Jim Peterson On Affirmation Evangelism

While we find that two of these examples are applicable to any situation, the third is what is called by Jim Petersen “Proclamation Evangelism”. Paul was proclaiming a new religious system to people who had never been exposed to it before. Essentially, proclamation is the process we undertake in missionary work. However, not every Christian has the ability or the desire to travel abroad. What are they supposed to do? In the United States, Christianity is highly misrepresented by various sects and denominations that each have different positions. Understandably, proclamation does not work here. So, what is left? The answer is “Affirmation Evangelism”, a process in which we teach Christians how to conduct themselves so that non-Christians will

We cannot just tell them the answer nor can we dismiss their questions. Answering questions requires concise, yet sensitive, communication. We again consider Paul in Athens (Acts 17:16-34). He clearly told them what God required, but he did so in a loving way (Eph. 4:15). He did not verbally assail them. When Paul was in Thessalonica, he reasoned, explained, and demonstrated from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ (Acts 17:1-3). Paul was using effective communication to reach his audience and address their

Jesus, the Master Teacher, knew exactly what to say, how to say it, and when to say it in any given situation. But how did He do so? Jesus frequently answered questions with a question. After healing the paralytic, the scribes asked who could forgive sins but God alone (Mark 2:6-7). Jesus replied to their question by asking what was easier to say (Mark 2:8-9). Another example is found when the chief priests and the elders questioned Jesus’ authority (Matt. 21:23). He replied by asking them about whether or not John’s baptism was from heaven or from men (Matt. 21:24-25). He could have given them a direct statement, but He chose to answer them with a question. Why did He do this? Questions provoke thought instead of merely informing people of truth. Notice that the chief priests and elders had to think about what to say before answering Jesus’ question (Matt.