In our second look at Restoring the Gospel, we look at what I call "Decision-based Gospeling" and why our current method of evangelism has had a detrimental affect on the church, particularly on our ability to make disciples of our converts. Let's take a brief look at this concept and begin to understand how our current "gospeling" typically creates shallow, ineffective Christians, whereas the Apostolic Gospel will create fully devoted disciples of our Master.

Decision-based Gospeling

"Most of evangelism today is obsessed with getting someone to make a decision; the apostles, however, were obsessed with making disciples." 1

As we continue to re-examine the Gospel, let's examine how our misunderstanding of the fullness of the Apostolic Gospel has contributed to some of the problems within Christianity with which we struggle today.

First, we need to take a look at what I will call Decision-based Gospeling. For much of evangelical Christianity, this is the crux of evangelism. It’s all about finding an open door (both figurative and literal) by which we can “share the Gospel” in hopes that our would-be victims — I mean converts — would hear our message, confess their sins (a sometimes optional step) and make a decision to accept Christ as their “personal Savior.”

Theologian Scot McKnight observes his personal experience at this type of evangelism and sums it up by saying,