In Moody’s day it was, ‘Let’s beautify our churches, enhance the cultural quality of our worship by installing wonderful pipe organs to displace the old harmoniums and train professional choirs to produce exquisite music.’ Today it is, ‘Let’s get rid of the organs, choirs and buildings which smack of yesteryear and let’s restore popular culture, language and dress codes to the church through the use of guitars, worship bands, modern technology, contemporary songs and through pastors and priests that look like ordinary human beings.’ But we still believe that the adjustment of the outward packaging of the gospel, the adoption of new methods, holds the secret to successful evangelism. The truth is, we have tried it all and it has proved to be no more successful than old-fashioned ways.19 The answer does not appear to lie in methods, but as Moody correctly diagnosed, in a want of power. To bypass that answer is to condemn the church to yet more failure.
George, T. (2004). Mr Moody and the evangelical tradition. London; New York: T&T Clark.
