It appears to me that the Church has been influenced in the last 40 years by the methods of marketing that are promoted in the business world to build a customer base. Not that anyone thinks of potential converts as customers, but it appears many believe that packaging the message and appealing to the interest level of the target audience are keys to reaching people for the Gospel of Christ. The problem with attempting to achieve relevance with modern minds is that we may give up more than we gain, i.e., we may see more lost in truth than is gained in numbers. It may be said that many modern methods of marketing the Gospel present the "Good News" of Jesus Christ as a “Good Deal” for men.
The emphasis of the Good Deal is focused more on what we stand to receive through Christ (everlasting life and this-world blessing), than on what we have obligation to give to God, (willing submission to His authority and will). The "hook" of the Good Deal is what God will do for those who accept Christ as their Savior, rather than on what God has already done in sending His only Son to save repentant sinners. The promise of the Good Deal looks at what a person, hurting and in need, can get from God (solutions to life’s problems, personal well-being), while the biblical Good News is mostly concerned with what a person, lost and dead in sin, can be with God (free from the power of sin, and knowing Him who is Way, Truth, and Life).
There is no question that the promises of blessings and abundant life are real, scriptural promises. The problem of the Good Deal is that such benefits are presented as the substance of the Gospel, rather than, as they are, the outcomes or results that come our way by virtue of being reconciled to a gracious and forgiving God. Thus, the Good Deal makes eternal life in Christ a product, obtained by "whosoever will believe" from a kindly Deity , rather than a by‑product of the restoration from death to life, made possible by the grace of a righteous God, and imparted to undeserving and rebellious creatures. People may be thus encouraged by this Deal to be consumers of a benefit, rather than becoming contrite and repentant sinners, seeking the mercies and forgiveness of the Maker and Redeemer of mankind.
The problem in this manner of Gospel presentation is not in the lack of truthfulness of the images of God as presented, nor in the reality of the blessings alluded to, nor in any of the facts as presented. The problem, rather, is in the objective of such a presentation, and therefore in the way facts and images are selected and employed. The objective of such a Gospel appeal seems to be to secure a commitment of the mind, rather than loyalty of the heart; an agreement of the mind as opposed to a change of mind. The outcome appears more like signing up followers than reconciling rebels. No wonder some have referred to such evangelism as “easy-believism.”
For such who seek benefit from the Gospel, many discover that, not only are the blessings largely confined to internal things like the fruit of the Spirit, but there are these hidden surprises, euphemistically called "trials", awaiting them at every turn. Rather than experiencing an abundant life of continual joy and peace, many find their problems multiplied, their conflicts even greater. True, there is joy and peace to be found; but it comes by a price of surrender and humility. Such prices are hidden in the "fine print" of the Good Deal, generally omitted in the presentation aimed at persuading men to a decision for Christ. Little wonder so many are soon looking to exchange their faith for something more rewarding.
With such emphasis on what the sinner will receive for his expression of faith, there may be little attention given to the weighty issues of sin and guilt that demand a genuine change of heart. The result may be a "seed sown on the rocks or thorns", that will almost surely fail to take deeper root. When Roy Edgemon, Director of Discipleship Training for the Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, responded to the question of why “...so many of our converts show no sign of spiritual life?”, He gave two primary reasons. First, he says: too much of our evangelism is "manipulative," "shallow," "abortive," "evangelism without integrity." Second: too many of our churches are concerned with "decisions rather than disciples."
If the intended objective of Kingdom work is to accumulate a numerical following, then the Good Deal is a good marketing strategy. But if the goal is to truly make sincere followers, then we must be truthful about the facts of what God is offering in the cross of His Son, i.e., a no‑turning‑back, take‑up‑your‑cross approach to life, leaving behind the considerations of self and "what my God will do for me" in favor of "what ought I do for my God?"
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