Evangelism After Christendom

Evangelism conjures negative connotations throughout the world because it is heavily weighed down by cultural, historical, and theological baggage. Bryan Stone draws the blueprint for recovering an uplifting and vital church practice in his Evangelism after Christendom: The Theology and Practice of Christian Witness, named one of the "Fifteen Outstanding Books of 2007 for Mission Studies" by International Bulletin of Missionary Research.

This comprehensive text begins by grounding evangelism as a core church practice that reaches the world, challenges sin, offers Christ, shares Christian worship, and more. Stone then traces the evangelistic call through the stories of Israel, Jesus, and, finally, the apostles and the church. Next, Stone discusses two rival narratives to the Christian story: the Constantinian story in which the church made itself home in the world; and the story of liberal modernity, which advocates an autonomous and temporal world. The practice of evangelism, however, subverts these views by 'being the church in the world' in a distinctive, alluring way. In short, Christian evangelism extends an invitation to challenge and abandon rival narratives and join a new story that makes sense of our past and points us to a different future. This book is ideal for seminary and graduate students as well as professional ministers, pastors, and evangelists.