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I Once Was Lost: What Postmodern Skeptics Taught Us About Their Path to Jesus
How do people come to Jesus in today's postmodern culture? Not by a mechanical, linear process of cookie cutter conversions. Nor by a nebulous spiritual wandering that never culminates in decision and commitment.
Over the last decade, Don Everts and Doug Schaupp have listened to the stories of two thousand postmodern people who have come to follow Jesus. While their stories are diverse and varied, certain common themes emerge. Postmodern evangelism is a mysterious and organic process that nevertheless goes through discernible phases, as people cross thresholds from distrust to trust, from complacency to curiosity and from meandering to seeking.
Everts and Schaupp describe the factors that influence how people shift in their perspectives and become open to the Gospel. They provide practical tools to help people enter the kingdom, as well as guidelines for how new believers can live out their Christian faith.
Over the last decade, Don Everts and Doug Schaupp have listened to the stories of two thousand postmodern people who have come to follow Jesus. While their stories are diverse and varied, certain common themes emerge. Postmodern evangelism is a mysterious and organic process that nevertheless goes through discernible phases, as people cross thresholds from distrust to trust, from complacency to curiosity and from meandering to seeking.
Everts and Schaupp describe the factors that influence how people shift in their perspectives and become open to the Gospel. They provide practical tools to help people enter the kingdom, as well as guidelines for how new believers can live out their Christian faith.
134 pages, Paperback
First published May 30, 2008
126 people are currently reading
920 people want to read
About the author
Don Everts
38 books27 followersDon Everts began writing while spending nearly two decades on college campuses in Washington and Colorado. He wrote his first book, Jesus with Dirty Feet, as a 25 year-old who had just gotten married and moved to Boulder, CO.
Since then Don has published 12 books with InterVarsity Press and is currently mulling over writing an uplifting zombie novel.
Having finally gotten off the college campus, Don is serving as a minister at a nearly 200 year-old Presbyterian Church outside of St. Louis, MO.
Since then Don has published 12 books with InterVarsity Press and is currently mulling over writing an uplifting zombie novel.
Having finally gotten off the college campus, Don is serving as a minister at a nearly 200 year-old Presbyterian Church outside of St. Louis, MO.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
August 7, 2017
The Good: The writing is very clear and easy to follow. I honestly enjoyed the writing style. They also made good use of textual cues - for example, they changed font to indicate a new person speaking.
The Bad: The content is awful, I have so many issues with it:
My first complaint is the most important - the book simply doesn't deliver. Based on the title, I assumed that their would be some sort of a dialogue or exchange between the authors and various "postmodern skeptics". The first page of the introduction (page 11) dispels that instantly, with the authors admitting that they don't have a definition for what postmodern means. On the face, everything that follows should be complete nonsense, since "postmodern skeptics" can apparently mean anybody they want.
While their can obviously be no dialogue between the authors and an intellectual movement they haven't even bothered defining, I was at least hopeful that there would be a real exchange with the people they met. On page 21, the authors recognize that a Christian/non-Christian binary is oversimplified. My relief was immediately dashed when they instead devised a 5-step program from non-Christian to Christian - all the diversity of non-Christian worldviews are basically collapsed into a single discrete set of steps. The whole rest of the book is dedicated to explaining this 5-step program to guide people to labeling themselves Christian. On page 26, non-Christians are characterized as simply "lost" - they are simply wrong, and have nothing of value to contribute to the church. Apparently, their only purpose is to respond to unsubtle manipulations until they accept conversion.
Their moral theology and ethics are absolute garbage. To quote G.K. Chesterton, the authors have no clear standards of right and wrong. On page 66 they talk about how a "pot-smoking, beer-drinking guy became open to change." On page 122 they talk about how new Christians will have to make decisions about whether or not they'll keep cussing. On page 63 they express surprise that a "militant vegan" was interested in their message, and on page 50 they author includes a lengthy footnote to assure readers that entering a bar is, in fact, not a sin. As far as I can tell, their ethics has nothing to do with abstract notions of morality. It is instead a bizarre assortment of cultural taboos - some idiotic, all provincial, none of them moral.
