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提問式佈道法：向耶穌學習與人交心
A much-needed look at sharing Christ with unbelievers, based not on the techniques of guerrilla hard-sell tactics, but on engaging questions and caring interaction. Filled with humor and stories, this book provides a challenging yet encouraging look at evangelism in our world today. This volume argues that asking questions and starting meaningful conversations is a far better method for sharing faith than prepared lectures or statements. It gives advice on what people need to hear in response to the world around them.
Author was raised Jewish and has a unique, rabbinical outlook on evangelism
Encouraging and useful
Easy-to-read, conversational style
Study guide at the end to aid in teaching and discussion
336 pages
First published December 11, 2003
386 people are currently reading
1676 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 183 reviews
February 15, 2018
Excellent! Christians of all vocations, ages and seasons in life ought to make reading this book a priority! I love the humility that radiates from the pages as he relates both his successes and failures in sharing Christ! This book raises valid questions, provokes the right thoughts and addresses the heart behind a lot of the most common questions and most common objections to faith as well as confronting believers' own hearts.
All Christians should be prepared to give an answer with gentleness and respect. This book is a great tool to cultivate a heart that those sorts of attitudes can flow from!
All Christians should be prepared to give an answer with gentleness and respect. This book is a great tool to cultivate a heart that those sorts of attitudes can flow from!
June 17, 2024
Finishing this up cause it was on my currently reading list for so long. It was an interesting read and my takeaway (and I'm not sure this was his point) was to just be a friend and love people. There were outdated ideas and incorrect statements about some stuff, but his theology was pretty good overall - I just had to separate the two in my mind and and ignore the way he didn't apply his theology or to the concept correctly. I got the impression that the author is a little arrogant, but aren't we all. Gonna stick to the Bible lol.
January 24, 2023
An interesting read. I LOVED the first part of the book, where he discusses speaking with people about faith the way Jesus does, with questions. Jesus asks 307 questions in the New Testament. He is asked 183 questions by others, and only answers 3. Answering a question with a question was the norm for Jesus as he met people during his ministry. Yet the people he spoke with still felt seen, heard, loved, and many were healed.
He started to lose me at the end with some of his discussions on more “controversial” questions that people ask. A lot of his responses were out-dated and insensitive, given the lens of the gospel we view our world through. Still learned a lot from this book though.
He started to lose me at the end with some of his discussions on more “controversial” questions that people ask. A lot of his responses were out-dated and insensitive, given the lens of the gospel we view our world through. Still learned a lot from this book though.
December 10, 2011
This book is, by far, the best of its kind that I've ever read. It is the first one I've gone through that links God-honouring evangelism to the importance of words: when to speak, what to speak, and how to speak it. What's more, it's a relatively easy and enjoyable read; the author has a funny and feisty way of writing. Finally, the book recognizes that the early 21st century is quite different from the late 20th, and therefore the church has to change its approach accordingly.
February 17, 2025
I read this book and Doug Pollock’s God Space at the same time. That doesn’t result in the best book reviews, but reading both simultaneously definitely encouraged my heart. Here are some of my takeaways:
-The best evangelism usually involves a lot of listening and understanding as an entry into sharing the gospel.
-Because I want to share the gospel more, I should seek to have more spiritual conversations. Rather than forcing my way into a gospel presentation, I need to be opening the doors to spiritual conversations and being prepared to transition to gospel conversations by listening, asking questions, and asking for permission to go to the gospel.
-Since sharing the gospel involves a lot of listening, my focused language speaking practice really should happen outside of my evangelism-focused time. Sharing the gospel will help my language ability grow, but that’s not the best time to focus on bettering my speaking ability.
Over the course of this last year, I’ve enjoyed getting to witness, hear about, and have conversations that quickly went from hello to sharing the full good news and have been overjoyed by how people have responded positively along with how great it feels to share the greatest news ever. At the same time, I’ve also seen some conversations go nowhere because everyone involved could tell there was an agenda or because no one was willing to go through the open door in the conversation to the gospel. These two books helped remind me that when seeking to share the gospel I shouldn’t be overly focused on my obedience to share (although that shouldn’t be left out!), but that sharing the gospel also means paying attention to where my conversation partner is on their spiritual journey and listening for the direction of the Spirit.
