OBEDIENCE-BASED DISCIPLESHIP

Abstract

Obedience based discipleship is a significant feature in contemporary missionary practice. Simply put, obedience based discipleship stresses the importance of teaching people to obey the Bible, rather than simply teaching people Bible content. Proponents of this approach see themselves as correcting a tendency in evangelical ministry toward knowledge based discipleship, in which people are taught the content of the Bible, evangelical theology, and perhaps apologetics, but are not taught a life of obedience to the commands of Christ. These advocates of obedience based discipleship contend that any other approach both disobeys Scripture and impedes the advance of the gospel. How did this approach develop, and how should these claims be assessed?