How To Talk About Jesus Without Being That Guy

How to Talk about Jesus (Without Being That Guy): Personal Evangelism in a Skeptical World: Chan, Sam, Ed Stetzer: 9780310112693: Amazon.com: Books

‘Sam has gained valuable experience presenting the gospel in a multicultural, metropolitan, post-Christian environment in Australia. Throughout this practical and inspiring handbook, his contagious excitement for evangelism comes through. In a society that is hungry for purpose, this is an excellent resource for sharing the life-changing message of Jesus.’ This cultural moment podcast is hosted by Mark Sayers, author of Reappearing Church, cohost of This Cultural Moment podcast, and senior leader of Red Church A fun book that is ideal for anyone who believes evangelism is out of their league.’ — To approach the hard-to-reach in today’s tough post-Christian world, Sam Chan inspires and empowers all believers-regardless of gifting or temperament-with practical tools and strategies.

It is insightful, intelligent but practical, culturally relevant, biblically faithful, and relationally beneficial to follow his eight recommendations.

Fortunately, I came across folks who were well-versed in how not to be ‘that man.’ Sam Chan, to his credit, assists all of us in not being ‘that man,’ so that we can bring them to the person of Jesus Christ.

RAVI ZACHARIAS INTERNATIONAL MINISTRIES ABDU MURRAY, novelist and public speaker A breath of fresh air, Sam Chan is a pleasure to be around.

  1. It was both challenging and nice.
  2. Strategic and honest in their approach.
  3. How to Talk About Jesus (Without Being That Guy) is a great gift from Sam, and I am grateful!’ -CRAIG SPRINGER, executive director of Alpha USA and author of How to Follow Jesus and How to Revive Evangelism.
  4. As a result of his work, Sam Chan has provided Christians with a natural and approachable manner to share their religion with others.
  5. “Read it, put it into action, and see God use you to express his love and grace in fresh new ways.” I found reading Sam Chan’s How to Talk about Jesus (Without Being That Guy) to be similar to solving a jigsaw puzzle: you have all of the parts, but you’re not sure how they go together.

This excellent resource, which will help us model faithful, sustainable evangelism ourselves and also train our beloved church families to speak about Jesus, is greatly appreciated by the church.’ -RICO TICE, senior minister for evangelism at All Souls Church, Langham Place, and author of Honest Evangelism, says: Expert evangelist Sam Chan welcomes you into his house to discover what personal evangelism looks like in his own life, filled with examples, anecdotes, and other practical assistance.’ (from the book) It is an excellent resource for any Christian who want to assist people in coming to know Jesus.’ -CRAIG ELLIS, founder and CEO of The Elpis Network ‘ Sam Chan’s life as a witness is both inspirational and quite practical, and he shows us what it looks like—and it’s really dazzling!

  1. The book is brimming with Christian hope as well as common sense.
  2. ), Sam demonstrates the importance of community, the posture of a witness for Jesus in our everyday lives, and the pounding heart of a testimony for Jesus.
  3. With this book, we are reminded that we are all witnesses to something, and that everyone of us may play a role.’ -GLEN SCRIVENER, director of Speak Life and author of The Gift and 3 2 1: The Power of One.
  4. What a superb class in motivation from Sam ‘Mr.
  5. I couldn’t put this book down once I started reading it.

The question that I am frequently asked while doing so is, “Why hasn’t anybody else demonstrated this to me? ” Chairman of 10ofthose Ltd. and co-founder of The Word One to One, RICHARD BORGONON

About the Author

The Rev. Sam Chan (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School; MBBS, University of Sydney) works with City Bible Forum in Sydney, Australia, as a public evangelist, where he routinely communicates the gospel with high school students, city employees, physicians, and attorneys. As the author of the award-winning bookEvangelism in a Skeptical World, he travels the world, speaking at conferences on the practice of evangelization in a post-Christian culture. He is also a regular contributor to Christian publications.

How to Talk about Jesus (Without Being That Guy)

Author Sam Chan educates common Christians who are afraid and scared to tell their friends about Jesus with practical, tried-and-true methods of expressing their faith in the least embarrassing manner imaginable in his book How to Talk About Jesus (Without Being That Guy).

About the Book

The vast majority of Christians are aware that they should be attempting to tell their friends and family about Jesus. Personal evangelism, on the other hand, is perceived unfavorably in a post-Christian culture; it is considered insulting, inappropriate, and insensitive. Recent research have confirmed that the vast majority of Christians are reluctant to evangelize for fear of offending their families or alienating their friends. How to Talk About Jesus (Without Being That Guy) is a practical, tried-and-true guide for everyday Christians who are reluctant or nervous to tell their friends about Jesus.

