David Geisler

NCLA Review - Readers who regard evangelism as persuading unbelievers to accept what they believe about God will find this a very helpful book. It provides extensive arguments for the divine origin and authority of Christianity. Its particular slant is to present these points in a manner that will not put prospective converts on the defensive, but rather will surface, nourish, and “desconstruct” their incipient doubts. The authors (father and son, both trained in apologetics) emphasize the importance of what they term “pre-evangelism”—laying the groundwork for belief by listening carefully to ascertain a person’s present understanding of Christianity and remove barriers to belief. The book has weaknesses that undermine its value, in my opinion. Many of the points that seem obviously valid to believers are unlikely to convince someone who wasn’t already somewhat indoctrinated in a Christian perspective. Hypothetical questions often seem artificial and narrow. Most importantly, although I did find a sentence or two that mentioned God’s love, the emphasis is on correct belief, not on being drawn by love into an enriching relationship with God. Rating: 2 —DKW… (altro)