has a duty to evangelize, but there are many different ways in which this can be done (Earley & Wheeler, 2010). Some denominations still go around, knocking on people's doors and trying to talk to whoever answers about Jesus. Most are met with resistance, and some with rudeness and even threatening behavior (McRaney, 2003;
Evangelism in the Early Church Early evangelists could not rely on the Internet, or even on books, to spread the word. They actually had to talk with people, to lead their souls to the grace of God. Jesus practiced evangelism in the early church differently than His disciples, who did not recognize the importance of evangelism until they beheld the Resurrection. Before the Resurrection, the disciples simply followed Jesus in a
Wesley understood human free will as relatively restricted. He acknowledged humans could exercise free will but also rejected the notion of absolute free will. This thought suggests that God's Grace is transforming and enabling, because humans realize the responsibility to invite Grace and respond to it. Knight also points out that Wesley did not actually use the word "evangelism" to describe his religious mission. It came into usage in
Evangelism Intellectual Methods of Evangelism The Romans Road is an intellectual method of evangelism based on Paul's book of Romans. The Romans Road method is systematic and has a clearly defined process, as it is based on scripture. Moreover, the Romans Road method is logical in that it shows who needs salvation, why salvation is necessary, how to achieve salvation, and what to expect from salvation (Fairchild, n.d.). The basic tenets of
This book is a different kind of book for this specific issue related to recruiting newcomers into the church. It takes a completely different approach than other books that are dedicated to recruiting members to Christ's community, which, in the past, have seemed to focus more on the individual plight. What is so great about this book is that it challenges members of the church to take a more active
E. along relational lines. Secondly, it provides an easy way for Christians to share the gospel with individuals they know. The other advantage of lifestyle evangelism is that it usually attracts individuals who would not normally read the Bible or go to church. Nonetheless, the use of this method also consists of some disadvantages that are generally associated with the challenges it gives to Christians. First, unbelievers may not necessarily
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