And now the real test comes: will having read these books excuse me to share the gospel less and settle for having vaguely spiritual conversations with lost people or will having read these books encourage me toward sharing the gospel more than before?
-The best evangelism usually involves a lot of listening and understanding as an entry into sharing the gospel.
-Because I want to share the gospel more, I should seek to have more spiritual conversations. Rather than forcing my way into a gospel presentation, I need to be opening the doors to spiritual conversations and being prepared to transition to gospel conversations by listening, asking questions, and asking for permission to go to the gospel.
-Since sharing the gospel involves a lot of listening, my focused language speaking practice really should happen outside of my evangelism-focused time. Sharing the gospel will help my language ability grow, but that’s not the best time to focus on bettering my speaking ability.
Over the course of this last year, I’ve enjoyed getting to witness, hear about, and have conversations that quickly went from hello to sharing the full good news and have been overjoyed by how people have responded positively along with how great it feels to share the greatest news ever. At the same time, I’ve also seen some conversations go nowhere because everyone involved could tell there was an agenda or because no one was willing to go through the open door in the conversation to the gospel. These two books helped remind me that when seeking to share the gospel I shouldn’t be overly focused on my obedience to share (although that shouldn’t be left out!), but that sharing the gospel also means paying attention to where my conversation partner is on their spiritual journey and listening for the direction of the Spirit.
And now the real test comes: will having read these books excuse me to share the gospel less and settle for having vaguely spiritual conversations with lost people or will having read these books encourage me toward sharing the gospel more than before?
March 18, 2020
Questioning Evangelism is a well-written, practical book on how to have evangelistic dialogues instead of fruitless evangelistic monologues.
November 16, 2023
This book has me thinking about all the conversations I have on a daily basis. How I ask questions and even graciously representing the gospel. I’ll need to come back and document some of the quotes but I’m reading this slow.
April 25, 2007
As people struggle to talk about faith in a postmodern culture Newman is a wonderful guide. Don't let the fact that this guy is in Campus Crusade fool you. The book is not formulaic. It allows us to enter into dialogue with hurting people in a way that is winsome and powerful. The section on sexuality/homosexuality today is especially helpful in giving direction as to how we can uphold holiness while also being compassionate Christians.
April 3, 2019
In his book Questioning Evangelism, Randy Newman provides a wealth of practical advice for how to engage unbelievers in real, life-transforming, heart-engaging discussion about the gospel. Newman speaks from practical experience, as one who did years of campus evangelism with Campus Crusade for Christ (CRU). He divides his book into three parts. Part 1 focuses on the methodology of “questioning evangelism.” Newman describes this approach as “rabbinical”, though it could just as easily be described as Socratic or even dialectical. He points out how he experienced a paradigm shift in his evangelism when he encountered a deep-thinking, intellectually honest seeker who posed real questions as Newman was passing out tracts. This conversation led the author to do evangelism in a more conversive, nuanced, winsome and ultimately questioning manner, which led in turn to greater ministry fruitfulness. Newman points out that Jesus more frequently employed questions than not during his earthly ministry. A theme Newman consistently returns to is the ability of questions to put the ball back into an interlocuter’s court. By asking questions, would-be assailants go into defense mode, as they are forced to actually consider their own presuppositions and paradigms. Yet the author also stresses that the goal of evangelism is not to win a game or put your “opponent” in a permanent defensive posture. Instead, Newman stresses moderation: prayer for the lost person, silence, listening, avoiding arguments, and even at times shutting down conversations with people who aren’t actually interested in listening or learning. He ends part one by discussing some basic philosophical truths that are often unrealized by people in our current post-modern society. Newman points out the need to gently disrupt pagan worldviews that fail to account for these realities in a way that sets a foundation for Biblical truth.