I think the authors massively undersell God. To draw from page 70 : "Questioning your own worldview [...] can be revolutionary. It can man giving voice to pressing questions - Where is the drinking taking me? How do the one-night stands feel the morning after?" On page 76 the conversation-starters are utterly inane: "I'm a mixed bag. I regularly run out of love. I need God to pour it in to me. Can you relate? Are you a mixed bag?" or "I find my fix in God. What do you think about a spiritual hook-up?".
Combined with all the taboos cited in the above paragraph, the authors seem to view Jesus as a self-help guy. Really?!? What you get out of a new life in Christ is reflecting on cussing and one-night stands? That's it? Frankly this is an insult to the Gospel and to 20 centuries of saints and martyrs. This isn't revolutionary. There is no radical transformation, there is no grace, there is no salvation, no virtues, and no sacrifice. Where is the God who hears the cry of the poor, and demands that His people support charity and justice? Where is the Just Judge, who condemned those who did not care for the poor? Here are a few real sins off the top of my head that the authors didn't mention - racism, sexism, political Cainism (Am I my brother's keeper?), material cooperation in immoral business or politics, neglect of the elderly, exploitation of the poor and/or immigrants. From this book, there is no sense that a Christian has any real obligation to their neighbors, and that a life in Christ will give them anything more than personal contentment and solving their addictions.
How is it possible that a preacher and a seminary graduate write a 130 page book with no theology? There is no theology of mission, there is no theology of church. The Trinity is absent - the Father and the Spirit show up in passing reference, the focus is on Jesus, and even there it isn't really clear who they think Jesus is or why they think He is important. There are no Creeds, no statements of belief, no clear doctrines or principles laid out. By the end of the book, I still have no idea what the authors believe except that they like Jesus a lot and think the Bible has all the answers. It isn't even clear how you become Christian - in the book, people responded to altar calls, had private conversions, and were baptized in state parks(!).
The most egregious example of this in on page 64, where the authors share the story of a colleague with LGBT co-workers. The LGBT co-workers liked the colleague because they thought she was accepting; however, the colleague wanted to tell a lesbian couple in particular that bringing up a child with two moms is dangerous because children need male role models.
How do the authors respond to this idiocy? "She was stuck in the tension between being a bold prophet and a patient missionary. In the end I told my friend that instead of pressing one agenda, she should try to build interest in Jesus."
This is manipulative, cruel, and dishonest. If they are not an affirming church community, then they should be upfront about it. What happens if the lesbian couple wants to join their church, but then finds out that they can't? What is the end-goal - this duplicitous "witnessing" could literally break up a family and ruin somebody's life, or alternatively poison several people forever from the message of Christ. And worst of all - I still don't know where the authors stand on this! They never gave a clear answer because being upfront about their beliefs would ruin their 5-step program of indoctrination and manipulation.
In conclusion - this book is awful, I am recycling it, and I recommend it to no one.
The Bad: The content is awful, I have so many issues with it:
My first complaint is the most important - the book simply doesn't deliver. Based on the title, I assumed that their would be some sort of a dialogue or exchange between the authors and various "postmodern skeptics". The first page of the introduction (page 11) dispels that instantly, with the authors admitting that they don't have a definition for what postmodern means. On the face, everything that follows should be complete nonsense, since "postmodern skeptics" can apparently mean anybody they want.
While their can obviously be no dialogue between the authors and an intellectual movement they haven't even bothered defining, I was at least hopeful that there would be a real exchange with the people they met. On page 21, the authors recognize that a Christian/non-Christian binary is oversimplified. My relief was immediately dashed when they instead devised a 5-step program from non-Christian to Christian - all the diversity of non-Christian worldviews are basically collapsed into a single discrete set of steps. The whole rest of the book is dedicated to explaining this 5-step program to guide people to labeling themselves Christian. On page 26, non-Christians are characterized as simply "lost" - they are simply wrong, and have nothing of value to contribute to the church. Apparently, their only purpose is to respond to unsubtle manipulations until they accept conversion.
