A common problem in evangelism today is staleness. Bad, wooden melodramas, lame music, dull cartoons, weak novels and stories, yawn, nobody wants to hear it. You bore the congregation in less than five seconds, and you compel the unbeliever to change channels, churches and seek other darker amusements. Why is this? Why is this junk being perpetuated? I tell you why. Change is seen as the enemy, God is put on the back burner and comfort is king.
Example, Christian `drama.' Why is it so flavorless? We're supposed to be salt of the earth. Salt was used as a preservative in ancient times, but that issue is ignored in favor of flavor. So let the earth rot, let's be salty tasting. But you're not. You make plays with no conflict. For instance, how many times have you seen Jill and Bob having some silly argument about God, then hear Jill correct Bob, and Bob completely agrees? "Yes, Jill. You're absolutely right. I agree completely with what you are saying, and so should the congregation." This is their cue to glare at the audience. Yawn. Where is the doubting Thomas? Where is the St. Peter? Don't they have a place here? Why are the arguments easily won and devoid of conflict? It's because they didn't think of that. Some of them don't even think to rehearse. How many times have you seen an `actor' go before the group with a sheet of paper in hand and read with little or no enthusiasm? Or how about the person who has enthusiasm, but no dedication? Sure, they can be excited about what they are doing, but can they transmit that excitement to the audience? Not really. Real actors practice their lines for days, pull all nighters to get it perfect, to refine their skills and make it impressive. Christian `actors' spend all nighters at the dance club.
Christian novels can be like cardboard cutouts. It suffers from the same ailment as plays, which were here first. They have wooden characters with no real conflicts. No pain, no suffering. Just as long as you have a hit of Jesus, you don't feel any pain or have any doubt. Nothing bad ever happens to Christians! That's why my novel is the most boring piece of crud on the planet! No one believes that stuff. We live in a world of conflict. Folks in heaven would eat it up, but on earth it's just a good sleeping aid.
Music can be stale, too. We don't hear much about faith walks, only about how good Jesus makes them feel. We don't hear about their life struggles, what's really bothering them, what's really inside. Secular bands express their views on what is going on in the world. Christian bands prefer to dwell on the euphoria of faith. I have yet to see an Ecclesiastical band. Rolling Stone recently reviewed Christian bands and declared one of them to be `Nirvana without the pain.' How true. Surely, even with the assurance of eternal salvation, you would still have some pain? Or are you an android?
Sermons can be lame, too. Stick with only what's in the bible, and reinerate what you just said, and you might as well put blankets and pillows in the pews. Even the testimonies and devotions can be stale. I once belonged to a Calvinist bible study group called `One To One Bible Study.' They required me to make a written testimony about my faith. Why on earth can't I just give one verbally? Why do we have to waste our time, countless hours, writing on paper, when there are poor people out there, needy people out there, people who don't know the Lord? Calvinists believe that man was predestined to either go to heaven or hell. I guess with that philosophy backing you up, you don't need to concern yourself with unbelievers. In this group, as I steadily tried to think of new and revolutionary ways to write a testimony, they consistantly came up with ways to make it lame and weak. A prime example of this is the fact that they wanted me to insert something called a `one word' message in the bottom of the page. One Word: write a lame testimony with the same repetitive phrase that countless others have used in the same exact way. Then there is the `first, second, third' problem. They must make their bible testimonies look like an essay. First, the grave. Bla bla bla...this is exactly what the bible says about it and that's all I'm going to say about that subject. Second, the stone being rolled shut...third, the stone being rolled open, nothing new here, I'm just paraphrasing what I read in the bible a few minutes ago instead of gleaning personal meanings from them.
My advice: Shake the audience up! The congregation likes to be challenged, for the most part. They do not want to be snoring soundly in the pews, unless they pull all nighters at 7-11. Non-believers also like to be challenged, so you will be doing both crowds a service.