An evaluation of adopting or excluding suggested prayers of response in evangelistic literature used by British Christians with particular reference to authorial intention

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  • David Bennett

    Research areas

  • PhD, School of Theology and Religious Studies

Abstract

This study is driven by the following Hypothesis:Although the intent of the author in including a suggestedprayer of response in evangelistic literature may be to help people express their response to the Christian Gospel, a thorough evaluation demonstrates that it could lead to, false impressionsas to what is involved in conversion, misleading assumptions regarding assurance of salvation, and less professional practices in evangelism.The unique aspect of this study is that it is restricted to evangelistic literature published or used in Britain. Thehistorical enquiry makes a fresh contribution to this areaof research by revealingthat suggested prayers first appeared in British evangelistic literature written by Anglicans in the 1950s. The scholarly investigation engages withthe issues raised by the statements of the hypothesis and form the foundation forqualitative research. An analysis of current evangelistic literature askswhether the content and context of suggested prayers could support the hypothesis. This resultsin mixed conclusions with some indications of how to avoid the negative aspects ofthe hypothesis. Literature which doesnot contain a prayer is also examined and it isfound possible that this,too,could support the hypothesis.Fourteen writers of evangelistic literatureare interviewed. A group of seven who include prayers in theirwritings arecompared with an equal number who do not include prayers. These interviews arefacilitated by a questionnaire developed from the findings of the scholarly investigation.These interviews provided insights and suggestions regarding how evangelistic literature might be improved.The conclusion of this study is that if the practice of including a suggested prayer in evangelistic literature is to be continued safeguards would need to be put in place to that the reader does not misunderstanding the relevance of such a prayer. Therefore, the findingsof the qualitative research form the basis for recommendations as to how this might be achieved.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Awarding Institution
Supervisors/Advisors
  • Sue Sainsbury (External person) (Supervisor)
Award date9 Jan 2014