Chan draws on his more than two decades of experience as an evangelist, teacher, and pastor to explain why personal evangelism is so uncomfortable in today’s society.

Reviews

‘Sam has gained valuable experience presenting the gospel in a multicultural, metropolitan, post-Christian environment in Australia. Throughout this practical and inspiring handbook, his contagious excitement for evangelism comes through. In a society that is hungry for purpose, this is an excellent resource for sharing the life-changing message of Jesus.’ MARK SAYERS, author of Reappearing Church, cohost of the This Cultural Moment podcast, and senior leader of Red Church, is a writer, podcaster, and cultural commentator.

  1. It is insightful, intelligent but practical, culturally relevant, biblically faithful, and relationally beneficial to follow his eight recommendations.
  2. Fortunately, I came across folks who were well-versed in how not to be ‘that man.’ Sam Chan, to his credit, assists all of us in not being ‘that man,’ so that we can bring them to the person of Jesus Christ.
  3. Mr.
  4. A breath of fresh air, Sam Chan is a pleasure to be around.
  5. It was both challenging and nice.
  6. Strategic and honest in their approach.
  7. Please accept my gratitude for this great gift in How to Talk about Jesus (Without Being That Guy)!’ CRAIG SPRINGER, executive director of Alpha USA and author of How to Follow Jesus and How to Revive Evangelism.
  8. As a result of his work, Sam Chan has provided Christians with a natural and approachable manner to share their religion with others.
  9. ‘ Sam Chan’s How to Talk about Jesus (Without Being That Guy) reminded me a little of putting together a puzzle: you have all the parts, but you’re not sure how they’re supposed to come together.

“The church owes Sam a tremendous debt of gratitude for this fantastic resource, which will assist us in modeling genuine, sustained evangelism in our own lives and in training our beloved church families to talk about Jesus.” TICE, RICO, is the senior pastor for evangelism at All Souls Church, Langham Place, and the author of Honest Evangelism.

  1. ‘ The author of this new book, professional evangelist Sam Chan, welcomes you into his house to discover what personal evangelism looks like in his own life.
  2. ‘It is an excellent resource for any Christian who want to assist people in coming to know Jesus,’ says Craig Ellis, founder and CEO of The Elpis Network.
  3. The book is brimming with Christian hope as well as common sense.
  4. ), Sam demonstrates the importance of community, the posture of a witness for Jesus in our everyday lives, and the pounding heart of a testimony for Jesus.
  5. This book demonstrates that we are all witnesses, and that, in a marvelous way, each of us may play a role.’ Dr.
  6. Jesus of the Bible is actively engaged in the world today, and discovering where he is already ‘unsettling’ our own interactions is the most exhilarating, joyous, and Spirit-filled experience of our lives.
  7. Motivator’ Chan on how to get things started.
  8. Many will be inspired enough to begin finding the power of the Word as a result of Sam’s entertaining and oh so practical guidance, but—and this is a major but—we must get out and share it!

The question that I am frequently asked while doing so is, “Why hasn’t anybody else demonstrated this to me? ” RICHARD BORGONON, chairman of 10ofthose Ltd. and founder of The Word One to One, is a businessman and philanthropist.

Product Details

  • ISBN:9780310112693
  • ISBN 10:0310112699
  • Imprint:Zondervan
  • On Sale:2020-11-03
  • Pages:176
  • List Price:$18.99
  • Publisher:Zondervan
  • Publication Date:2020-11-03
  • ISBN:9780310112693
  • Publication Date: 139.000mm x 213.000mm x 10.000mm
  • 203.000gr
  • RELIGION / Christian Ministry / Evangelism
  • Category 2:RELIGION / Christian Education / General
  • Category 3:RELIGION / Christian Life/Spiritual Growth
  • Category 4:RELIGION / Christian Ministry / Discipleship
  • RELIGION / Christian Ministry /

Talk Jesus Whether You’re Radiant or Reviled

Two upcoming novels are named after an intriguing tension found in the Bible, which is reflected in the titles of the books themselves. Here’s where the biblical conflict comes in: “Maintain your honorable behavior among the Gentiles so that when they accuse you of wicked crimes, they will remember your good deeds and thank God on the day of visitation” (1 Pet. 2:12). Peter talks about a bright church that draws pagans to genuine worship by radiating its light. However, it is not an easy process.

