A Critique of the Evangelical Gospel Presentation in North America
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Andrews University Digital Commons @ Andrews University Dissertations Graduate Research 2004 The Stairway to Heaven: a Critique of the Evangelical Gospel Presentation in North America Paul Brent Dybdahl Andrews University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dissertations Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, Practical Theology Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Dybdahl, Paul Brent, "The Stairway to Heaven: a Critique of the Evangelical Gospel Presentation in North America" (2004). Dissertations. 44. https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dissertations/44 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Research at Digital Commons @ Andrews University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Andrews University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your interest in the Andrews University Digital Library of Dissertations and Theses. Please honor the copyright of this document by not duplicating or distributing additional copies in any form without the author’s express written permission. Thanks for your cooperation. Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary THE STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN; A CRITIQUE OF THE EVANGELICAL GOSPEL PRESENTATION IN NORTH AMERICA A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy by Paul Brent Dybdahl January 2004 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 3138896 Copyright 2004 by Dybdahl, Paul Brent All rights reserved. INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI UMI Microform 3138896 Copyright 2004 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. © Copyright by Paul Brent Dybdahl 2004 All Rights Reserved Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT THE STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN: A CRITIQUE OF THE EVANGELICAL GOSPEL PRESENTATION IN NORTH AMERICA by Paul Brent Dybdahl Adviser: Nancy J. Vyhmeister Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT OF GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH Dissertation Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary Title: THE STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN: A CRITIQUE OF THE EVANGELICAL GOSPEL PRESENTATION IN NORTH AMERICA Name of researcher: Paul Brent Dybdahl Name and degree of faculty adviser: Nancy J. Vyhmeister, Ed.D. Date completed: January 2004 The Topic This study focuses on the so-called “plan of salvation” or “gospel presentation” that evangelical Christians in the United States present to seekers who want to know how to be saved. There are currently three dominant presentations that are widely employed and emulated. The authors of each are well-known: D. James Kennedy, Bill Bright, and Billy Graham. The major portion of my study involves a two-stage critique of these dominant evangelical gospel presentations: first, from the perspective provided by communication theory, and second, by comparing the presentations of Kennedy, Bright, and Graham with conversion accounts from Luke-Acts. Essentially, I ask if the evangelical presentation is Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. understood by Americans and if it is supported by conversion pericopes in Luke-Acts. The Conclusions My research indicates that the dominant evangelical gospel presentation, developed in the 1960s, largely ignores the insights provided by communication theory in that it fails to adequately understand the contemporary American audience it attempts to reach. In short, it does not communicate with maximum effectiveness. I also demonstrate that the conversion accounts in Luke-Acts present a way of salvation that is quite different from, and in some cases, contradictory to the evangelical plan of salvation in America. I then use these Lukan conversion accounts as a basis for suggesting how evangelicals might better present the way of salvation to North Americans today. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. THE STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN: A CRITIQUE OF THE EVANGELICAL GOSPEL PRESENTATION IN NORTH AMERICA A dissertation presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy by Paul Brent Dybdahl APPROVAL BY THE COMMITTEE: Faculty Adviser, ( f Directo/, Ph.D./Th.D. Program Nancy J. vyhmeister Roy E. Gane Professor of Mission, Emerita O r li, t> ■ (. Walter B. T. Douglas Dean, SDA theo]£fgicM^Se;»ifiary Professor of Church History and History of John K. McVay'^^ Religion (_W<narry Richards Professor of New Testan]«pt Exegesis, Eiheritus Kenneth B. Stout yo -J ^ / Professor of PreacMng__^ Art McPhee Associate Professor of Mission and Intercultural Studies Associated Mermonite Biblical Seminary Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ........ viii Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................... 1 Background of the Problem ................................................................................. 1 Problem ................................................................................................................. 2 Purpose................................ 3 Justification ........................................................................................................... 4 Methodology .......................................................................... 6 Definitions and Delimitations ........................................................................ 7 2. THE DEVELOPMENT AND SYSTEMATIZATION OF THE EVANGELICAL GOSPEL PRESENTATION IN AMERICA .......................... 9 Introduction ..................................................................................... 9 The American Presentation of the Plan of Salvation in Historical Perspective............................................................. 10 The Camp-Meeting Influence ....................................... 11 The Plan of Salvation Becomes Systematized............................................ 15 The Plan of Salvation in America at the Close of the Twentieth Century............................................................................... 16 D. James Kennedy’s Evangelism Explosion Presentation ........................................................................... 17 Bill Bright and Campus Crusade for Christ’s Four Spiritual L aw s ................................................................................. 20 Billy Graham and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s “Steps to Peace with God” ............................................ 24 The Widespread Acceptance of the Gospel Formula in American Evangelicalism .................................................. 27 Token Resistance to the Dominant Gospel ....................................................... 34 Summary ........... 37 111 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 3. THE CONTENT AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EVANGEUCAL GOSPEL PRESENTATION IN AMERICA ................................ 39 The Seven Steps of the Gospel Presentation.................................................... 39 A Desirable Good Is Presented ................................................................... 39 The Desirable Good Is Not Attained .................................. 41 The Problem Is Presented ............................................................................ 42 The Solution Is E xplained................... 45 A Personal Response Is Requested ............................................................. 46 The Correct Response Brings the Desirable Good ................................... 49 Future Expectations Are Articulated ........................................................... 50 Summary ......................................................................................................... 51 An Analysis of the Dominant Evangelical Gospel Presentation in America .................................................... 52 One; The Uniformity of the Message ............................ 53 Two: The Resistance to Change............................................. 53 Three: The Focus on the Individual............................................................. 54 Four: The Assumption of Certain Audience Attitudes and Beliefs 58 Five: The Promise of the Good Life............. 58 Six: The Emphasis on Knowledge