Saving Casper: A Christian and an Atheist Talk about Why We Need to Change the Conversion Conversation

by Jim Henderson

The authors of the popular Jim and Casper Go to Church are back! An unlikely friendship began when former pastor Jim Henderson brought atheist Matt Casper with him to visit a series of churches and give his honest feedback on the services. Since then, Casper has spent a lot of time deeply engaging with Jim and other Christians. And the burning question on everyone’s minds is whether Casper has been saved. In Saving Casper , Jim and Casper engage in a new conversation about that question. Most Christians have friends like Casper―people who’ve heard the gospel but still say no―so what happens next? Jim and Casper reveal the surprising answers to questions What can an atheist teach us about how to share God with those who don’t believe? What have well-meaning Christians said to Casper that has helped―or hurt―their cause? What, if anything, might bring Casper and other nonbelievers to faith . . . and why does Casper say he’s closer to God now than ever before? Saving Casper is a groundbreaking, game-changing look at evangelism and the “conversion conversation.”

Genres: Nonfiction, Christian

192 pages, Paperback

First published September 20, 2013

Reviews

[Nathan Hawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Refreshingly straightforward, engaging and enjoyable.

Jim Henderson and Matt Casper have kindly and transparently invited the reader into what sounds like a fascinating and truly amiable friendship between two people who start from different places and yet share a common affection for one another, and others.

Through the lens of their conversations we see the value of truly listening as they model a way forward from divergent viewpoints. While their focus is on belief in Jesus as God, or not, their commitment to "staying in the room" with one another provides an example to anyone desiring to develop relationship with others who see thing differently.

Jim and Casper provide not only a challenge, but also an example, to question, listen, be authentic and hear, without an agenda, while holding in tension sincere care and aspirations for conversion, at least for Casper. They focus on "connecting" with versus "affecting." Choosing dialogue over debate and hospitality over hostility, they use genuine curiosity to develop understanding and friendship.

No spoilers here, read the book and consider Casper's salvation. While you are at it, you may be saved from some judgment of your own.

[Josh Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

In summary, a short book about how Christians (and others) should spend time talking, befriending and caring for those who don't necessarily share their beliefs. That's the simple point -- reading the book fleshes out one particular relationship between Jim and Casper for others to see how that might play out in real life. I appreciated it for its honesty -- SPOILER ALERT: Casper isn't "saved" (at least not in the way most Christians use the word) yet. And not every relationship we have with others may bear immediate fruit in that way. But the author Henderson shows the benefits, and the importance of reaching out to those who don't believe as we do, instead of seeing them simply as a number or enemy.

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good stuff


As a Christian, I am challenged to truly love like Jesus did. Thank you for changing my way of thinking.

[Michelle Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very thoughtful and insightful. As a Christian, I appreciated Casper’s candid discussion.

[Ruby Neumann · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://rubygetsreal.blogspot.com/202...

[Spencer Cummins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many readers will quickly know the authors of this book from their previous release Jim and Casper Go to Church. Jim and Matt’s new book entitled Saving Casper focuses on the way we talk about conversion in the church and the devastating ways we have pushed away atheists and other non-believers by our posture. Both Jim and Matt traversed the national landscape, meeting in churches and asking hard questions about faith, conversion, and life. The basic premise of the book and travel is laid out here in their words, “Part of what Casper and I are trying to achieve when we speak to a group of Christians is to help people move a little bit on their “judgment meter.” This capacity, while intellectually and often theologically uncomfortable, provides a way to stay connected with people who are supposedly our ideological enemies.” (92-93) One lady even asked Casper how to save a church after she grew to like him in many ways. This book is a real eye-opener in many ways because it brings out the worst in many believers’ attitudes towards atheists but also posits that there is a huge amount of room for connection.

Matt says at one point, “In my opinion, the church needs to go out to the people honesty and sincerely, saying, “What can we do for you?” What’s so hard about that? It gives the church what they want too: an audience with the unchurched and anyone outside their own church walls.” (119) The aggressive, domineering, you’re going to hell attitude does not bring about long term relationships and foster communication. I would also add that providing cultural goods (rock band, stage lights, showy stage presence) because that’s what the church thinks will bring people in often misses the boat too. Serving others, showing compassion are two of the twin pillars that Matt deems high on the list of connecting believers to atheists and furthering the conversation.

What I enjoyed also about the book is the way that Matt talked about the relationship between the extreme anti-theists (Dawkins, etc.) and the aggressive believers who taunted and baited Matt in his travels with Jim. Both sets of groups use anger, vitriol, and pejorative language to belittle the opposite side in an argument or conversation. Matt boils it down to certainty saying, “The problem I have with some atheists is the same problem I have with some Christians: certainty. You can’t unequivocally prove your beliefs, so c’mon, take it easy.” (101) Claiming that the other side of the debate is fully without merit or truth is a recipe for no conversation at all to take place. Instead, realizing that both belief systems require a certain set of assumptions and then building conversation based upon a shared understanding is more important than ramrodding a person. Matt is quick to point out that making the connection with people, seeking to listen more than fill the void, is a powerful way to gro

I would add that Matt and Jim’s understanding of how to relate to people of different belief systems is consistent with an understanding that people are made in God’s image. This image includes rationality, emotion, and wisdom. Effective communication and growth between two people naturally takes place in the respect and compassion they yield to one another. Compassion for others of differing views comes into being as we see people for their special status in the way that they were made.