Their moral theology and ethics are absolute garbage. To quote G.K. Chesterton, the authors have no clear standards of right and wrong. On page 66 they talk about how a "pot-smoking, beer-drinking guy became open to change." On page 122 they talk about how new Christians will have to make decisions about whether or not they'll keep cussing. On page 63 they express surprise that a "militant vegan" was interested in their message, and on page 50 they author includes a lengthy footnote to assure readers that entering a bar is, in fact, not a sin. As far as I can tell, their ethics has nothing to do with abstract notions of morality. It is instead a bizarre assortment of cultural taboos - some idiotic, all provincial, none of them moral.
I think the authors massively undersell God. To draw from page 70 : "Questioning your own worldview [...] can be revolutionary. It can man giving voice to pressing questions - Where is the drinking taking me? How do the one-night stands feel the morning after?" On page 76 the conversation-starters are utterly inane: "I'm a mixed bag. I regularly run out of love. I need God to pour it in to me. Can you relate? Are you a mixed bag?" or "I find my fix in God. What do you think about a spiritual hook-up?".
Combined with all the taboos cited in the above paragraph, the authors seem to view Jesus as a self-help guy. Really?!? What you get out of a new life in Christ is reflecting on cussing and one-night stands? That's it? Frankly this is an insult to the Gospel and to 20 centuries of saints and martyrs. This isn't revolutionary. There is no radical transformation, there is no grace, there is no salvation, no virtues, and no sacrifice. Where is the God who hears the cry of the poor, and demands that His people support charity and justice? Where is the Just Judge, who condemned those who did not care for the poor? Here are a few real sins off the top of my head that the authors didn't mention - racism, sexism, political Cainism (Am I my brother's keeper?), material cooperation in immoral business or politics, neglect of the elderly, exploitation of the poor and/or immigrants. From this book, there is no sense that a Christian has any real obligation to their neighbors, and that a life in Christ will give them anything more than personal contentment and solving their addictions.
How is it possible that a preacher and a seminary graduate write a 130 page book with no theology? There is no theology of mission, there is no theology of church. The Trinity is absent - the Father and the Spirit show up in passing reference, the focus is on Jesus, and even there it isn't really clear who they think Jesus is or why they think He is important. There are no Creeds, no statements of belief, no clear doctrines or principles laid out. By the end of the book, I still have no idea what the authors believe except that they like Jesus a lot and think the Bible has all the answers. It isn't even clear how you become Christian - in the book, people responded to altar calls, had private conversions, and were baptized in state parks(!).
The most egregious example of this in on page 64, where the authors share the story of a colleague with LGBT co-workers. The LGBT co-workers liked the colleague because they thought she was accepting; however, the colleague wanted to tell a lesbian couple in particular that bringing up a child with two moms is dangerous because children need male role models.
How do the authors respond to this idiocy? "She was stuck in the tension between being a bold prophet and a patient missionary. In the end I told my friend that instead of pressing one agenda, she should try to build interest in Jesus."
This is manipulative, cruel, and dishonest. If they are not an affirming church community, then they should be upfront about it. What happens if the lesbian couple wants to join their church, but then finds out that they can't? What is the end-goal - this duplicitous "witnessing" could literally break up a family and ruin somebody's life, or alternatively poison several people forever from the message of Christ. And worst of all - I still don't know where the authors stand on this! They never gave a clear answer because being upfront about their beliefs would ruin their 5-step program of indoctrination and manipulation.
In conclusion - this book is awful, I am recycling it, and I recommend it to no one.
January 24, 2018
A helpful guide on evangelism in the postmodern era.
June 3, 2020
There is a famous church planter in a city not far from me who is known for saying that those of us in the church must remember what it is like not to believe.
Remembering what it was like not to believe gives us empathy for those who don't yet know or believe the gospel.
It also helps us to re-orient our priorities and conversations and ministries within particular congregations; toward those who don't yet believe the gospel.
And it might even make our congregations places where we assume there are people who don't yet believe the gospel.
In many ways "I Once was Lost" helped me to remember what it is like not to believe; and what it is like not to believe in a world that has changed quite a bit already since I became a Christian.
