There are many books out in the Christian world about the topic of evangelism. I think this is largely because as Christians many of us struggle to share the message of Jesus. So people have taken to write books on how you can practically share Jesus, then there are apologetics books, there are books on engaging with other faiths and then there are books on important things to remember when talking about Jesus. Whilst there are some great books on evangelism out there, not all of them are great. I think that many, in an attempt to be short, miss things out but that’s a more general comment. I’d like to flag two books for you today, in short reviews, on the topic of evangelism.
God is God and You are You by Thomas Davis
This book, as it says on the front, reminds you of two key truths; that God is God and that you are you. Particularly in a time when people can feel overwhelmed in evangelism, this book will help to provide them with the rich theology about who God is and the implications of that on our witnessing for Jesus. The first part of the book is all about God. David takes you into some deep theology in an easy to read way that points out some of the characteristics of God, the reality and nature of truth and God’s immense grace. In the second half of the book, which is all about you, David helps you see your weaknesses, but ultimately how God uses weak vessels to bring about His work of salvation. In this book you will find robust theology, you’ll find an urgent appeal to go and share Jesus and you’ll find a reminder that all evangelism must be dependant on Jesus and the wonderful power of Almighty God.
Whilst I think this book is helpful and could be an encouragement for some, I’m not convinced that it brought more to the table than other books out there have. I would have loved to see a chapter which clearly laid out the gospel for the reader and mention of the resurrection of Jesus. I’ve read a few evangelism books over the years and in a couple that I’ve read recently the resurrection isn’t mentioned much or at all.
Sharing the Gospel with a Mormon by Tony Brown
In Edinburgh, the city that I live in, there is a park where you will often find Mormons walking around talking to people about their faith. They will often speak about Jesus and how Christians and Mormons share many things in common and invite you to a ‘Bible study’. However, what Mormons believe and what Christians believe are vastly different, but many Christians can feel ill equipped to meaningfully engage with Mormons and to defend their faith. Tony Brown has written this helpful book which outlines the basics of the Mormon faith and how their doctrine cannot be reconciled with the Bible. I won’t go into what they believe, because I think you should buy the book if you want to be equipped to engage with Mormons well, but the key thing to know is that Mormonism works-based religion that believes things that are completely contrary to God’s Word. The thing I like about this book is that Tony encourages you to engage with Mormons by asking helpful questions to get them to think critically about what they believe and why.
*** I received a copy of these books from the publishers in exchange for honest reviews. This does not change the way I rate the books. My views are my own. ***
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