Converting Elmer Gantry

Being in seminary has exposed me to many great books, most of them are instructional by nature, and they aren't easy to read. During the summer I like to use the free time to read as many fictional books as possible. I couldn't find one this summer, but thankfully a friend suggested a book titled, Elmer Gantry, by Sinclair Lewis. It is said that Lewis drew inspiration from flamboyant evangelist ministers such as Aimee Semple McPherson (1890-1944) and Billy Sunday (1862-1935). The religious community objected to the way Lewis presented a minister of the gospel, and Lewis received much flack on account of this book. I guess they didn't believe it was possible for someone to enter the ministry with improper motives, but that's not the subject of this note. I just finished reading the section of the book where Gantry is converted during a special church service, and the scene was incredible. The altar call has been given, and many have come to the altar, but Elmer has not, so here comes the preacher:

He was among them, Jusdon Roberts [the keynote speaker], with his arms held out, his voice a bugle. Young men sobbed and knelt; a woman shrieked; people were elbowing the standers in the aisles and pushing forward to kneel in agonized happiness, and suddenly they were setting relentlessly on a bewildered Elmer Gantry, who had been betrayed into forgetting himself, into longing to be one with Judson Roberts.
His mother was wringing his hand, begging, "Oh, won't you come? Won't you make your old mother happy? Let yourself know the joy of surrender to Jesus!" She was weeping, old eyes puckered...
The basketball player was patting his other arm, begging, "Dear old Hell-cat [Elmer Gantry], you've never let yourself be happy! You've been lonely! Let yourself be happy with us...

Eventually the crowd get's involved in the beckoning of Elmer Gantry to come and be saved...

His mother shrieked, "Won't you, Elmer? With him and me? Won't you make us happy? Won't you be big enough to not be afraid? See how we're all longing for you, praying for you!
"Yes!" from around him, from strangers; and "Help me to follow you, Brother ⎯ I'll go if you will!"

I hope you can picture the scene inside your mind, or maybe you can remember a service like this... If you can't just tune in to one of TBN's phone-a-thon's and you'll get the picture.

When I read this I began to consider the way Jesus called individuals, and the way many churches often do. Allow me some leeway here, but did Jesus ever chase after people like this? I would almost say that Jesus lost more potential converts while he was on Earth than he won? Read John 6, it's as if he wants to make sure that they know what it will cost to follow him, rather than to simply build numbers and appear successful. Look at his encounter with the rich young ruler, this guy would've been a great person to have in your group, but Jesus says something that makes him walk away sad... and he doesn't even beg or plead for him to return.

I'm not suggesting that we should intentionally say "hard words" to get people to walk away, but I think there should be less coddling, and less emotion-driven urging. If we preach with the type of urgency that we often show during the altar-call, then perhaps we won't need to do so many things to get people to come.

Don't get me wrong, I am not against altar calls or soft music playing during the altar call. I am against getting people to make a "decision" that involves the changing of their entire life. Better they stay in their seat counting the cost, than come up and leave unchanged.

By the way, on his way home from the church service in which he was converted, Elmer Gantry all but acknowledged in his own mind that what happened was all a show. But nobody in the service knew it, they all thought they had just won a "champion" for Jesus. What they really got was a wolf among the flock; read the book, you'll see.

My Opinion,

God's Court Jester