This is one of the best of the 20+ books I own on evangelism. This book, in effect, begs Christians to think and act as Jesus did. Historically we’ve wired our thinking to consider the “quick-hit” as evangelism. Get the tract in front of the victom or execute the well planned sales pitch such that the weak can’t back down.

Irresistible Evangelism: Natural Ways to Open Others to Jesus

Steve Sjogren / Dave Ping / Doug Pollock, Group Publishing, 2004

I found much of this book profound in its simplicity. I.E. would have us think about evangelism in a way that’s consistent with how Christians should be living their lives in any relationship. The problem is that we don’t want to commit to relationships as our calling in life. The result of this is the “quick hit” approach (which scares most reasonable people to death).

The authors look at building relationships in four steps:

First – the stranger level. Acts of kindness and non-judgmental listening.

Second – the Acquaintance level. Here we are building on the possibility of friendship as we become more active in our listening – we ask questions to understand them better.

Third – the Friend level. Here we gain regular access to them and ask questions of wondering (questions that help them engage in the deep issues of life).

Fourth – the eternal level. Here, within the friendship, we are transparent about our lives and the relationship we have with Jesus. Here is where they see Jesus in action and we invite them to believe.

Many books don’t hold my interest – this one did. It’s about more than simple evangelism. It’s a challenge to live life as Jesus did – dedicated to loving the people God has given to you.

The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power is Destroying the Church

Most Christians simply don’t have a focused idea of Jesus’ vision for how The Kingdom is to function and grow. We are so saturated with our country’s political structure that we can’t think outside the system – we can’t see any alternative.

The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power is Destroying the Church
Gregory A. Boyd, Zondervan, May-06.
Even though I strongly disagree with Boyd on a number of his theological views (he’s an open theist), this book is a “must read” for anyone wanting to gain insight into who we are called to be in this world.

Have you ever struggled with the “Christian” political vision? If Christians have their way will we outlaw all sin and put people in jail for being gay? If not, then where are we going with all this?

The Myth of a Christian Nation will do much more than critique a political vision. It will help us examine our commitment to live as Jesus lived. It will challenge us to better understand and respond to the call to live a life of faith.

While Boyd doesn’t answer every question in this work, he does a great service to us.

The beauty of Boyd’s thinking for me is that as he develops his position I’m thinking, “This is what I know to be true – I just haven’t been able to articulate it.”

This is a “must read” for anyone wanting to gain a helpful alternative to the quest for power over those around us.