Questioning Evangelism by Randy Newman

Book description:

You don't need to memorize evangelical formulas or answers. You just have to be willing to ask.

There was something different about the way Jesus communicated with the lost: He didn't force answers upon people, He asked questions. So why don't we?

Following Christ's lead, Randy Newman has been using a questioning style of evangelism for decades. In this provocative book, he provides practical insights to help Christians engage others in meaningful spiritual conversations. He challenges us to examine how we think about people, their questions, and our crucial message.

This second edition includes a new preface reflecting on the popularity of this perennial best seller and what its success has taught Newman about the effectiveness of this extraordinary method.

My review:

  This book intrigued me when I read the blurb about it in the review opportunity. I don't read and review enough non-fiction titles, so I decided to review it. I found the book as interesting as it sounded in the description.

 If you pay attention while reading the Gospels, Jesus asked a lot of questions. When people asked Him questions, He often replied back with a question of His own. This often showed the motive and reasons behind the person's question.

 The author does a great job of showing how we Christians today can apply this same method to our evangelizing and also in dealing with tough questions from others. He covers such topics as why are Christians so intolerant, why are Christians so homophobic, why does God allow so much pain and suffering, and other such questions. He also spends some time on why questions are better than answers. 

 The book is an interesting, engaging, and helpful read. I have never thought about using this method of evangelizing and of dealing with tough questions, but I am definitely intrigued by the idea of it after reading this book. The author did a great job of getting his ideas across in an interesting way, and I feel this is a book that will be helpful to many Christians.

 I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

About the author:

From Randy's website: "I want to pursue the integral (whole, unified, tied-together) nature of things. I see connections between ideas, common ground between people, and overlap where others see conflict. I see God’s fingerprints in all areas of life, not just the so-called religious ones.

I’ve had the privilege of serving in ministry on college campuses, at the Pentagon, in churches, and in various academic settings. My writing has opened doors to teach the Bible and to train people in communicating their faith in dialogical and respectful ways.

Some major influences in my life have been (in no particular order) C. S. Lewis, Francis Schaeffer, D. A. Carson, Tim Keller, Ralph Winter, George Elden Ladd, Dallas Willard, John Stott, George Marsden, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Victor Hugo, Antonin Dvorak, Abraham Joshua Heshel, Claude Monet, and the Marx Brothers. My highest priorities are loving God, advancing His kingdom, and loving my family.

You could say that some other big deals in my life are theology, Judaism, academia, literature, music, beauty, and laughter."

Questioning Evangelism is available from Kregel Publishing.

Thanks to Kregel for the review copy.