The second part in Newman’s book is devoted to dealing with the perennial questions percolating in our societal consciousness: “Why are Christians so intolerant? Why does God allow evil and suffering? Why are Christians so hypocritical?”, etc. Each question is given a chapter and combines practical tips for interacting with unbelievers with apologetic material. One highlight of this section is Newman’s emphasis on empathizing with the questioner. Newman recognizes the knee-jerk reaction that is so common in all of us to simply answer questions with facts or data. He wisely exhorts us to look for the motives of the questioner and to try to discern the underlying emotions that are feeding questions.
The last part of Newman’s book focuses on the internal motivations and temperaments that motivate Christian answers and evangelization as a whole. Newman points out the danger of responding to non-Christians in fear, anger or contempt. He rightly calls us to be dependent on the Holy Spirit for humility and brokenness when it comes to the lost. He exhorts Christians not to give up or succumb to frustration or apathy in the face of circumstances that are admittedly discouraging. He closes the book with a section on listening and silence.
There were a few things I did not like about Newman’s book. First, I felt Newman strayed from the core topic of the book (using questions in evangelism), into topics that were tangentially related: soft apologetics, tips for interpersonal relating, personal soul care. All of these topics are important and are related to the core topic; however, I felt Newman could have and probably should have better explored the Scriptural precedent for using questions in evangelism, and how such an approach works. Second, Newman’s second section of the book, which was highly apologetic felt somewhat unstructured. He seemed to pull heavily from other great apologists such as Keller, Schaeffer, Lewis and Chesterton. Having read some of those other authors, Newman’s apologetics seemed to only scratch the surface of topics more fully covered by those authors in their original works. Newman seemed a bit too ambitious and tried to cover too much, and as a result, his work became fragmented and slightly superficial. Finally, Newman seemed to rely heavily on philosophical foundationalism. Having just finished Albert Plantinga’s Knowledge and Christian Belief, I have been thinking quite a bit about how epistemology, divine sovereignty and evangelism interact. I would have loved more discussion from Newman regarding the philosophical foundations of his evangelism approach. Did he really overhaul his evangelism approach after one conversation? Why did he find questioning to be more “effective”? Was it because he saw more people make a decision for Christ? Or simply less people offended? And if Newman presupposes philosophical foundationalism, did he personally witness many people who progressed from a poor philosophical foundation to a firm philosophical foundation and then on to belief in Christ? Does he assert that this order is always necessary, and to what degree is it helpful to expect things to flow in this order?
Despite these critiques, I had several positive takeaways from Newman’s book. First, I was reminded of the importance of questioning and listening. I have seen the benefit of using questions to promote discussion with non-Christians in my own life, and I readily affirmed Newman’s approach. Second, I felt exhorted to be a better listener. I often find myself getting so excited and passionate about all the apologetic data in my head that I forget to slow down. I sometimes literally ache to lay out my case, to paint a verbal and logical picture of the Christ whose life and salvific death and resurrection seem so personally and historically obvious. Third, I was reminded of the need to look for the underlying pathos behind a question. I struggle to do this, sometimes even with my own wife—addressing facts when I should be paying attention to the emotion behind a question. I’m reminded of Jesus’s ability when talking to the woman at the well to cut through extraneous detail and speak straight to the woman herself! I hope and pray that God will grant me an increasingly perceptive spirit to actually see people I am talking with, not simply theoretical philosophical issues held out at arm’s length. Thus, the book was good reminder to winsomely, empathetically, gently, and boldly engage those for whom Christ died.
The second part in Newman’s book is devoted to dealing with the perennial questions percolating in our societal consciousness: “Why are Christians so intolerant? Why does God allow evil and suffering? Why are Christians so hypocritical?”, etc. Each question is given a chapter and combines practical tips for interacting with unbelievers with apologetic material. One highlight of this section is Newman’s emphasis on empathizing with the questioner. Newman recognizes the knee-jerk reaction that is so common in all of us to simply answer questions with facts or data. He wisely exhorts us to look for the motives of the questioner and to try to discern the underlying emotions that are feeding questions.
The last part of Newman’s book focuses on the internal motivations and temperaments that motivate Christian answers and evangelization as a whole. Newman points out the danger of responding to non-Christians in fear, anger or contempt. He rightly calls us to be dependent on the Holy Spirit for humility and brokenness when it comes to the lost. He exhorts Christians not to give up or succumb to frustration or apathy in the face of circumstances that are admittedly discouraging. He closes the book with a section on listening and silence.
