DESCRIPTION:

The aim of this course is to look at evangelism from the point of view of those who are being evangelized. In order to do this it is necessary to engage in audience analysis: who is it we are trying to reach and what do we need to know about them and their personal environments? Then it is important to know how to express the gospel in words, images, and actions that will communicate the gospel accurately to such sub-cultures. A special emphasis in this course will be on reaching Boomers, Gen X, and Millennials.

Evangelism is a species of communication. So, it is necessary to understand something about communication theory in order to engage in evangelism. Within the communication process, the emphasis must be on the receiver, including understanding of his/her world view and social environment. Such an understanding produces new insight into the nature and process of audience-oriented evangelism.

The class will meet weekly for a three-hour session. Class time will be a mixture of lecture, discussion, media, case studies, and interactive dialogue.

Guder, Darrell, ed. Missional Church. Eerdmans, 1998.

Kraft, Charles H. Communication Theory for Christian Witness. Orbis Books, 1991.

Readings in Communication, Culture, & Evangelism (course reader, available in bookstore).

Richardson, Rick. Evangelism Outside the Box. InterVarsity Press, 2000.

Wuthnow, Robert. After Heaven: Spirituality in America Since the 1950s. University of California, 1998.

Choose one of the following three books:

Beaudoin, Tom. Virtual Faith. Jossey-Bass, 1998.

Roof, Ward Clark. Spiritual Marketplace: Baby Boomers and the Remaking of American Religion. Princeton University Press, 1999.

Strauss, William and Neil Howe. Millennials Rising. Vintage Books, 2000.

It is expected that each student will read the materials and be prepared to participate in the classroom discussion and exercises. In addition, the student will write several short papers:
1) translate a gospel term into contemporary images (4-5 pages);
2) assess a sub-culture in terms of evangelism (5-6 pages);
3) three book reviews of 2 pages each.

None.

Meets M. Div. core requirement in Evangelism (MIN 3).

None.