Celtic inspired Evangelism: Creation, Women Saints, and Pilgrimage
Abstract
Celtic Christian tradition captivates the imagination of many. Those interested in evangelism drawing on Celtic Christianity most often look to George G. Hunter III’s classic text The Celtic Way of Evangelism: How Christianity Can Reach the West…Again. Hunter focuses attention on important and helpful practices such as individual spiritual disciplines, hospitality, small group/team ministries, and lay leadership.[1] This paper is an expression of gratitude for the Academy for Evangelism in Theological Education (AETE) and Professor Hunter on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of AETE’s beginning, to which Professor Hunter contributed as a founding member. The paper traces threads within Celtic Christianity with particular appreciation for The Celtic Way of Evangelism by building on and extending Hunter’s project in light of recent scholarship largely published since the second edition. The proposed paper seeks constructively to extend the conversation by exploring the distinctive Celtic Christian practices of (1) relationship with creation, (2) witness by women saints, and (3) pilgrimage. The paper reflects on biblical, historical, and theological themes related to each practice drawing from recent scholarship to offer further texture for Celtic inspired ministries of evangelism among contemporary congregations in the United States.
[1] George G. Hunter, III (2010, rev. 2nd edition) The Celtic Way of Evangelism: How Christianity Can Reach the West…Again. Nashville: Abingdon Press. For a distilled list of ten helpful insights see pp. 95-98.
