Time for a little OLD evangelization

Last updated on: January 22, 2019 at 3:35 pm by Pete Socks

Time for a little OLD evangelization 2019-01-22T15:35:58-05:00 Pete Socks

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

We have all undoubtedly heard the catch phrase “the new evangelization” coined by our last three popes. For something to be new, there must have been something old before it, correct? Well, in this case, there certainly was. We could call this the “old” evangelization, and it goes back through the centuries all the way to Jesus himself. Eric Sammons examines the evangelization efforts of Jesus himself in his book The Old Evangelization: How to Spread the Faith Like Jesus Did.

Eric points out early on in the book that in some ways the moniker the new evangelization can be unfortunate in that it rejects the successes of the “old” evangelization accomplished by “two millennia of Catholic missionary efforts by the likes of St. Paul, St. Augustine of Canterbury, St. Francis Xavier, and our Lord himself.” We must consider that any of our efforts towards evangelization are a result of the fact that we stand upon the shoulders of those who have come before us. Our situation may be slightly different but the basics are still the same.

Eric’s book takes a look at encounters Jesus had with individuals during his earthly life and even one after. These one-on-one encounters display a personal interaction that brought the listeners heart to the faith. When we read these “case-studies” it soon becomes obvious that flashy evangelistic programs have their place but are not necessary. We can evangelize and win people back to the church through personal interactions.

What are these encounters? Here are a few Eric includes:

The appearance to Mary Magdalene

The healing of the boy with a “dumb spirit”

The confrontation with the Pharisees and scribes

The encounter with the rich young man

The raising of Jarius’s daughter

The appearance to John on the island of Patmos

The key theme running through the book as I mentioned above is the personal experience of evangelization. We must remember that we can do this. A degree in theology is not needed. You do not have to be an eloquent speaker. As Eric says, “You just need to have a love for Christ and a desire to tell others about him”.

This book is a great guide for anyone interested in evangelizing. Each of the eleven chapters includes the encounter of Jesus, a story of an evangelizing saint, a self-examination to apply to ourselves, exploration questions that take readers even deeper and exercises to apply in real life situations where we find ourselves with the opportunity to share the faith. Eric has written a volume that serves as an effective tool in aiding readers in doing this necessary work of the Church. Remember, Christ himself commanded in Matthew 28:19-20 that we are told to go and make disciples of all nations. Our work need not be complicated. We only need to reach out one person at a time to those we encounter in our daily lives.

The Old Evangelization

Previous Post

June 30, 2017

Acknowledge Christ; the angels will praise you; Angels: Day 342

Next Post

July 1, 2017 Night and day; Angels: Day 343

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category A Year with Mary A Year with the Angels A Year with the Church Fathers Book News Children's Review Featured CD Giveaway Guest Post Interview Linked Review Media review Movie Review New Releases Off the Shelf Review speakers Teen Review The Clergy Speaks The Laity Speaks The Open Book Podcast Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz