 | |
| Abbreviation | EE |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1972 |
| Founder | D. James Kennedy |
| Type | Religious organizations |
| Purpose | Discipleship |
| Headquarters | Arden, North Carolina |
President | John B. Sorensen |
| Website | evangelismexplosion |
Evangelism Explosion (EE) is a Christian evangelistic discipleship ministry and training program. [1] [2]
Evangelism Explosion was started in 1962 by D. James Kennedy, senior pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church. [3] Evangelism Explosion became an incorporated organization in 1972. [3]
In 1996, Tyndale House, published the 4th edition of Evangelism Explosion authored by D. James Kennedy on witnessing as a way of life, which was first published in January, 1970. [4]
In 1997, Evangelism Explosion published the results of a study which shows that the method was viewed as "confrontational evangelism". As a result of this, Evangelism Explosion announced that it was "changing its approach to emphasize relationship-building and discipling new believers." [5]
Evangelism Explosion has been published in a number of different forms, including Kids' EE, Hope For Kids in partnership with OneHope, [6] Seniors' EE, Deaf EE, Classic EE, Faith Talks, EE ChangeMakers, [7] Equip America, [8] Prison EE, Weavers, Glasses For Missions, EE for Generation, and XEE. [9] The latter is designed especially for members of Generations X and Y.
Evangelism Explosion is best known for its two "diagnostic questions" that users can ask non-Christians as a means of determining a "person's spiritual health", [10] and of stimulating an evangelistic conversation:
After the diagnostic questions, the evangelist is encouraged to explain the gospel in terms of grace, man, God, Christ, and faith. [11]
Evangelism Explosion's materials have been translated into over seventy languages. [3] Jeff Noblit suggests that it is "probably the most used and copied soul-winning training course ever embraced by Southern Baptists," [12] while Stan Guthrie suggests that it is "the best known and most widely used evangelistic training curriculum in church history." [13] It is used by over 20,000 churches worldwide. [14]
Evangelism Explosion officials claim that millions of people have come to Christ using the program. [13] In 2011, 324,000 people worldwide were trained in the program, while over 7.25 million people reportedly made a profession of faith as a result of its use. [15] Five years later, the organization claimed 10.7 million people professed faith in Christ in 2016. [16]
The spread of Evangelism Explosion materials have been remarkable as it has covered almost every continent and every island across the globe from the founding church in Florida to as far as the Fiji Islands Archived 2013-04-22 at the Wayback Machine .
David L. Larsen suggests that Evangelism Explosion has "brought a quickening of the evangelistic pulse", and has "provided a most helpful and practical vehicle for witness." Larsen notes, however, that "not everyone is comfortable" with "its more vigorous 'button-holing'." [17]
In a study done among non-Christian Thai people, all of them spoke negatively about the witnessing approach of EE. One respondent said,
I would be upset. It is ridiculous and strange. I do not know who will die first, the interrogator or me. I would simply walk away. I do not want anyone to talk about death. It is a depressive issue. [18]
Arminianism is a movement of Protestantism initiated in the early 17th century, based on the theological ideas of the Dutch Reformed theologian Jacobus Arminius and his historic supporters known as Remonstrants. Dutch Arminianism was originally articulated in the Remonstrance (1610), a theological statement submitted to the States General of the Netherlands. This expressed an attempt to moderate the doctrines of Calvinism related to its interpretation of predestination.
Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation, a schism in the Western Church. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental, Presbyterian, and Congregational traditions, as well as parts of the Anglican and Baptist traditions.
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The Neo-charismaticmovement is a movement within evangelical Protestant Christianity that is composed of a diverse range of independent churches and organizations that emphasize the current availability of gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and faith healing. The Neo-charismatic movement is considered to be the "third wave" of the Charismatic Christian tradition which began with Pentecostalism, and was furthered by the Charismatic movement. As a result of the growth of postdenominational and independent charismatic groups, Neo-charismatics are now believed to be more numerous than the first and second wave categories. As of 2002, some 19,000 denominations or groups, with approximately 295 million individual adherents, were identified as Neo-charismatic.
Dennis James Kennedy was an American Presbyterian pastor, evangelist, Christian broadcaster, and author. He was the senior pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, from 1960 until his death in 2007. Kennedy also founded Evangelism Explosion International, Coral Ridge Ministries, the Westminster Academy in Fort Lauderdale, the Knox Theological Seminary, radio station WAFG-FM, and the Center for Reclaiming America for Christ, a socially conservative political group.
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Elmer Leon Towns is an American Christian academic, pastor and writer who co-founded Liberty University alongside Jerry Falwell in 1971. He is a speaker on the principles of church growth, church leadership, Christian education, Sunday school, prayer and fasting.
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The D. James Kennedy Center for Christian Statesmanship (CCS) is a Washington, DC-based discipleship and evangelism outreach to train and equip members of Congress, staffers and interns to be "Christian statesmen." Founded by author, pastor and television evangelist D. James Kennedy in 1995, the Center offers Bible studies, luncheons, lecture series, as well as evangelism and leadership training on Capitol Hill.