The Doctrine of Humankind
Southwestern Journal of Theology
Volume 63, No. 2 – Spring 2021
Editor: David S. Dockery
By Jordan Easley and Ernest Easley. Nashville: B&H Publishing, 2020, 183pp., $12.74
Jordan Easley and his father, Ernest serve together as a father-son duo as senior and teaching pastors of the First Baptist Church of Cleveland, Tennessee. Both men studied at Dallas Baptist University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. They have published several articles and books. The present work, Resuscitating Evangelism, is meant to biblically encourage pastors, laypersons, and churches to obey Jesus Christ in fulfilling the Great Commission through evangelism. The aim of this book is to fan the readers’ flame of evangelism and see God bring salvation and a new passion for more lost people to receive the good news.
The book is essentially divided into two main parts with a charge to pastors in between the two sections. The first four chapters provide an explanation for the decline of evangelism within local churches. Each chapter addresses the concerted need to make personal evangelism a priority for both individuals as well as for each local church because evangelism was Jesus’s priority.
The authors begin with an examination of evangelism and its existing problems. An internal look and identification of the warning signs and symptoms provide indications of the priorities that a church or individuals have for evangelism. After these warning signs and symptoms are tackled, the book moves on to consider the Holy Spirit’s empowerment of evangelism through examination of Acts 1–2.
The book accomplishes its purpose. The reader is stimulated to study the Scriptures, to rely on the witness’s source of strength and power, and to boldly proclaim the good news of Jesus as seed-scatterers. A lack of evangelism is essentially an issue with one’s discipleship. The two are not in contrast to one another, but rather work in cooperation with each other. The reality that most drift away from rather than towards evangelism is acknowledged. Making disciples of Jesus Christ begins with the work of evangelism. To be anti-evangelistic is to be anti-Great Commission.
A charge is given to pastors to reprioritize and model weekly personal soul-winning for their congregations. This charge section discusses the role of pastors to lead their churches to be evangelistic and provides a plethora of illustrations of how mainstream Southern Baptists pastors passions have shaped their churches. The evangelistic heart of a church is only present where pastors too, highlights this heart.
The second half of the book is a practical guide to sharpen a church’s evangelistic strategy. An analysis of 1 Peter 4 is well-handled in that the outcome for the witnessing encounter is up to God, not the soul-winner. Every pastor and layperson can benefit from this book because it provides helps to strengthen the lost soul consciousness of soul-winners. With regard to corporate evangelism, the work recommends a return to giving a public invitation; a time of response at the conclusion of decisional preaching.
Even so, weaknesses do exist in this work. First, an argument is made to reprioritize personal and corporate evangelism throughout churches; however, a standard method of sharing the gospel message should be included. This work is more useful as ancillary reading for local church leaders desiring to refine their cognizance for evangelism. Second, many cited resources are excellent, but are twenty-years old.
Resuscitating Evangelism is recommended due to the aforementioned strengths. The book emphasis on evangelism and discipleship will lead to steady local church growth. Pastors and students will benefit from the encouragement found in these pages that they are not alone in the struggle to keep evangelism at the helm of church-wide consciousness.