There were a few things I did not like about Newman’s book. First, I felt Newman strayed from the core topic of the book (using questions in evangelism), into topics that were tangentially related: soft apologetics, tips for interpersonal relating, personal soul care. All of these topics are important and are related to the core topic; however, I felt Newman could have and probably should have better explored the Scriptural precedent for using questions in evangelism, and how such an approach works. Second, Newman’s second section of the book, which was highly apologetic felt somewhat unstructured. He seemed to pull heavily from other great apologists such as Keller, Schaeffer, Lewis and Chesterton. Having read some of those other authors, Newman’s apologetics seemed to only scratch the surface of topics more fully covered by those authors in their original works. Newman seemed a bit too ambitious and tried to cover too much, and as a result, his work became fragmented and slightly superficial. Finally, Newman seemed to rely heavily on philosophical foundationalism. Having just finished Albert Plantinga’s Knowledge and Christian Belief, I have been thinking quite a bit about how epistemology, divine sovereignty and evangelism interact. I would have loved more discussion from Newman regarding the philosophical foundations of his evangelism approach. Did he really overhaul his evangelism approach after one conversation? Why did he find questioning to be more “effective”? Was it because he saw more people make a decision for Christ? Or simply less people offended? And if Newman presupposes philosophical foundationalism, did he personally witness many people who progressed from a poor philosophical foundation to a firm philosophical foundation and then on to belief in Christ? Does he assert that this order is always necessary, and to what degree is it helpful to expect things to flow in this order?
Despite these critiques, I had several positive takeaways from Newman’s book. First, I was reminded of the importance of questioning and listening. I have seen the benefit of using questions to promote discussion with non-Christians in my own life, and I readily affirmed Newman’s approach. Second, I felt exhorted to be a better listener. I often find myself getting so excited and passionate about all the apologetic data in my head that I forget to slow down. I sometimes literally ache to lay out my case, to paint a verbal and logical picture of the Christ whose life and salvific death and resurrection seem so personally and historically obvious. Third, I was reminded of the need to look for the underlying pathos behind a question. I struggle to do this, sometimes even with my own wife—addressing facts when I should be paying attention to the emotion behind a question. I’m reminded of Jesus’s ability when talking to the woman at the well to cut through extraneous detail and speak straight to the woman herself! I hope and pray that God will grant me an increasingly perceptive spirit to actually see people I am talking with, not simply theoretical philosophical issues held out at arm’s length. Thus, the book was good reminder to winsomely, empathetically, gently, and boldly engage those for whom Christ died.
November 3, 2021
This was a great book on Evangelism. I have felt lost for the longest time with knowing how to approach it. I tried the Way of the Master in the past, but found this to be too much of a salesman approach to it. I am finding both with evangelism and discipleship that it is not a pattern I need to follow (which is difficult for me, because I like patterns!). Instead, these are life on life encounters with people and you will encounter many different situations with many different people … there is not a catch all. The many years of experience Newman has in evangelism reveals this. He has so much wisdom and insights to offer in this book that I would recommend to anyone who wants to learn more about how to be more effective at evangelism. It was so well balanced and addressed the topic very thoroughly… and well, I could say so much more.
September 13, 2019
A radically different perspective on evangelism and thinking that takes from the rabbinical style that the Lord Jesus displayed. There are so many more things to think about before just lofting a 'well-structured, theologically correct' answer at somebody's question... I've found it helpful to go and think about whether it's more helpful to give people information, or answer their questions in a way that leads them more towards examining themselves, and then, in turn, examining the gospel. Newman writes in a really charismatic, compassionate way, and clearly from experience in evangelistic ministry- this book has been a great resource and I appreciate it deeply.
November 28, 2019
I thought this was an excellent treatment on the importance of both asking more questions of people and of listening more carefully to what people are actually saying (and responding appropriately & saltily). Some great examples of actual conversations the author has had over his years of doing evangelism, as well as some good imagined conversations--both the good & the ugly. Lots to learn from this approach, which was ultimately modeled by Christ in His time on earth. There are some very good issues/topics addressed by the author in light of sharing the Good News; not exactly what I had been expecting in this type of book, but very well done & encouraging. Read on my Kindle.