It is not just praise that we receive, but also allegations of wrongdoing, persecution, defamation, and hatred against us.

And we should adjust our expectations in accordance with this.

Both books are fantastic resources for living clearly in tough times, and both are written by Australians who are involved with the same evangelistic organization, City Bible Forum, which is situated in Sydney.

How to Talk About Jesus (Without Being That Guy)

Zondervan Publishing House, 176 pages. Sam Chan draws on his more than two decades of experience as an evangelist, teacher, and pastor to explain why personal evangelism is so uncomfortable in today’s society today. By drawing on contemporary findings in the fields of communications, cross-cultural ministry, and apologetics, he helps you develop self-confidence when it comes to talking about Jesus, as well as skills for engaging in socially appropriate Christian witness with friends and family.

  • The cover of Sam Chan’s book, How To Talk About Jesus (Without Being That Guy): Personal Evangelism in a Skeptical World, is a cheerful shade of yellow.
  • Chan is trying to keep you from being that person in your life.
  • Which of the following titles appeals to you?
  • I’m a more aggressive person, both temperamentally and theologically.
  • I’m more in favor of battle than I am of common ground.
  • But he was successful.

No Silver Bullet

One key to understanding Chan’s book—the one under consideration here—is to think of it as a successor to Evangelism in a Skeptical World, which was published in 2001. (Zondervan, 2018). Chan has already outlined a theology of mission in his writings. This new book is quite useful. Chan, a seasoned evangelist, takes us by the hand and demonstrates what it means to live a life of witness—and it’s a life that is dazzling. Chan takes us by the hand and shows us what it looks like to live a life of witness—and it’s a life that is dazzling.

  1. In the words of Chan, they’re more like a full fitness plan than New Year’s goals, with convictions that permeate all aspect of one’s life.
  2. 5:13; John 8:12).
  3. Moving beyond missional life (chapters 1–3), Chan encourages us to listen to our culture and our friends (chapter 4), tell a better tale (chapter 5), repeat the stories of Jesus (chapter 6), and consider ourselves to be pastoral care providers in our communities (chapter 7).
  4. He concludes with fantastic advise on what to do when confronted with hostile questions: we should engage in them ourselves!

Mission Is a Lifestyle

At one point, I began to worry that Chan was pushing for a calculating, point–counterpoint approach to mission, as if we should consider our friends more as targets for our evangelism rather than as neighbors to love and be loved by. The following is one of his pieces of advice: “Go to their things, and they will come to your things.” Although it is a recurring theme throughout the book, the last chapter reiterates it: our missionary mandate is not so much to perform evangelism as it is to be a pastoral, peacemaking presence in the world, and to allow God to use us as he sees fit.

See also:  Man Who Climbed The Tree To See Jesus?

As he walks through the minefield, unconcerned, with his eyes fixed on the objective, Chan brings up theological debates, pushing us to accompany him on his mission rather than debating the best means of defusing bombs.

Chan’s objective is not to engage in theological debate, but rather to lead us on a mission of service.

We have found his material on the “coffee, dinner, gospel” strategy, his insights into how Jesus used different stories of Jesus with his enquirers, his recommendation of The Word One to One as a practical tool, his checklist of aims for us as chaplains, and his suggestions for positive apologetics to be extremely helpful and insightful.

  1. Except for hopeless contrarians like me, no one wants to be that person, therefore Chan’s term may be appropriate in this case.
  2. But don’t be fooled by the appearances.
  3. And, as he concludes, he warns that you will need the bravery of Esther to risk all for this kingdom call.
  4. Some may refer to you as that man, or even worse, as a horrible guy.

How to Talk about Jesus by Sam Chan

Points for Loyalty For every £1 you spend, you will receive one point. A total of 100 points equates to a £2.50 coupon. The vast majority of Christians are aware that they should be attempting to tell their friends and family about Jesus. Personal evangelism, on the other hand, is perceived unfavorably in a post-Christian culture; it is considered insulting, inappropriate, and insensitive. Recent research have confirmed that the vast majority of Christians are reluctant to evangelize for fear of offending their families or alienating their friends.

Chan draws on his more than two decades of experience as an evangelist, teacher, and pastor to explain why personal evangelism is so uncomfortable in today’s society.

And, drawing on the most up-to-date research in communication theory, cross-cultural ministry, and apologetics, he helps you gain confidence in sharing your faith with others and teaches you how to evangelize your friends and family in a way that is acceptable for their social situations.

  • TitleHow to Talk About Jesus
  • Author(s)Sam Chan
  • ISBN9780310112693
  • TrimPaperback
  • Pages176
  • PublisherZondervan

Packed full of wisdom about sharing Jesus

  • HTTAJ is jam-packed with sound advice on how Christians may communicate their faith with friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors, as well as how to ensure that the gospel is heard and understood by as many people as possible. Neither the gospel nor the reasons for which Christians should evangelize are discussed in this book, nor is it addressed how God works in our evangelistic endeavors. In HTTAJ, there is very little consideration of what the Bible has to say regarding evangelism and church planting. Instead, it’s a book of suggestions, advice, and insights about personal evangelism that’s written in an appealing, breezy way that will appeal to readers. Even if none of the suggestions are game–changers, they are all reasonable starting points for thinking about how we may be excellent friends with non–Christians so that we can share the greatest news possible with them. Having saying that, this isn’t the first book I’d recommend to most people. In spite of his protestations, Sam Chan is a great extrovert who is constantly recounting tales about a BBQ he organized for the neighborhood, or a passenger he was conversing with on the airline, or an Uber driver he met and struck up a conversation with, or that guy he brought to Christ. As captivating as Chan is as a storyteller, he can be equally scary as an evangelist. I believe the book would have been enhanced if it had included a more in-depth discussion of how the ideas may be used in various contexts. In many cases, it is quite middle class: recalling how he became a surgeon, or how he takes friends out to dinner and pays for them, or how he meticulously maintains his yard so that his neighbors will enjoy it are all examples. I’d absolutely recommend How to Talk About Jesus as an apologetic for and a cheat–sheet guide to personal evangelism in the twenty–first century, with those cautions in mind.

How to Talk About Jesus by Sam Chan

The Australian Christian Book of the Year has been shortlisted for the year 2021. Utilizing the latest research in cross-cultural ministry, communication theory, and apologetics, Sam Chan assists you in developing confidence in communicating your faith and teaches you how to evangelize in a manner that is acceptable for the culture in which you live. : The vast majority of Christians are aware that they should be attempting to tell their friends and family about Jesus. Personal evangelism, on the other hand, is perceived unfavorably in a post-Christian culture; it is considered insulting, inappropriate, and insensitive.

How to Talk About Jesus (Without Being That Guy) is a practical, tried-and-true guide for everyday Christians who are reluctant or nervous to tell their friends about Jesus.

Chan draws on his more than two decades of experience as an evangelist, teacher, and pastor to explain why personal evangelism is so uncomfortable in today’s society.

– The author is a publisher.

How to Talk About Jesus (Without Being That Guy)

The vast majority of Christians are aware that they should be attempting to tell their friends and family about Jesus. Personal evangelism, on the other hand, is perceived unfavorably in a post-Christendom environment; it is considered insulting, inappropriate, and insensitive. Recent research have confirmed that the vast majority of Christians are reluctant to evangelize for fear of offending their families or alienating their friends. How to Talk About Jesus (Without Being That Guy) is a practical, tried-and-true guide for everyday Christians who are reluctant or nervous to tell their friends about Jesus.

In this book, Chan draws on his more than two decades of experience as an evangelist, teacher, and pastor to explain why personal evangelism is so uncomfortable in today’s society.

The audiobook companion PDF file includes templates and appendices that may be used to create a presentation. If you purchase this book, the accompanying PDF will be added to your Audible Library along with the audio file.

How to Talk About Jesus (Without Being That Guy)

As author Sam Chan explains in his book How to Talk About Jesus (Without Being That Guy), average Christians who are afraid and scared to tell their friends about Jesus are given practical, tried-and-true methods of communicating their faith in the least embarrassing ways imaginable. The vast majority of Christians are aware that they should be attempting to tell their friends and family about Jesus. Personal evangelism, on the other hand, is perceived unfavorably in a post-Christian culture; it is considered insulting, inappropriate, and insensitive.

How to Talk About Jesus (Without Being That Guy) is a practical, tried-and-true guide for everyday Christians who are reluctant or nervous to tell their friends about Jesus.

Chan draws on his more than two decades of experience as an evangelist, teacher, and pastor to explain why personal evangelism is so uncomfortable in today’s society.

Review: How to Talk About Jesus (Without Being That Guy) by Sam Chan

Disclaimer: This book was supplied to me by Zondervan, the publisher, at the author’s request, and I am reviewing it. There was no commitment to write a good review in exchange for the opportunity. Please read my assessments of Sam Chan’s other books (on evangelism, preaching, and other topics) to understand that my assessment of this book was always likely to be modestly favorable. Sam Chan published his book Evangelism in a Skeptical World in 2018. It was a substantial tome that went into great detail regarding some of the difficulties associated with making the good news about Jesus more credible in a post-Christian, post-everything era.