I'm generally a little wary of books that suggest steps or plans or strategies. They often feel pretty low-resolution and not terribly useful. So I was a little cautious about reading a text that suggested "The" post-modern path to faith in five (easy) thresholds. Especially when it comes to the indefatigable indefinability of post-modernism, I wasn't sure this was going to play out.
But I was impressed with how well the thresholds seem to hold true for the post-moderns I know and talk with. More importantly I was also impressed by the way that Everts and Schaupp were able to articulate what it's like to be at each particular threshold from the inside .
Their deep passion for people to know and meet Jesus was both convicting and inspiring to me.
Finally, I think I am most grateful for the way they helped to cultivate my theological imagination for what evangelism is - not steps, or defender texts, notches in belts, or guilt complex, but love. Sharing the gospel is the greatest expression we have as Christians for how we can love our neighbors. Anything less, probably means we've forgotten what it was like not to believe.
Remembering what it was like not to believe gives us empathy for those who don't yet know or believe the gospel.
It also helps us to re-orient our priorities and conversations and ministries within particular congregations; toward those who don't yet believe the gospel.
And it might even make our congregations places where we assume there are people who don't yet believe the gospel.
In many ways "I Once was Lost" helped me to remember what it is like not to believe; and what it is like not to believe in a world that has changed quite a bit already since I became a Christian.
I'm generally a little wary of books that suggest steps or plans or strategies. They often feel pretty low-resolution and not terribly useful. So I was a little cautious about reading a text that suggested "The" post-modern path to faith in five (easy) thresholds. Especially when it comes to the indefatigable indefinability of post-modernism, I wasn't sure this was going to play out.
But I was impressed with how well the thresholds seem to hold true for the post-moderns I know and talk with. More importantly I was also impressed by the way that Everts and Schaupp were able to articulate what it's like to be at each particular threshold from the inside .
Their deep passion for people to know and meet Jesus was both convicting and inspiring to me.
Finally, I think I am most grateful for the way they helped to cultivate my theological imagination for what evangelism is - not steps, or defender texts, notches in belts, or guilt complex, but love. Sharing the gospel is the greatest expression we have as Christians for how we can love our neighbors. Anything less, probably means we've forgotten what it was like not to believe.
September 9, 2009
Having been in the Christian bubble since diapers this book was a refreshingly honest look at how people really come to faith. It's been so helpful for me as I examine my own relationships with people and gives me a framework of thinking for their journey. The authors interviewed over 2,000 people to get their stories and have put the common themes into easy categories for me to keep in mind. They have identified five basic thresholds that people must cross on their path to faith: trusting a Christian, becoming curious, opening up to change, seeking after God, and entering the kingdom. The categories are great but the authors never see them as a prescription. They allow for mystery and fluidity for each individual. Loved it!
May 29, 2024
When it comes to evangelism and getting a good gauge about different phases on where people are in their journey with Jesus, def recommend this book on approaching someone and allowing the Holy Spirit to do its thing.
July 17, 2022
Helpful in understanding how to be intentional with people who are not yet believers
July 6, 2018
It's a practical book which is often difficult to find on this topic. Though I'm troubled by the authors' omission of several vital parts of Christianity. For example, it barely mentions sin and the need for repentance. What the authors seem to be advertising is a moral lifestyle change, not what Christ done for us on the cross, nor does it deal with many of the hard questions that postmodernism asks of faith. However, the five thresholds are helpful in gaging where a believer is at in their spiritual journey. Overall a useful but not a comprehensive guide.
January 11, 2023
Simple, practical, easy to follow. A good resource for ministry in everyday life!
Read
September 29, 2025not rating this book. I think it helps to potentially classify and understand people but it is a ‘one size fits all’ to ministry.
October 20, 2011
An excellent book for Christians who are seeking to 1) understand their own faith journey but 2) strengthen their ability to connect with non-Christians (I don't like that term, personally) in a more meaningful/thoughtful way, while avoiding some of the pitfalls associated with certain (many) forms of evangelism. The basic point of the book is that there are certain steps that one must pass through (trusting a Christian, becoming curious about Christianity and Jesus, being open to personal life change, etc.). The authors make the convincing point that trying to force someone who is at one stage to jump to a stage they're not yet ready for, can not only thwart the journey, it can completely turn that person off.
