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 …
Seldom Right But Never in Doubt!
“Courage,” says Collin Hansen, “is not measured by how many people you can offend.” Peter, the apostle best known for his overconfident bluster, learned over time to share his hope in Christ with “gentleness and respect.” When we lack these qualities we tend to condescendingly answer questions they’re not asking. Too many Christians are “seldom …
Tone Down the Condescension
“Pride,” wrote C.S. Lewis, “is the complete anti-God state of mind.” The best way to defeat arrogance is with meekness. My inadvertent response disarmed the spirit of pride and momentarily neutralized the adversary’s efforts to keep him incarcerated behind his wall. The Spirit slightly lifted the spiritual barrier like venetian blinds and let a little …
barney wiget 