As part of our church’s implementation, we spent 2019 working through Sam’s book in weekly staff meetings at the church, we presented sections of the book in 5-minute highlight spots during our Sunday services, we flew Sam to Brisbane to run a public training night in partnership with another Presbyterian Church up here, and I gave away 30 copies to families in my congregation as well as to friends and acquaintances.

  • I am a passionate admirer of Sam’s writings and content.
  • Ordinary Christians, not just professional practitioners like me, would benefit from How To Talk About Jesus (Without Being That Guy): Personal Evangelism In A Skeptical World.
  • “One problem of the book was that it acted as a textbook that did not address any of the difficulties of professional evangelism — evangelism carried out by persons who are involved in professional Christian ministry,” Sam points out.
  • ‘The purpose is to equip such Christians with ‘new insights’ so that they become more confident and competent in evangelism, and walk away “thinking not just, “I can do that,” but also,”I want to do it.” This book is for ordinary Christians, not only those in Christian ministry.
  • Even a tenth of my community — or the entire church — being pushed to evangelism, and more specifically to adopting a lifestyle of evangelism, the way this book portrays it would be a blessing.
  • How to Talk About Jesus expands on the key principles discussed in the Everyday Evangelism chapter of the first book, as well as a few new insights and ideas that reflect Sam’s evolving thinking since the publication of the first book.
  • Glen Scrivener is also among those who have endorsed the book.
  • This is partly due to the fact that it’s a far less intimidating format than a book that spends a significant amount of ink justifying its existence by anticipating objections, as well as working to establish the textbook as a model.
  • We have condensed the previously provided theological justification for this methodology to a couple of pages.
  • Theology, personal experience in relationships, listening to others and their observations, and a reasonable grasp of other disciplines related to persuasion are just a few of Sam’s many strengths.

As an example, in his chapter on merging universes, he includes a section on friendship in the modern world that delves into loneliness and builds on the ideas presented in his earlier book: Social scientists believe that humans require friendships at three different levels in order to thrive.

  • Second, they require a social network of at least thirty people.
  • According to recent studies, the majority of people in the Western world lack this sense of belonging to a tribe, a network, or an inner circle.
  • According to recent studies, loneliness is the new health epidemic in the Western world.
  • The pub test for an evangelism hand book is, I think, would I be happy for a non-Christian friend to read this to see how Christians think about the purpose and nature of evangelism (and so the nature of those we seek to reach) (and so the nature of those we seek to reach).

Sam’s work incorporating family systems theory into our friendships and where evangelism sits is really helpful, he uses the dilemma of ‘overfunctioning and underfunctioning’ to unpack how we might approach relationships with integrity as people who genuinely believe the Gospel is good news and the source of truth, and life, and hope.“ God has blessed us with great friends We should enjoy our friends just for who they are — a good gift from God to enjoy — regardless of whether we get to tell them about Jesus.

But at the same time, we should make the most of every opportunity God has given us to tell our friends about Jesus.

I’m trying to make something happen that might not be there.

There will be times when I could have and should have tried to tell them about Jesus.” The new tips (chapters 7 and 8) are useful additions to the six strategies from his first book; they are ‘Become Their Unofficial Defacto Chaplain’ and ‘Lean In To Disagreement,’ there are elements in both these chapters in the previous book, but the disagreement chapter perhaps represents some reflections on the ongoing changes happening in the west since the publication ofEvangelism In A Skeptical World, which had a significant section devoted to defeater beliefs and apologetics framed on the defensive, this chapter suggests the time has come to adopt more positive apologetics; this observation perhaps owes a debt to Mark Sayers, whose analysis mirrors the analysis Sam provides in the front of the book for a time such as this; namely that the nature of the post-Christian west is that we’ve not moved back to a pre-Christian era, but a world profoundly shaped by Christianity where people now want the fruits of the Gospel without the Gospel, or as Sayers puts it ‘the kingdom without the king.’ There are, then,actually positive aspects of Christianity that create the sorts of objections people now bring to Christianity (Sam works this through, for example, with the idea that a God should be assessed using criteria like ‘goodness’ or ‘love’).

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One of the beautiful things about Sam’s methodology — built from his theology of evangelism — is that it lives up to the title; it is relentlessly about Jesus.

