| Binding: Paperback |
| EAN: 9780877847359 |
| ISBN: 0877847355 |
| Label: InterVarsity Press |
| Manufacturer: InterVarsity Press |
| Number Of Items: 1 |
| Number Of Pages: 188 |
| Product Group: Book |
| Publication Date: 1979-06-24 |
| Publisher: InterVarsity Press |
| Sales Rank on Amazon: 1,179,346 |
| Studio: InterVarsity Press |
| UPC: |
Source:Product Description
Through stories, biblical insight and plain common sense, Becky Pippert helps us feel relaxed and enthusiastic about sharing our faith.
Average Customer Review: 4.5
Total Customer Reviews: 16
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful:
Rating: 5
Summary: What a challenge
This book is well written from the experiences of the author. I was challenged to more evangelism in my own life. We truly must get out of the salt shaker and into the world if we want to reach souls. This sould be our daily goal as Christians. If you want to be challenged read this book!
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful:
Rating: 5
Summary: Great Read
A new way of looking at an old age problem...how to spread the word of God with out pressure.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful:
Rating: 4
Summary: Heatfelt Take on Evangelism
The author rightly points out that in evangelism we should be ourselves. By communicating our true selves to others, they can see that we are not being fake, not hiding something. Given the general suspicion that Western people have of Christianity, this is very important. Through mirroring the Jesus, we must be bold, willing to challenge people to make a clear choice, while also being compassionate. Religion isn't something just for the scholar or the theologian, but for the poor and downtrodden. Jesus brought it to them by reaching out to them. The woman at the well was one example of this. In our society, it is easy to surround oneself with wholly like-minded people on every subject from religion to politics. Jesus challenges our tendency to barricade ourselves in comfortable environments.
"Jesus is Lord," is a phrase that identifies Jesus as the one in charge. If he was about the poor, the marginalized in society, then we cannot call ourselves Christians unless we are also concerned about the people society has forgotten about. The children starving in Africa, the millions of children dropping out of school in America, or the plight of the unborn, are just some examples. It is easy to be self-consumed, thinking only about your own satisfaction and happiness. Jesus reminds us that we are mortal and that we are ultimately accountable to God at the end of the day.
Pippert asks us to ask ourselves, "Does my life reflect only religious activity or does it bear the mark of profound love?" This is a key question that separates the religion of Jesus from that of the Pharisees. Do we really care about people in our lives? Jesus is clear that how we treat and think of others reflects what we think about God. Jesus balanced being radically identified with the world with being radically different as well. We must not wait for stimulating intellectual answers or the right feelings before we obey Christ.
The author notes that we tend to either over-identify with the world ensuring that we are no different from them or we separate ourselves from the world. Since we are called to be salt and light, we must both not hide and not give in to the ways of this world. Pippert writes, "We must ask ourselves, How do I interpret the needs and lifestyles of my friends? Do I look at their messy lives and say `That's wrong' and walk away? Or do I penetrate their mask and discover why they are in such trouble in the first place? And then do I try to love them where they are?" For me, I definitely fall on the side of a `whatever floats your boat' mentality. As stated in the first paragraph, I don't think I've fully converted yet to Christianity. Just because I have a Christian-type worldview does not make me a Christian. Doctrine is essential to Christianity, but doctrine alone isn't the full picture. "The Creed does not belong to you unless you have lived it," Pippert quotes the Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow as saying.
Pippert goes into three models of trying to bring the evangelism into our conversations with friends and strangers. The most attractive one for me is controlling the conversation by asking probing questions. Socrates was the exemplar of this. By asking `why,' one can get to the heart of things. The value judgments and basic view of life that the person has. By digging deeper, their values and beliefs can be compared with those of Christ. Another method that goes back to Christ is to provoke a person's curiosity. This means sharing what you believe in such a way that isn't conversation ending, but thought-provoking. Jesus' `living water' statement to the woman at the well is a good example of this.
Looking over where I underlined in this book really brings out the obvious fact that apologetics serves evangelism, rather than existing for its own sake. Since I love intellectual things, I tend to forget this. This book is a great call for Christians to be more serious in the faith and thus in their witness to the world.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful:
Rating: 5
Summary: Engaging, funny, and ultimately life-changing.
We led a group study of about 20 adults with this book. We were surprised by how many people gave us positively glowing feedback. We highly recommend using the study questions at the end of the book. They can be expounded upon or altered according to the needs of your students. As a personal study this will truly wake you up and shake the salt out of your system. Highly recommended for group or individual study!
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful:
Rating: 5
Summary: great work
This book is proving to be a great study for me personally, and my church. Well written, very informative, and very relevant to the question of how to get Church people interested in evangelism when they are afraid to knock on doors. (For one thing, it tells you how to do evangelism without knocking on a stranger's door, or yelling from a street corner.) I give this book Three thumbs up.
