Evangelism, orwitnessing, is the act of sharing the Christiangospel, the message andteachings ofJesus Christ. It is typically done with the intention ofconverting others toChristianity.[a] Evangelism can take several forms, such as personal conversations,preaching,media, and is especially associated withmissionary work.
Christians who specialize in evangelism are often known asevangelists, whether they are in their home communities or living asmissionaries in the field, although some Christian traditions refer to such people asmissionaries in either case. Some Christian traditions consider evangelists to be in a leadership position; they may be found preaching to large meetings or in governance roles. In addition, Christian groups who encourage evangelism are sometimes known as evangelistic orevangelist.
The wordevangelist comes from theKoine Greek wordεὐανγέλιον (transliterated aseuangelion) via Latinisedevangelium as used in the canonical titles of theFour Gospels, authored by (or attributed to)Matthew,Mark,Luke, andJohn (also known as theFour Evangelists). The Greek wordεὐαγγέλιον originally meant a reward given to the messenger for good news (εὔ = "good",ἀνγέλλω = "I bring a message"; the word "angel" comes from the same root) and later "good news" itself.
The verb form ofeuangelion,[1] (translated as "evangelism"), occurs rarely in older Greek literature outside theNew Testament, making its meaning more difficult to ascertain. Parallel texts of the Gospels of Luke and Mark reveal a synonymous relationship between the verbeuangelizo (εὑαγγελίζω) and a Greek verbkerusso (κηρύσσω), which means "to proclaim".[2]
Common forms of spreading Evangelism includepreaching or distributing bibles; in tracts, newspapers, and magazines; through the electronic media; and by street evangelists.[3][4][5] The Bible records that Jesus sent out his disciples to evangelize by visiting peoples homes in pairs of two believers (cf.Luke 10:1–12).[6] In the same text, Jesus mentioned that few people were willing to evangelize, despite there being many people who would be receptive to hisGospel message.[7]
Thechild evangelism movement, which focuses on evangelizing children between the ages of 4 and 14 years old, originated in the 20th century.[8] Beginning in the 1970s, a group of Christian athletes known asThe Power Team spawned an entire genre of Christian entertainment based on strong-man exploits mixed with a Christian message and usually accompanied by an opportunity to respond with a prayer forsalvation.[9] New opportunities for evangelism have been provided in recent decades by increased travel opportunities and by instant communications over the internet.[10]
In 1831, thePresbyterian Mission Agency was founded by thePresbyterian Church in the United States of America.[11]
Various evangelical mission organizations have specialized in evangelism throughout history. In 1792,BMS World Mission was founded inKettering, England byWilliam Carey.[12][13] In 1814, theAmerican Baptist International Ministries was founded by theAmerican Baptist Churches USA in United States.[14] In 1865,OMF International was founded byHudson Taylor in England.[15] In 1893, inLagos in Nigeria,SIM was founded byWalter Gowans,Rowland Bingham, andThomas Kent.[16] Samuel E. Hill, John H. Nicholson, and William J. Knights foundedGideons International, an organization which distributes free Bibles to hotels, motels, hospitals, military bases, prisons, schools, and universities, inJanesville in Wisconsin, United States, in 1899.[17]
In 1922, Canadian evangelical evangelistAimee Semple McPherson, founder of theFoursquare Church, was the first woman to use radio to reach a wider audience in the United States.[18] In 1951, producer Dick Ross andBaptist evangelistBilly Graham founded the film production companyWorld Wide Pictures, which would make videos of his preaching and Christian films.[19]
In 1960, more than half of the Protestant American missionaries were evangelical.[20] American and EuropeanPentecostal missionaries are also numerous, Pentecostalism can develop independently by non-foreign residents in various regions of the world, notably in Africa, South America, and Asia.[21]Youth with a Mission was founded in 1960 in United States byLoren Cunningham and his wife Darlene.[22][23]
TheChristian Broadcasting Network was founded in 1961 inVirginia Beach, United States, by Baptist ministerPat Robertson.[24]
In 1974,Billy Graham and the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization organized theFirst International Congress on World Evangelization inLausanne.[25]
In July 1999, TopChrétien, an evangelical Christianweb portal andsocial network, was launched by Éric Célérier, pastor of theAssemblies of God of France and Estelle Martin.[26]
In 2004, South Korea became the second-largest source of missionaries in the world, after the United States and ahead of England.[27][28]
In January 2007,GodTube, a site for sharing videos related to Christianity, especially evangelical, was founded by Christopher Wyatt ofPlano, Texas, in the United States, then a student at Dallas Theological Seminary.[29]
In 2007, there were over 10,000Baptistmissionaries in overseasmissions around the world.[30]
Some consider evangelism to beproselytising, which is protected in the United States but illegal in some countries,[31] while others where it is suppressed argue it is merelyfree speech.[32][33][34] The fact thatevangelicals speak about their faith in public is sometimes criticized by the media and it is often associated with proselytism.[33] According to the evangelicals,freedom of religion andfreedom of expression allow them to discuss their faith like they would discuss other topics.[34]
Christian films made by American evangelical production companies are also regularly associated with proselytism.[35][36] According to Sarah-Jane Murray, screenwriting teacher at the US Film and Christian Television Commission United, Christian films are works of art, not proselytism.[37] For Hubert de Kerangat, communications manager at SAJE Distribution, a distributor of these American Christian films in France, if Christian films are considered proselytism, all films are a form of proselytism, since films of all genres could each be said to carry a message.[38]