Thanks to Tyndale Momentum/Publishers for the copy of this book in exchange for review.

[Jalynn Patterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

About the Book:

The authors of the popular "Jim and Casper Go to Church" are back! An unlikely friendship began when former pastor Jim Henderson brought atheist Matt Casper with him to visit a series of churches and give his honest feedback on the services. Since then, Casper has spent a "lot" of time deeply engaging with Jim and other Christians. And the burning question on everyone's minds is whether Casper has been saved. In "Saving Casper," Jim and Casper engage in a new conversation about that question. Most Christians have friends like Casper--people who've heard the gospel but still say no--so what happens next? Jim and Casper reveal the surprising answers to questions like: What can an atheist teach us about how to share God with those who don't believe? What have well-meaning Christians said to Casper that has helped--or hurt--their cause? What, if anything, might bring Casper and other nonbelievers to faith . . . and why does Casper say he's closer to God now than ever before? "Saving Casper" is a groundbreaking, game-changing look at evangelism and the "conversion conversation."



About the Author:

Jim Henderson is acclaimed by USA Today for having "blazed a new path as an innovator, author, church evaluator, self-professed subversive, and leader in the creation of new ways to be publicly and persuasively Christian in the twenty-first century."

Jim is a speaker, author, and producer. His most subversive act to date was buying an atheist's soul on eBay and then sending him to attend and review several churches. On the heels of that project, Jim hired another atheist (Matt Casper) to join him at various church services and share his feedback. Together, they recount their unique findings in a book titled Jim and Casper Go to Church (Tyndale, 2007).

After twenty-five years as a pastor, Jim formed Off the Map, an organization that produced live events designed to help people recover the lost art of being "unusually interested" in others, especially Outsiders.

Today, Jim's company, Jim Henderson Presents, produces live events and television projects that look at the important role of religious spirituality in our lives. Jim is known for asking the questions others skip.

Jim holds a Doctorate in transformational leadership and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Fox News and This American Life with Ira Glass.



My Review:

Saving Casper is a continuation of the book, Jim&Casper Go To Church. Where the author Jim Henderson and Matt Casper, one being a former Pastor and the other a self proclaimed Atheist set out on a journey that neither quite expected. Jim Henderson wanted to bring Matt Casper along on several trips to different churches to get honest feedback from Matt, a look at Christianity and religion from an atheists point of view, if you will.

So in the continuation of that book the two of them join together once again to face questions that center around what an atheist could possibly teach us about how to effectively present Christianity to an atheist. And many other essentials that could help Christians advance the kingdom by better winning over these individuals.

So journey on they did and what is revealed is something that takes us all by surprise. Many others that have followed the two of these gentlemen have wondered if Casper ever got saved and just became of the two of them, well now is the time to find out.

**Disclosure** This book was sent to me free of charge for my honest review from Tyndale.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read a book last summer by Jim Henderson on women in the church, I knew I liked his style. He asks questions not many people are asking and has a unique approach to spiritual discussions. I'd heard about his book, written with Matt Casper about Casper's impressions of churches they visited across the country. (Casper is currently an atheist.) I've yet to read that book but couldn't pass up the follow-up, Saving Casper: A Christian and an Atheist Talk about Why We Need to Change the Conversion Conversation. (I received a free digital copy of the book from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for my review.)

In Saving Casper, the pair team up to talk about conversion--evangelism specifically. After the first book was published and the duo spoke at churches, people asked if Casper was saved yet. After all, he'd been hanging out in churches and talking with Christians. The book is the answer to the question, and I'm not spoiling anything by saying this: he's not. Casper refers to himself as "currently an atheist," and I find that phrasing refreshing. I don't know that I would ever call myself "currently a Christian," but I think realizing that beliefs and viewpoints can change over time is useful.

Casper and Jim talk openly about heaven, hell, grief, and friendship in the context of evangelism. It's a fascinating look at Christianity from the outside, and I found myself laughing (with embarrassment) about how the church tries to reach people outside the church. Casper's insights are refreshingly honest and--this might surprise you--sound a lot like what we read in the Bible.

His advice for people who are worried about family members who don't know Jesus is this:


"Simply care about people--and let them know you care in terms they can relate to. Letting them know you care about how they're doing today, rather than telling them your concerns about where they'll spend eternity, is far more appreciated and endlessly more effective if you're hoping to someday see that person 'saved.'"

It boils down to relationships and listening, not scare tactics or fire-and-brimstone damnation. Casper describes it as the difference between a push and a pull. A push (believe in Jesus or you're going to hell!) does exactly what it says it does--pushes people away. A pull, however, draws people in. It's like radical love, serving people and listening with genuine interest to what other people believe.

