When asking questions doesn’t work
Part 2 of
an interview with Randy Newman,
Author of
Questioning Evangelism
Q:
The title of your book by itself may have people wondering if you have doubts
about the need of telling others about Jesus, but that couldn’t be further from
the truth. Tell us a little bit about Questioning
Evangelism.
It could seem I’m doubting whether we need to
evangelize, but I’m not. I am questioning the way we have been doing evangelism
for the past 50 years or so. Our world has changed so dramatically that we need
new methods to proclaim the timeless message of the gospel. Our message hasn’t
changed, but our methods must change. Just thinking about how Jesus spoke to
different people in different ways makes me want to find ways to adapt my
approaches to different people. Asking questions can be a good starting point
for interacting with a wide range of individuals.
Q: Sometimes
discussions about Christianity start as conversations that don’t seem directly
tied to faith. What are some of the other topics you explore in Questioning Evangelism?
I
think we can get to discussions of faith from a wide range of starting points.
If people want to talk about events in the world that point to something
supernatural, we can explore those with them. In fact, the word “explore” is a
good one for how we might move from any topic to God, the afterlife, moral
issues or what people value most. I think being a good listener can move many
conversations from idle or shallow chit-chat to discussions of everlasting
value. Things can happen in the course of a conversation that can’t happen just
by conveying information or handing someone a booklet to read.
Q: What are
the most common excuses Christians use for not sharing their faith?
Fear
is probably the biggest obstacle, and I don’t think it’s just an excuse. It’s a
real problem that can’t simply be overcome by pushing aside excuses. We need
gospel transformation inside us, the ones doing the evangelizing, so we care
more about God’s glory than about what people think of us. This is not as
simple or automatic as we sometimes say it is. Another obstacle is feeling
unprepared. We’re concerned people might ask us a question we haven’t
researched enough to prepare an answer. We do need to do some preparation, but
we also need to rely on God as He works alongside us as we proclaim the good
news.
Q: There has
always been opposition to proclaiming the Gospel, but in what ways is it more
challenging for Christians to share their faith in today’s world?
In
the past, I think, most of the objections were intellectual. People posed
content-driven questions such as, “What evidence is there for the existence of
God?” or “Doesn’t the Bible contradict itself?” Today the questions are more
emotionally-driven, and a fair amount of animosity is behind the objections.
People attack more than ask. The questioning accusations may include, “How can
Christians be so intolerant in our diverse world?” or “Why are you the only
ones who are still homophobic?”
Q: What are
the three skills required for any evangelistic approach? What are some ways to
help build those skills?
The
first and most basic skill involves declaring the gospel, including the ability
to articulate the message of salvation clearly and concisely. A tool such as
Bill Bright’s “The Four Spiritual Laws” is helpful in presenting the message
clearly while avoiding unnecessary distractions or confusing rabbit trails.
Declaring the gospel also includes the sharing of one’s own story or testimony.
Each Christian needs fluency in articulating how the Lord changed his or her
life and the difference that change makes daily.
The
second evangelistic skill is defending the gospel. Anticipating common
questions, acquainting oneself with helpful discoveries from the past and
planning how to deliver this information in a logical sequence has to be part
of “always being ready to make a defense” (1 Peter 3:15 NASB).
The
third skill — and this is where Questioning
Evangelism fits in — is built upon the foundations of declaring and
defending the gospel. That skill is called dialoguing the gospel. Often
neglected, difficult to master, but absolutely essential, this skill of giving
and taking — asking questions and bouncing ideas back and forth — might be just
what our postmodern audience needs. We need all three skills if we’re to be
Christ’s ambassadors in the 21st century.
Building
any of these skills simply involves practice, which in turns builds confidence.
I don’t want people to respond to my examples by saying, “I’ve got to memorize
this so the next time someone asks me that question, I’ll say these words, use
these phrases, ask these questions,” and so forth. Instead I hope readers will
develop a different way of thinking about people, their questions and our
message. Because of that difference, our evangelistic conversations will sound
less content/persuasion-driven and more relationship/understanding-driven.
Q: What
encouragement do you offer to someone who doesn’t believe he or she has the
skills and knowledge to carry on an evangelistic conversation?
A
concise two-part answer is: 1) None of us are adequate, and 2) we’re not in the
process alone. A more elaborate answer would be we can improve with practice
and trust God is at work in and through us in ways we can’t even imagine. When
we begin an evangelistic conversation we should ask God for wisdom about what
to say and how to say it, but we should also ask Him to work so that, even if
we say really foolish, wrong or inaccurate things, He can work in spite of our
less-than-stellar efforts.
Learn more about Questioning
Evangelism at www.connectionpoints.us. Randy Newman is
also on Twitter (@RandyDNewman).
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