I found the stages - which weren't just anecdotal but based on interactions with real people coming to Christ (or not) - as personally very real to me in terms of my own Christian journey. As with any framework, the stages didn't fit me perfectly but, still, they were helpful in reminding me of my mindset and, to that degree, excellent in helping me recognize (I hope) where others are in their journey. One of the best metaphors they offer was of someone holding a Dixie cup (the person seeking faith) and another (the Christian) trying to dump a pitcher of water into that cup. Man, not only have I seen that, I'm guilty of it!
I was so captivated by this book that I read it in one day (it's not that long). But I will read it again as there were many nuggets that were, again, both helpful in understanding my personal journey, and it making me more aware / sensitive to where others are in their own spiritual quests.
I found the stages - which weren't just anecdotal but based on interactions with real people coming to Christ (or not) - as personally very real to me in terms of my own Christian journey. As with any framework, the stages didn't fit me perfectly but, still, they were helpful in reminding me of my mindset and, to that degree, excellent in helping me recognize (I hope) where others are in their journey. One of the best metaphors they offer was of someone holding a Dixie cup (the person seeking faith) and another (the Christian) trying to dump a pitcher of water into that cup. Man, not only have I seen that, I'm guilty of it!
I was so captivated by this book that I read it in one day (it's not that long). But I will read it again as there were many nuggets that were, again, both helpful in understanding my personal journey, and it making me more aware / sensitive to where others are in their own spiritual quests.
July 12, 2008
This book easily made it into my top 5 books on evangelism, because the paradigm Don and Doug present (the five thresholds) has helped me more than almost any other evangelistic tool. (The other super helpful tool for me is in James Choung's True Story.) This simple paradigm was developed by interviewing dozens of young postmoderns about the crucial elements in their journey to faith in Jesus, shortly after making that commitment.
I'm not gifted in evangelism, by any stretch. And I'm deeply dismayed, even disturbed, by much of the evangelistic tactics practiced and promoted today. Yet I'm passionate about sharing what I've experienced as good news in a way that is warm, inviting, and sensitive. This book helps me do that.
The book's easy and pleasant to read, and offers a simple paradigm in a clear way. Doug and Don also give lots of practical advice and excellent challenges. The concepts aren't nearly as easy for me to put into practice as to understand, so I appreciated (and needed) all the help they offered.
Groups or individuals who want to love their friends toward Jesus will find a great deal of help here!
I'm not gifted in evangelism, by any stretch. And I'm deeply dismayed, even disturbed, by much of the evangelistic tactics practiced and promoted today. Yet I'm passionate about sharing what I've experienced as good news in a way that is warm, inviting, and sensitive. This book helps me do that.
The book's easy and pleasant to read, and offers a simple paradigm in a clear way. Doug and Don also give lots of practical advice and excellent challenges. The concepts aren't nearly as easy for me to put into practice as to understand, so I appreciated (and needed) all the help they offered.
Groups or individuals who want to love their friends toward Jesus will find a great deal of help here!
October 12, 2011
Everts and Schaupp provide a very helpful framework for understanding the process through which people come to believe in Jesus. Many Christians think of their non-Christians friends as all in the same place, but not all non-Christians are equally close or disposed to hearing the message of the gospel. The lens of Everts and Schaupp's five-threshold model can reduce frustration from seemingly disinterested or apathetic friends, and orient our thinking about our own role in encouraging others to investigate the gospel for themselves.
Note: This is not a how-to manual on evangelism. Rather, it presents a set of consistent themes that emerged in the authors' study of hundreds of conversion narratives (in essence a structural analysis, though they don't call it that). The authors illustrate the themes with true stories from their experience as workers in student ministry and suggest ways Christians can orient their thinking about engagement with non-Christians in a way that is more sensitive to the paths their friends are taking.
