The problem with relying on the theological idea “The father has given all things into his [Jesus] hands”, while theologically true, many people wouldn’t recognize God’s authority to give them into Jesus’ hands.  Indeed, problem is that many [post]modern people would actually feel morally obliged - to rebel against such a God.  [Who gave God the right to hand me over to anyone].  I don’t know what the answer is to that problem.  It seems that for many people, the culture has effectively innoculated them against any positive response to the Gospel in so far as many people do not see themselves as being guilty of any great sin – certainly not one deserving of hell. 

My own [personal] observations from life is that the Gospel can resonate [relatively easily] with people who feel rejected by the world [Jesus says “come unto me…”] and the Gospel resonates with people who feel bad about their sin – but if you’ve not been rejected by society, and you don’t feel that you’ve committed a very great sin,  it is hard for many secular people to understand in any heart-felt way that they need him. Another problem [it seems] with some people, to call them a sinner feels like the Church is effectively rejecting them.  It is hard [apparently] for people to comprehend that calling someone a sinner does not imply rejection of them – especially over things they don’t [personally] hold to be sinful.

Yes, Dave, these are some of the issues that we are confronting. One of the troubles is that preachers (in both public and private mode) can get locked into just one (or, at a stretch, three) way of explaining the gospel. The NT has many more than this. My own evangelical tradition (as in post) seems to be locked into having to establish sin, and in a particular form. My suggestion is we try to find some more of the NT’s variety. Why not come in upon the lostness of the world (which everyone agrees to), and then add the notion of ‘sin’ as the bible’s explanation for the way the world is? I am also interested in how the ‘shame’ at sin appears to be something that comes after conversion (Rom 6:21) and wonder at the response of the Jerusalem crowd, convicted of their sin after the proclamation of Jesus’ resurrection and Lordship (Acts 2). Because the gospel has its own power, the proclamation of Jesus’ ownership of all, even if it strikes no already existing felt need, may indeed strike home.