Field of Dreams
I am a baseball fan, and one of my favorite movies is “The Field of Dreams.” As a kid growing up in Chicago, my family once made a trip out to the place where they filmed that movie. It was a lot of fun to be there as a kid and feel the movie come to life. And to experience the sport I played took on a new meaning. That, however, moves into a common question that I sometimes get asked as a missionary and pastor. People will occasionally ask, “why would you want to bring the Gospel to those who are not searching for the good news of Jesus Christ? Isn’t that kind of rude?”
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” (Rom. 10:14-15, ASV)
I think at the heart of this question is a recognition that sometimes preaching the Gospel makes both the sharer and the hearer of the message uncomfortable. As a result, a temptation can arise where— to quote from the field of dreams— churches want to follow an “If you build it, they will come” mode of evangelism.
The sentiment often comes from a noble desire to respect people’s wishes and attempt to let people be drawn by their own curiosity. However, this model of evangelism has two problems. The first is a pragmatic one that can even be seen in today’s text. “How are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard?” I learned about the movie “the field of dreams” because it was a movie my grandfather loved to watch, and he wanted me to watch it with him. Businesses run on similar advertising and word-of-mouth models. They do not wait for people to want a wander into their restaurant on a spur-of-the-moment decision without having known they existed. This does happen. But restaurants and movie industries cannot rely on that as their sole means of gaining customers. Instead, they advertise, mail out information, encourage word of mouth sharing of just how good their product is, and use any other means of advertisement they can think of.
The other issue with the “if you build it, they will come” model of evangelism is deeply theological. St. Paul says, “And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent?” Our Lord Jesus established His Church to proclaim the Gospel to all nations because His Word creates faith and life, as it testifies to Jesus’ death and resurrection. You see, before we hear the Gospel, we are, as St. Paul says, dead in our trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1), and as such, need someone from the outside to bring us the Words of life. Those words are tough, but it is what Scripture teaches us. People who are spiritually dead do not seek out the Word of Life. Secondly, our active witnessing to the truth testifies to the reality that Jesus is the one who came to “seek and save the lost” (Lk 19:10) before they sought Him, and our Lord Christ is the one who, while “we were still sinners… died for us” (Romans 5:6).
So, the next time you hear someone express “If you build it, they will come” theology, gently and lovingly remind them that faith comes through hearing the message that Jesus came into the world and sought us out before we were looking for Him, and now Christ uses His Church to go out into the world to share this good news.
Let us pray:
Almighty God, you have called Your Church to witness that in Christ you have reconciled us to Yourself. Grant that by Your Holy Spirit, we may proclaim the good news of Your salvation so that those who hear this good news may believe in Christ and call on Him as their loving Savior and Lord. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen!
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