Note: This is not a how-to manual on evangelism. Rather, it presents a set of consistent themes that emerged in the authors' study of hundreds of conversion narratives (in essence a structural analysis, though they don't call it that). The authors illustrate the themes with true stories from their experience as workers in student ministry and suggest ways Christians can orient their thinking about engagement with non-Christians in a way that is more sensitive to the paths their friends are taking.
August 24, 2012
I have been lookin for good resources on evangelism and I think I've found a good one. I Once Was Lost is a quick read. It is rooted in the experiences of two college pastors and seeks to interpret these experiences rather than press them into a pre-existing template. There is, therefore, something natural about the book.
By way of summary: becoming a follower of Christ is mysterious and organic. It is something that happens over time and that cannot be reduced to simple assents to propositions. It is also organic, it happens naturally rather than because of a program.
The process of following Christ includes five thresholds that are crossed over time. From distrust of Christians to trust. From complacent about spiritual things to curious. From being closed to change to openness. From meandering to actually seeking God. All this may lead to that final threshold: crossing into the Kingdom of Christ.
By way of summary: becoming a follower of Christ is mysterious and organic. It is something that happens over time and that cannot be reduced to simple assents to propositions. It is also organic, it happens naturally rather than because of a program.
The process of following Christ includes five thresholds that are crossed over time. From distrust of Christians to trust. From complacent about spiritual things to curious. From being closed to change to openness. From meandering to actually seeking God. All this may lead to that final threshold: crossing into the Kingdom of Christ.
February 27, 2013
This was the book I was missing.
This book would have made me both bolder and more effective, while at the same time, more patient with skeptic friends.
I Once Was Lost: What Postmodern Skeptics Taught Us About Their Path to Jesus was forged by two Intervarsity Staffers after interviewing over 2000 new Christians about their journey to belief in Christ. Don Everts of the University of Colorado and Doug Schaupp, the regional director for campus ministries in Southern California, leave room for mystery, understand that the path is wandering and sometimes makes switchbacks and encourages us to open our hearts to love first.
The rest of the review can be found here:
http://www.athirstforgod.com/day-15-b...
I will read this book often. Entirely practical.
This book would have made me both bolder and more effective, while at the same time, more patient with skeptic friends.
I Once Was Lost: What Postmodern Skeptics Taught Us About Their Path to Jesus was forged by two Intervarsity Staffers after interviewing over 2000 new Christians about their journey to belief in Christ. Don Everts of the University of Colorado and Doug Schaupp, the regional director for campus ministries in Southern California, leave room for mystery, understand that the path is wandering and sometimes makes switchbacks and encourages us to open our hearts to love first.
The rest of the review can be found here:
http://www.athirstforgod.com/day-15-b...
I will read this book often. Entirely practical.
June 10, 2013
Wow. Great book on practical relational evangelism. I think this will be really helpful for the future. I think the 5 stages are pretty right on and it has pretty good advice on ways to encourage friends to get to the next one. I also appreciated the thought that so much of coming to faith is 'mysterious,' emphasizing the importance on consistency in prayer.
Before I read this I felt pretty useless in relational evangelism. Now I can see that I have at least been a part of small parts of this journey in my friends' lives. I feel less guilty and also driven to be more intentional about it going forward.
Before I read this I felt pretty useless in relational evangelism. Now I can see that I have at least been a part of small parts of this journey in my friends' lives. I feel less guilty and also driven to be more intentional about it going forward.
September 27, 2013
Highly readable and engaging. This little book is jammed full of personal stories and practical advice. Most importantly, it dismantles many modern ideas of "evangelism", and puts them back together into an extremely helpful "five threshold" system. In my own work (campus ministry), this type of book is very welcome, and it truly helps me think about the students I work with in a more healthy way. I HIGHLY recommend this for those who struggle with the idea of evangelism, or proselytizing one's faith. You will find it refreshing, and maybe you will even be excited about the prospect of talking about Christianity when you're done.
