My boys love to read and give out the Jack Chick gospel tracts.  For the most part, tracts are a good way to give someone a piece of the Bible, and they contain essential information in regards to salvation, etc.

The only thing I would add is today most tracts, including most Chick tracts, tend to neglect using the Law to convince of sin.  I have seen the law used well in the tracts made by Evangelist Ray Comfort’s Living Waters ministry which uses the 10 commandments to let someone be convicted of sin (ever told a lie? what would that make you? –a liar– is what they will admit to).  I think that is a positive step.

What we need to examine I would say is to compare the fruit of the 1800’s to what we see today. Chick tracts are great — but in general all tracts do not replace the week long sin preaching no-altar call until the final day type of meetings they had years ago.

Think of today’s gospel as right drug, but the dose we are giving is far less potent and concentrated than even 100 years ago and especially during the Great Awakening when men were exposed to hours of direct preaching on their sins against a holy and perfect God.

I praise all of us who give out the gospel, but my conviction is these tracts are predominately planting a much-needed seed, and you likely aren’t seeing genuine conversion if you see the quick emotional response as in the seed sown on stony ground. (see Matthew 13).

If someone is only exposed to a tract and prays I am not saying they are not saved, but we need to really see that biblical salvation takes a lot of work.  Like a garden, it takes preparing the soil, planting the seed, watering the seed, weeding, sunlight, and TIME.  Today I think we have accepted short cuts to salvation and a major problem today is you have a church made up of goats, that we are exhausting ourselves training them up to act as sheep!

I have talked to hundreds of people on the street and everyone claims today they are saved.  Obama says he is saved.  They are satisfied with their do-as-you-please I am going-to-heaven -now leave me alone “form of godliness”.

Sadly, so are many in the church.  Give out the cure folks, but we must do better convincing of the disease!!!!!   — ETVFC.org