Date

4-7-2026

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Bible Exposition (PhD)

Chair

Phillip Koo

Keywords

Evangelism, Prayer, Evangelistic Prayer, Salvation, Lost, New Testament, New Testament Theology, Exposition, Spiritual Warfare, Spiritual Warfare and Prayer, Divine Sovereignty, Divine Sovereignty and Evangelism, Divine Sovereignty and Prayer

Disciplines

Christianity | Practical Theology

Abstract

Evangelistic prayer is widely assumed to be appropriate, but the biblical basis for the practice has been insufficiently argued. Some evangelistic resources assume evangelistic prayer is necessary. Others overlook the practice, and many discuss evangelistic prayer by making minimal arguments for the practice. Due to the lack of comprehensive arguments for evangelistic prayer, some authors have been able to claim that prayers for the lost are unbiblical. This dissertation enters the conversation by arguing that the New Testament presents evangelistic prayer as a biblically mandated, exemplified, and theologically supported practice. This argument is made by expositing twelve key New Testament passages while adhering to a historical-grammatical hermeneutic. Taken together, the expositions demonstrate that evangelistic prayer is not simply a sentimental practice, but one thoroughly rooted in Scripture. Accordingly, this dissertation contributes to the academic discussion in two ways. First, it challenges those publications that claim evangelistic prayers for the lost are unbiblical. Second, it provides the biblical foundation for evangelistic prayer that is often underdeveloped in evangelism literature.

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