July 10, 2022
Someone gave me this book for free after I’d read the reviews and decided not to read it. I’m very glad they did. This is a different type of book than what I’m used to. It’s more about application than about imparting wisdom to the reader, so getting something out of it requires more active engagement. Not everything mentioned in it will apply to you and not everything you think of will be mentioned, because it’s a tool, not a set of answers. But it’s effective for thinking outside of the Christian bubble, and reflecting on ways we can bridge that gap between our faith and our non-faith communities.
Recommended by: Molly
Recommended by: Molly
May 30, 2008
I really found this book helpful. Having been around Doug Schaupp for a few years I've definitely heard about his "5 thresholds" before, but reading this book helped bring them home for me. The book explains the process through which post-moderns transition from non-belief to choosing to follow Jesus. It includes practical advice on how to help people get over the hurdles of belief along the way. I recommend it to anyone interested in evangelism, especially those working with younger generations.
June 29, 2009
Another book, Contagious Christian, was written from the perspective of the believer. I Once Was Lost takes on the viewpoint of the unbeliever. Inter Varsity staffers at UCLA and University of Colorado (Boulder) Schaup and Everts draw on 10years of relative success in evangelizing college students. They found that individuals walk through five identifiable thresholds on their path to faith:
1. Trusting a Christian.
2. Becoming Curious
3. Opening up to Change
4. Seeking after God.
5. Entering the Kingdom.
6. (Living in the Kingdom)
1. Trusting a Christian.
2. Becoming Curious
3. Opening up to Change
4. Seeking after God.
5. Entering the Kingdom.
6. (Living in the Kingdom)
August 4, 2016
Very good book. I found that Don and Doug do a good job of fleshing out and describing some ideas I had been having about the "conversion path" for lack of a better title. Their own experiences provide a great backdrop for the discussion of this process in their book and I think the suggestions they give for assisting our non-Christian friends are solid. It would be great to actually see or experience some of the events that they discuss in the book which they utilize as part of the process of helping move people closer and closer to Jesus. I highly recommend this book.
September 10, 2013
This was great at shedding some light on the early stages of evangelism. Good to know that, yes, there are intermediate steps between not knowing about God and being a Jesus-follwer--so an invitation to church right away isn't always appropriate. I trusted what they had to say because of the years and number of stories that went into their ideas. Of course we don't all have an InterVarsity-like context, but these ideas can certainly inform our friendships with those far from God. I'd definitely recommend this for church leaders.
October 1, 2008
The best book I've read about sharing my faith, except for Blue Like Jazz (although that's not a fair comparison). Their threshold paradigm struck a chord with me; in addition to being accurate, it encourages the reader to take risks but not feel as if they have to do everything all at once - because they shouldn't. They are very clear about the concept behind each threshold, practical ways of acting out the concept, and case studies to show what it looks like.
March 23, 2010
This was a very easy, quick read. I thought their discussion and discovery was relevant and thought provoking. They defined the process of the mystery of salvation in a post-moderns life being one of 5 thresholds. I agreed with their assessment and, personally, have found it to be true. Insightful for evangelism and relationships.
August 16, 2010
I thought this book was really helpful and encouraging for me. While there was a lot of trendy 21st century Christian terms thrown about that made me laugh, the book is very insightful, and I think it paints a good portrait of how to interact with our non Christian friends and point them towards Jesus and the cross.
January 9, 2013
Best book I've ever read about "evangelism". The author narrowed it down to 5 steps everyone goes through to become a Christian and how to recognize what stage people in your life are in and how to best show them G-d's love. It's all relational and yet doesn't let you use that as an excuse to not share the Lord with people, just how to do it in a way that others will respond to. So very good.
December 26, 2008
This is probably the best book on evangelism among pomo people that I've read. Practical, realistic, intentional, insightful. I'll be revisiting this one a lot, and giving it to our church's leaders and my students as well.
August 29, 2010
This book shakes up the classic view of how people come to a belief in Christ. For anyone interested in the nuts and bolts of coming to faith and how it happens in our culture today, this book is for you.
December 16, 2009
Good stories/inspiration to keep building bridges with others
November 10, 2010
THE most practical, informative, and life-changing book I've read that I've had my Outreach team read.
January 1, 2011
Great windows into the journey to faith for postmoderns.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews