Bingo Card Evangelism; Chapter 1

Stearns refers to "Bingo Card" evangelism (p. 16-20).

Can God require anything of us? It's a question that seems like it has an obvious answer... Yes! But within American evangelicalism often the answer is, "Just believe!"

For many American evangelicals, "just believe," means an intellectual assent to a set of facts to get us into a nice afterlife. Stearns calls this "Bingo Card" evangelism (p. 17-18).

More and more, our view of the gospel has been narrowed to a simple transaction, marked by checking a box on a bingo card at some prayer breakfast, registering a decision for Christ, or coming forward during an altar call. (p. 17)

This is not a biblical definition of belief. A biblical definition of belief involves a willful decision resulting in action (Matthew 21:28-32; James 2:14-26). Paul unpacks this saying that both the decision and the action are a result of God's grace but he makes sure we know both the decision and action are inseparable--the result of God's covenant promise to us (Romans 6:15-23; Galatians 2). Stearns writes:

The kingdom of God which Christ said is "within you" (Luke 17:21 NKJV), was intended to change and challenge everything in our fallen world in the here and now. It was not meant to be a way to leave the world but rather the means to actually redeem it. Yes, it first requires that we repent of our own sinfulness and totally surrender our individual lives to follow Christ, but then we are also commanded to go into the world--to bear fruit by lifting up the poor and marginalized, challenging injustice wherever we find it, rejecting the worldly values found within every culture, and loving neighbors as ourselves. While our "joining" in the kingdom of God may begin with a decision... it requires so much more than that. (p. 17-18)

What does belief mean to you? What evidence is there of your belief in Jesus? What evidence does Jesus say is evidence of belief in him (Matthew 25:31-46)?