THE BOOK CORNER
Evangelism in a Skeptical World by Sam Chan Reviewed by Wil Triggs Just after the dinosaurs went extinct, I enrolled in Bible college. Evangelism was a big thing for us. There was a campaign called “I Found It.” The college was abuzz. We volunteered to answer phones for people who called wanting the find “it.” Billboards, bumper stickers, televisions ads, the campaign was everywhere. Back then, I had friends who considered themselves to be evangelists. Most of them had developed an approach to talking with people about Jesus. It was often using a gospel-focused tract such as “The Four Spiritual Laws.” These people memorized the tract and then went through it with people, kindly and patiently covering all four points with the people they were talking with. I thought of those days last year when we had a contemporary outreach “Explore God,” which garnered various levels of participation from churches, including College Church, to welcome people to talk about God and look at what the Bible has to say. A 2019 Barna study reported that “almost all practicing Christians believe that part of their faith means being a witness about Jesus (ranging from 95% to 97% among all generational groups), and that the best thing that could ever happen to someone is for them to know Jesus (94% to 97%). Millennials, in particular, feel equipped to share their faith with others. For instance, almost three-quarters say they know how to respond when someone raises questions about faith (73%), and that they are gifted at sharing their faith with other people (73%). …Despite this, many Millennials are unsure about the actual practice of evangelism. Almost half of Millennials (47%) agree at least somewhat that it is wrong to share one’s personal beliefs with someone of a different faith in hopes that they will one day share the same faith…. Sharing the gospel today is made harder than at any time in recent memory by an overall cultural resistance to conversations that highlight people’s differences.” These challenges in our populations and in the culture at large is why I found Evangelism in a Skeptical World so refreshing. Author Sam Chan is an evangelist based out of the City Bible Forum in Sydney, Australia. In some ways, the book reads like a textbook on evangelism. I wish we’d had it in my evangelism class back in Bible college. Chan analyzes gospel tracts, their strengths and weaknesses. He provides samples/summaries of evangelistic talks and messages. Rather than memorizing a single tract, Chan suggests
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being versed in many, as well as looking at culture for metaphors and stories that will engage people. He includes several tracts in the book. I’ve read them all over the course of my life but reading them all together with his helpful analysis puts them into the context of real life. These are not tools to memorize and share, cookie-cutter style, but legitimate expressions of our faith that we can use, adapt and share as God guides us through our interactions with people around us. “Jesus had different answers for different people,” Chan writes. “To Nicodemus, Jesus talked about being ‘born again’ ( John 3:3). But to the woman at the well, Jesus offered ‘living water’ ( John 4:10). So, Jesus was letting the audience set the agenda.” Of course, Jesus did set the agenda, but he listened to the people and adapted his approach to them based on where they were. He had the advantage of being God, which is a pretty big advantage, and it’s not always easy for us to discern people. But the point is that we have a whole world of stories, metaphors, Bible stories and gospel plans of salvation that we can pull from when we talk to people. The gospel presentations and examples in this book can be tools or levers we can reach for when we talk with others about Jesus. The book is also full of stories or people sharing their faith in big and little ways relationally. It’s an inspiration and a book to prayerfully savor as we look out at the people around us. Order your copy at the online bookstore of College Church: www.10ofthose.com/us/products/4511/evangelism-in-a-skepticalworld