Even as I reflect on the book, I know it's not a popular message among evangelicals. But I think it's fair to say that what we've been doing isn't working anyway, so maybe it's time to listen to some outsider perspective. Casper doesn't tell Christians not to believe in God; he calls us out, saying if we really do believe in God, our actions should reflect it.

I may not agree with everything Casper says in the book, but he's worth listening to because 1) he's another human being and 2) he's got a unique perspective on evangelical Christianity.

It wasn't a quick read for me because I needed time to think about what they were saying. It's a good--but convicting--look at the church in practice. And also full of grace. I'm not sure there's another book like it.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Head over to my blog for the full review

When I was in college, I read Jim & Casper Go to Church. If you’re not familiar with the book, Jim Henderson hires an atheist, Matt Casper, to travel the country with him to evaluate various churches. Jim did this because he was interested in the unfiltered opinion of someone who is not a Christian. What would the atheist think about Church? One Casper’s frequent questions was, “Is this really what Jesus told you to do?”

After reading this book, most people wanted to know if Casper ever got saved. From that question, Jim and Casper wrote a sequel called Saving Casper: A Christian and an Atheist Talk about Why We Need to Change the Conversion Conversation. While the two did their book tour, Matt, as you can imagine, received his fair share of people telling him that he was going to go to hell. On top of that, many treated him as if he were an enemy to the faith. Meanwhile, he’s not anti-religion or antagonistic toward Christians, even though some atheists are. He is an open-minded guy who likes to engage with people of different faith systems and doesn’t rule out the possibility of some day becoming a person of faith.

While I don’t necessarily agree with everything that Matt Casper has to say, I do agree that by focusing only on heaven and hell we miss the greater picture of the Gospel, which is life changing and not just death changing. When we offer up the afterlife as a selling point, we are saying that we only care about what they believe when they die and not how they live or what happens to them during their life. I believe that this opens up a lot of questions about the evangelism and forces us all to reevaluate how we interact with people outside of our faith. This is a book you should read.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saving Casper is one of those books that makes you sit back and reflect. While I was reading this book, I was reminded of many of the friends and fellow employees that I know because many of the reasons that Casper mentioned about converting people sounded very familiar. I have gotten into many interesting conversations with my best friend as well as others about why atheists resist converting to Christianity and many of them were the same that Casper mentioned in his book. Casper makes a lot of good points. I agree with him when he explained that when you tell people how you should live-it turns people away from Christianity. However, if you use your actions to show people that you care, it draws them and wants them to discover what “your secret” is. This is a great tool to teach Christians how to witness to those who are not believers because the advice comes from someone who is not a believer. This book will open the eyes of its readers to what makes a non-believer tick when it comes to witnessing as well as what is more effective in drawing non-believers to want to know more about Jesus and Christianity. I would recommend this book to any Christian who wants to know how they can talk to not only non-believers in general, but also their own non-believing friends and family.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I had read "Jim and Casper go to church" years ago, I absolutely loved it! I mean how often do you get to read a book about how an atheist views believers and various churches? And it was written in a thought provoking way. So after several years we get to hear again from Pastor Jim Henderson and his atheist friend Matt Casper. Many people have wondered if Casper ever got saved and what became of this dynamic duo. This books goes about answering that question, and once again offers raw, authentic insight to how Christians can have the best intentions but go about it all wrong, and ways we can improve.

I thought this was an interesting, thought provoking book. I wasn't quite as sold out on it as I was the first book by these authors,but I thought it had some good insights and was an interesting read. That being said I think this book has some very valuable advice and is given from a unique perspective.

I received a copy of this book from Tyndale, but the opinions state here are entirely my own.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book for review from Tyndale House Publishing

I really enjoyed Saving Casper . The book was written by both Jim Henderson and Matt Casper. Jim Henderson is a former pastor and Matt Casper is an athiest. They traveled to different churches together in order for Casper to share his view on different churches. It is interesting to hear an atheist's perspective about how effective Christians are at converting non-Christians. The book also discusses how effective we, as Christians, are at doing as Jesus did and serving others.

I learned a lot from this book; it really changed how I think. The book points out that it is important to befriend non-Christians and to serve others. We should show others the love of Christ and connect with people and not just try to convert them. As a Christian, the book made a lot of sense and seemed to be accurate to what I believe Jesus was trying to tell us while He was on earth.

[Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

- What did you like about the book and why? I love the challenging topics and the real answers provided and how they are so honest.
- What did you not like about the book and why? I could have read a lot more of the book, but I think it ended way to soon.
- What did you learn? I am fairly certain I picked up some great tips that will ehlp me the next time a conversation on faith makes its way to my world.
- To whom would you recommend this book and why? To all religions and ages teens and up. It is not that this book has an age appropriate issue, but I think younger kids may not really catch the message and benefit as greatly.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via Tyndale Blog Network

[Amy Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed it quite a bit ... it saddens me how many Christians treated Casper ridiculously. I probably liked it so much because they way Jim and Casper approached their friendship is the way I go about living life, making friends, and hopefully walking the walk of my faith.