Chapter 7, ‘Become Their Unofficial Defacto Chaplain’ is perhaps where the biggest question about whether the book nails the brief comes up for me, but as a bivocational professional, Sam is actually better positioned to assess the questions I have than I am.

It is profoundly easy for me to get into conversations about religion because 90 percent of my conversations with new strangers involve the question ‘what do you do?’ and the inevitable awkward conversation that develops from my answer; I can relate to lots of the opportunities Sam describes in the book, but it’s harder for people in my church community to pivot those interactions towards the sorts of conversations and relationships Sam describes.

  1. It is easy for me to slip into the de facto chaplain role in the lives of my friends — and probably even for him to do this as a bivocational worker.
  2. And look, a significant chunk of my audience (so far as I’m aware) are professional ministry types — and you guys and girls, you have no excuse.
  3. That said, Sam doesn’t shy away from the fact that the lifestyle change required for the approach to evangelism his book advocates is costly and requires a deep systemic commitment, not just for him, but also for his family.
  4. I don’t think it’s necessary to be a professional evangelist to practice hospitality, or have a sense of how to listen to others, and ask questions, or to take up any of his other challenges — lots of it boils down to a commitment to people, and to Jesus — I just think it helps.
  5. While there are parts of the two final tips that are likely to prove challenging, there’s gold in these chapters that are worth the cover price if you’ve already gotEvangelism in a Skeptical Age.

In my time at Bible College I became pretty convinced about the idea that the Wisdom Literature in the Old Testament was essentially Israel’s international evangelistic strategy — that the nations flocking to hear Solomon’s wisdom, in the Bible’s narrative, was a model of how Israel was to be a compelling blessing to the nations, connecting them to truths about the world and the ‘fear of the Lord’ as the beginning of true wisdom, and that the texts in the wisdom literature are deliberately ‘global’ in their approach (so, Proverbs borrows stacks of Egyptian wisdom material and reframes it) (so, Proverbs borrows stacks of Egyptian wisdom material and reframes it).

Sam finds similar examples in the faithful, chaplain-like, presence of Israelites in foreign courts — from Joseph, to Moses, to Daniel, to Ezra — all of whom were known for their wisdom.

I read the New York Times and the New Yorker regularly.

And at the same time, I have access to God’s special truth — not only through the Scriptures, but also through the blessings of being a believer — and a Holy Spirit who lives inside me to change me and guide me.” I know, too, that while Sam was in hospital for a while he didn’t just watch Aaron Sorkin movies (which he describes in the book), healso binged on Master Classes, because the guy is relentlessly curious about the world.

Look, we’re not all going to be Sam Chan.

And that’s ok, but we could all do with being a little more like Sam Chan, I read this book and I want to be more like ‘that guy,’ it is a guide to better (Evangelistic) living, which makes it a great book for “a time such as this.”

How To Talk About Jesus (Without Being That Guy)

Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by Zondervan, the publisher, at the author’s request, and I am reviewing it as such. There was no obligation to write a positive review in exchange for the money. Please read my reviews of Sam Chan’s previous books (on evangelism, preaching, and other topics) to see that my assessment of this book was always going to be slightly subjective. The book Evangelism in a Skeptical World, written by Sam Chan in 2018, was published in 2018. It was a substantial tome that went into great detail about some of the difficulties associated with making the good news of Jesus more plausible in a post-Christian, post-everything world, among other things.

As part of our church’s implementation, we spent 2019 working through Sam’s book in weekly staff meetings at the church, we presented sections of the book in 5-minute highlight spots during our Sunday services, we flew Sam to Brisbane to run a public training night in partnership with another Presbyterian Church up here, and I gave away 30 copies to families in my congregation as well as to friends.

The material that Sam creates has my enthusiastic support.

How To Talk About Jesus (Without Being That Guy): Personal Evangelism In A Skeptical World is a popular level repackaging of some of the material in the textbook, and it is especially geared toward everyday Christians — not just professional practitioners like myself — rather than professional practitioners like myself.

That is one of the reasons why I’m writing this sequel.

This is an admirable and lofty objective.

It’s likely that if that were to happen, the remaining 90 percent would have plenty to do just by sticking around and serving as a component of the Gospel’s “plausibility framework.” In evangelical circles, there has long been a debate about whether the work of evangelism should be reserved for particularly gifted individuals or whether it should be the responsibility of all believers; the beauty of Sam’s approach is that it allows for both perspectives, because it places the task of evangelism in the hands of the community, and helps us see how we might each play a part in the body, and its task of evangelism, but it is also the work of a professional evangelist who has written and This book’s ability to make the transition from ‘expert’ to daily enthusiast is the question.

