The co-opting by modernity of the theory and practice of evangelism within American evangelicalism

As Christians have endeavored to live faithfully throughout the ages, the various cultures they have inhabited have undoubtedly shaped their understanding of what constitutes authentic Christian practice in their particular time and place. This dissertation addresses the manner in which the theories and practices of evangelism popular within contemporary American evangelicalism rely heavily on various assumptions of modernity. With this in mind, it makes a case that contemporary American evangelicals must reassess their continued commitment to many of their current perspectives and practices regarding evangelism in light of the various questions arising in our increasingly postmodern context.;It concludes by discussing the various criticisms levied against each of these assumptions by postmodernity with the hope that American evangelicals will recognize the necessity of developing an eschatological perspective towards evangelism; connecting authentically with God and with people outside the body of Christ; and thinking creatively about the nature of evangelism and how it might be done faithfully in our current cultural context.;This study begins by identifying three prominent assumptions rooted in the ideas and principles that developed in Western thought following the Enlightenment and discusses their continued influence on the evangelistic perceptions and activities of contemporary American evangelicals. The first assumption examined is foundationalism in epistemology. Foundationalism alleges that certain beliefs perceived as "self-evident" serve as the foundation for all knowledge and provide justification for the rest of our beliefs. It then proceeds to explore reductionism. As a paradigmatic conviction in scientific research, reductionism asserts that we must always reduce complex ideas and entities into their simplest form in order to gain a proper understanding of them because of the belief that the natural order operates solely from the "bottom-up." The final concept arising from modernity considered is McDonaldization. The term was originally coined by sociologist George Ritzer to describe the application of formal rationality to particular types of labor with the intent of standardizing all activity in order to achieve a particular ends in the most efficient means possible. Its perceived success in business eventually led to its spread to almost every aspect of American life. Then a number of ways in which each of these assumptions has influenced the understanding of contemporary American evangelicals concerning evangelism are described.