It starts when they pull out the clobber questions. “How could Jesus be the only way? What’s up with you Christians and gays? How do you explain the crusades?” We can’t seem to let those go unanswered and we pull out our best rebuttals. Block the left jab and respond with a right cross. “Our …
From the Heart to the Heart
There’s no doubt that apologetics helps some people overcome intellectual barriers to faith, but it’s my experience that the most formidable wall is in the will rather than in the head. My suggestion then is to speak to their spoken and unspoken questions. When we respond with our life of faith instead of memorized clichés, …
Love Drew Me
I usually lean away from an information-heavy witness. Not that many people are moved to faith by a four-step bullet-point proof for Intelligent Design or rhyming sermon points that promise a “blessed life.” Our culture is glutted with slick pitches everywhere else and my guess is that most people are more interested in connecting with …
The Telemarketer Approach to Evangelism
God doesn’t merely recruit silver-tongued orators or skilled apologists for his quest for friends. Silver and skill sometimes actually inhibit the Spirit’s efforts to find his way into a person’s consciousness. They can detract from the actual good news itself. Don Everts writes, “If they have just a thimbleful of curiosity, we could actually douse …
When is a Sword Not a Sword? (Part 2 of 2)
In part 1 of “When is a Sword Not a Sword?” I talked about the danger of using the Sword of the Spirit as a weapon against pre-Christians. Peter was granted a sword and then used it to hurt a man instead of helping him. Some more along those lines… Do you see someone who …
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