  1. Since of this, I’m unsure; in part, because I’m ill-equipped to make such a determination from my current position.
  2. Ed Stetzer (who wrote the Foreword) and Mark Sayers (who wrote the Introduction) are among those who have endorsed the book, which is just 130 pages long and has endorsements from people all around the world.
  3. If you’re already familiar with the textbook format, you’ll find it much easier to dig into and discuss with others.
  4. Theologically coherent and sociologically engaged methodology will be established in Evangelism In A Skeptical World, and those who believe this will be a resource in the lives of others will have the confidence to implement it in their own lives and as a resource in the lives of others.

All of your (and my) favorite ideas from the first book are present (if a little repackaged): merging universes, going to their things first, coffee-dinner-gospel, listening before you speak, tell a better story, tell a story about Jesus — these were the six strategies in the Everyday Evangelism chapter in his first book; each is unpacked in a chapter, while also being tightened up and expanded to include updated cultural analysis.

— merging universes Many of Sam’s strengths lie in his whip-smart (though always humble) ability to integrate ideas from a variety of realms, his theology, his personal experience in relationships, his ability to listen to others and their observations, and a reasonable grasp of other disciplines related to persuasion, among others (from speech act theory to sociology).

For the second, they’ll need a group of thirty people to fall back on.

According to recent studies, the majority of individuals in the Western world lack this sense of belonging to a tribe, a network, or an inner group.

Loneliness appears to be the new health epidemic in the Western world, according to recent research findings.

That sort of analysis of the opportunities for Christians to provide the sort of community that the command of Jesus to ‘love our neighbours as ourselves’ ought to generate is helpful, as is the way, in a later chapter, he explores the balance between friendship as an end in itself and friendship as a means to an end in a way that prevents this from becoming a sort of ‘dark arts of Christian persuasion’ manual.

The main test for an evangelism handbook, I believe, is whether or not I would be comfortable with a non-Christian friend reading it to gain an understanding of how Christians think about the goal and nature of evangelism (and so the nature of those we seek to reach).

Incorporating family systems theory into our friendships and understanding where evangelism fits in is extremely beneficial; he uses the dilemma of ‘overfunctioning and underfunctioning’ to unpack how we can approach relationships with integrity as people who genuinely believe the Gospel is good news and the source of truth, and life, and hope.

We should appreciate our friends for who they are – a wonderful gift from God to be cherished — regardless of whether or not we are able to share the gospel with them.

If I simply see the friendship as a chance to share Jesus with them, then I’m overcompensating for my shortcomings.

And I’m employing them as a means to a goal.

In retrospect, there will be occasions when I could and should have attempted to share the gospel with them.” The additional recommendations (in chapters 7 and 8) are important additions to the six tactics from his previous book; they are titled ‘Become Their Unofficial Defacto Chaplain’ and ‘Lean Into Disagreement,’ and they are titled ‘Become Their Unofficial Defacto Chaplain’ and ‘Lean Into Disagreement,’ respectively.

There are elements of both of these chapters in the previous book, but the disagreement chapter may represent some reflections on the ongoing changes occurring in the western world since the publication of Evangelism In A Skeptical World, which included a significant section devoted to defeater beliefs and apologetics framed on the defensive; this observation may owe a debt to Mark Sayers, whose analysis of defeater beliefs and apologetics framed on the defensive is discussed in this chapter.

  • So there are really beneficial qualities of Christianity that lead to the kinds of objections that people currently raise against it (Sam talks through this with the concept that a God should be evaluated using criteria such as ‘goodness’ or ‘love’, for example).
  • In case you need assistance in communicating about Jesus in a way that grapples with the world as it is, in ways that could work, Sam is a helpful resource.
  • Many of the instances Sam gives from his own life include talks and relationships that have developed as a consequence of specific possibilities that have arisen as a result of his professional activities.
  • It is simple for me to slide into the role of de facto chaplain in the lives of my friends — and it is likely that he can do the same as a bivocational worker, given his experience.
  • You should also know that a substantial portion of my readership (from what I can see) is comprised of people in the ministry, and you guys and gals have no reason to feel bad about yourselves.
  • While acknowledging the difficulties involved in making the lifestyle changes necessary for the method to evangelism advocated in his book, Sam does not deny that it is costly and takes a deep systemic commitment, not just on his part, but also on the part of his entire family.
  • Practicing hospitality, having a sense of how to listen and ask questions, or taking on any of his other tasks are not required, in my opinion — most of it comes down to a dedication to people and to Jesus, after all — but I believe it is beneficial if you are a professional missionary.
  • While there are sections of the two last recommendations that are likely to be difficult to implement, there is gold in these chapters that is worth the cover price if you already own Evangelism in a Skeptical Era.
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I became fairly convinced during my time at Bible College that the Wisdom Literature in the Old Testament was essentially Israel’s international evangelistic strategy — that the nations flocking to hear Solomon’s wisdom, as depicted in the Bible’s narrative, was a model of how Israel was to be a compelling blessing to the nations, connecting them to truths about the world and the ‘fear of the Lord’ as the beginning of true wisdom, and that the texts in the wisdom literatu were essentially (so, Proverbs borrows stacks of Egyptian wisdom material and reframes it).

