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TL;DR:
Carl F. H. Henry’s quote — “The Gospel is only good news if it gets there in time” — anchors this call to urgency in world evangelism. Over three billion people have never heard of Jesus Christ, meaning the Church must act with the same passion and speed as rescuers responding to a crisis. Christians must rekindle a sense of urgency, mobilize people and resources for church-planting movements, and ensure the Gospel truly becomes “good news” for all by reaching people before it’s too late.
“The Gospel is only good news if it gets there in time.” — Carl F. H. Henry, theologian
We believers often call the Gospel “the Good News,” and rightly so. However, Carl Henry, the founding editor of Christianity Today, made a statement worth pondering: Can the Gospel be called “good news” for those who enter eternity without ever hearing it proclaimed, announced, or explained?
More than eight billion people live on Earth today. Joshua Project researchers say that more than three billion of them have never heard anything about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and, at the moment, have virtually no way of ever hearing it. Phil Bogosian, who directed the Global Adopt-a-People program, calculated how many people in unreached people groups die each day without ever hearing about Jesus Christ. He reflected on how our attention is captured by a news report of someone trapped in a well or a mine and how soon massive amounts of resources are mobilized for a rescue attempt. Then Bogosian asked: "What would we do about it if the 66,000 who die every day in unreached people groups were individuals trapped in a well?"
The answer to that question should be obvious. When a child is missing or someone has fallen into a well, every resource that can be found is immediately mobilized. Time is of the essence. People stay glued to the news media for updates. Isn't there some relevance in that scenario to how the Church should be mobilizing for world evangelism? Shouldn't there be the same concern and sense of urgency among Christians about getting the Good News to those who have yet to hear anything about it?
Researchers say there are about 5,000 culturally distinct people groups still unreached by the Gospel. The worldwide Church has an enormous reservoir of people, abilities, and resources. With thoughtful coordination and committed participation, more of those resources could be directed toward starting church-planting movements among unreached people groups. Let's get the Good News to everyone on time!
The Gospel is indeed good news, but it must reach people in time to truly be good news for them. Therefore, we need to rekindle a sense of urgency among Christians. The staggering number of over three billion people who have never heard about Jesus Christ should stir our hearts and move us to action. We must work to overcome the barriers and obstacles that hamper the spread of the Gospel. Complacency has no place in our mission to reach the unreached. Together, let's make sure the Good News reaches people in time.
— Howard Culbertson, hculbert@snu.edu
The world is changing rapidly, making the call for all Christians to participate in world evangelism more urgent than ever. These changes also create exceptional opportunities to spread the Gospel message of hope, love, and redemption. Spiritual guidance and comfort are needed as societies grapple with social unrest, economic disparities, and environmental crises. By mobilizing believers and directing their energy and resources toward world evangelism, we can make a significant impact on individuals and communities around the world. Time is of the essence. The call for Christians to engage as senders or goers
More mini-essays from Engage magazine in the "Slogans that awakened the Church" series