For years, Christians have insisted that we reach more people by presenting softened versions of Christ, a Christ who barely mentions sin and never talks of hell.
Near the end of his powerful evangelistic ministry, Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade (CRU), described an important element of Christ's evangelism:
“In His approximately 42 months of public ministry, there are 33 recorded instances of Jesus speaking about hell. No doubt He warned of hell thousands of times. The Bible refers to hell a total of 167 times. I wonder with what frequency this eternal subject is found in today’s pulpits.”
Bright went on to explain his own failure: “I confess I have failed in my ministry to declare the reality of hell as often as I have the love of God and the benefits of a personal relationship with Christ. But Jesus spent more of His time warning His listeners of the impending judgment of hell than speaking of the joys of heaven.”(1)
Bright admitted that what he'd done was “like knowing calamity is coming and not sounding the alarm.”(2)
Sadly, that gospel continues to be softened, and Bright's warning echoes God's warning in Ezekiel 33:1-6.
Let's never be ashamed of the complete gospel, dear Christians. “It is the power of God that brings salvation” (Romans 1:16).
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Notes:
(1) See If Jesus Talked about Hell, Why Are We Ashamed to Talk about It?
(2) Bill Bright was a godly man, and Campus Crusade has brought millions to the Lord. This devotion is not meant to discredit either. However, when a godly evangelist shares insights from a lifetime of ministry experience, we should listen.
The quotes are from Bill Bright's book, Heaven or Hell (Orlando, FL: New Life Publications, 2002), pp. 32, 48.
The Four Spiritual Laws was a tract created by Bill Bright in 1952 and is still used today. It's biblically accurate, but it never mentions hell.
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