  1. In the devoted, chaplain-like presence of Israelites in foreign courts — from Joseph to Moses, to Daniel, and finally Ezra — all of whom were recognized for their wisdom, Sam discovers parallels.
  2. I subscribe to the New York Times and the New Yorker, and I read both on a regular basis.
  3. I also read a lot of books, and I listen to a lot of podcasts.
  4. We’re not all going to be Sam Chan, believe it or not.

We could all benefit from being a bit more like Sam Chan; I read this book and now I want to be more like ‘that person,’ it is a guide to better (Evangelistic) life, which makes it a perfect book for “a time like as this,” as the author puts it.

How to Talk about Jesus (Without Being That Guy)

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Description

The vast majority of Christians are aware that they should be attempting to tell their friends and family about Jesus. Personal evangelism, on the other hand, is perceived unfavorably in a post-Christian culture; it is considered insulting, inappropriate, and insensitive. Recent research have confirmed that the vast majority of Christians are reluctant to evangelize for fear of offending their families or alienating their friends. How to Talk About Jesus (Without Being That Guy) is a practical, tried-and-true guide for everyday Christians who are reluctant or nervous to tell their friends about Jesus.

Chan draws on his more than two decades of experience as an evangelist, teacher, and pastor to explain why personal evangelism is so uncomfortable in today’s society.

About the Author

The Rev. Sam Chan (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School; MBBS, University of Sydney) works with City Bible Forum in Sydney, Australia, as a public evangelist, where he routinely communicates the gospel with high school students, city employees, physicians, and attorneys. As the author of the award-winning bookEvangelism in a Skeptical World, he travels the world, speaking at conferences on the practice of evangelization in a post-Christian culture. He is also a regular contributor to Christian publications.

  • Product Specifications
  • Page Count: 176
  • Format: Softcover
  • ISBN: 9780310112693
  • Release Date: November 3, 2020
  • Product Description

How to Talk about Jesus (Without Being That Guy) ebook by Sam Chan

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How to Talk about Jesus (Without Being That Guy): Personal Evangelism in a Skeptical World

The vast majority of Christians are aware that they should be attempting to tell their friends and family about Jesus. Personal evangelism, on the other hand, is increasingly important in a post-Christian culture. More information can be found at The vast majority of Christians are aware that they should be attempting to tell their friends and family about Jesus.

  • Personal evangelism, on the other hand, is perceived unfavorably in a post-Christian culture; it is considered insulting, inappropriate, and insensitive.
  • How to Talk About Jesus (Without Being That Guy) is a practical, tried-and-true guide for everyday Christians who are reluctant or nervous to tell their friends about Jesus.
  • Chan draws on his more than two decades of experience as an evangelist, teacher, and pastor to explain why personal evangelism is so uncomfortable in today’s society.
  • Reduce your reading time.
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How to Talk About Jesus

Author Sam Chan educates common Christians who are afraid and scared to tell their friends about Jesus with practical, tried-and-true methods of expressing their faith in the least embarrassing manner imaginable in his book How to Talk About Jesus (Without Being That Guy). The vast majority of Christians are aware that they should be attempting to tell their friends and family about Jesus. Personal evangelism, on the other hand, is perceived unfavorably in a post-Christian culture; it is considered insulting, inappropriate, and insensitive.

Author Sam Chan educates common Christians who are afraid and scared to tell their friends about Jesus with practical, tried-and-true methods of expressing their faith in the least embarrassing manner imaginable in his book How to Talk About Jesus (Without Being That Guy).

And, drawing on the most up-to-date research in communication theory, cross-cultural ministry, and apologetics, he helps you gain confidence in sharing your faith with others and teaches you how to evangelize your friends and family in a way that is acceptable for their social situations.

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