May 24, 2022
This is one of my all time favorite books on evangelism. The danger in an evangelism book is that you walk away feeling like there is one right way to share the gospel. This book has that takeaway at times; however, Newman is clear in calling us to be people of wisdom who thoroughly understand the gospel rather than people who memorize a script. He also encourages the use of questions in response to questions, which is a rabbinical, Jesus-styled approach to evangelism. This is a helpful book for those who struggle to share their faith.
June 4, 2022
I really struggled with some parts of this, other parts I loved. I completely misinterpreted the title- rather than questioning the traditional evangelism (as I thought), this focused on using questions as a method for evangelizing. I agree with being a sincere listener. Some parts were truly cringeworthy and not wholly believebale. 3 stars since it was better than a Koukl book I read. The third part, which focuses on compassion, anger, and silence was my favorite. Decent read.
November 21, 2024
A great book the first time through. I'm going to read it again but also I think I need to read it physically / have a study guide to practically flesh out a lot of the things he talks about or find an online course for it.
June 27, 2018
One of the more practical books I’ve read when it comes to apologetics/evangelism. While his approach is not full-proof I think it’d be a helpful tool in the arsenal belt.
November 1, 2023
I like this book.
January 14, 2024
Loved this book !
September 23, 2024
While Newman had some interesting insights in the first part of the book (though I did have some disagreements with him), I think that people should just read "Five Lies of Our Anti-Christian Age" by Rosaria Butterfield instead of reading the end of this book.
February 7, 2025
Sections on Plausibility Structures and listening were helpful
July 18, 2021
Brilliant book on evangelism! Newman provides a helpful framework of how to ask questions to non-believers to have more fruitful gospel conversations. This book has helped me have more two way conversations with non-believers rather than me just speaking the gospel to them. Would highly recommend!
September 2, 2021
I simply loved this extremely helpful book, and I pretty much ate it up, looking forward to my "chapter-a-day" meal of it. It was gracious, encouraging, and challenging. It took both the Gospel and the unbeliever's objections seriously. The sections of Scriptural exposition were enlightening and helpful. The basic premise was load-lifting: don't be on the defensive in evangelistic conversations and think you need to snap back with an immediate answer to all their apologetics doubts. Instead, ask them questions about where their questions and accusations are coming from--and genuinely listen to them, which will help inform the best answer for them.
Halfway through, it had already born noticeable fruit in the way that I engaged with others in every conversation--not just evangelistic ones. Halfway through, I was already wanting to read it again!
Halfway through, it had already born noticeable fruit in the way that I engaged with others in every conversation--not just evangelistic ones. Halfway through, I was already wanting to read it again!
May 30, 2017
This book intrigued me when I read the blurb about it in the review opportunity. I don't read and review enough non-fiction titles, so I decided to review it. I found the book as interesting as it sounded in the description.
If you pay attention while reading the Gospels, Jesus asked a lot of questions. When people asked Him questions, He often replied back with a question of His own. This often showed the motive and reasons behind the person's question.
The author does a great job of showing how we Christians today can apply this same method to our evangelizing and also in dealing with tough questions from others. He covers such topics as why are Christians so intolerant, why are Christians so homophobic, why does God allow so much pain and suffering, and other such questions. He also spends some time on why questions are better than answers.
The book is an interesting, engaging, and helpful read. I have never thought about using this method of evangelizing and of dealing with tough questions, but I am definitely intrigued by the idea of it after reading this book. The author did a great job of getting his ideas across in an interesting way, and I feel this is a book that will be helpful to many Christians.
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
If you pay attention while reading the Gospels, Jesus asked a lot of questions. When people asked Him questions, He often replied back with a question of His own. This often showed the motive and reasons behind the person's question.
The author does a great job of showing how we Christians today can apply this same method to our evangelizing and also in dealing with tough questions from others. He covers such topics as why are Christians so intolerant, why are Christians so homophobic, why does God allow so much pain and suffering, and other such questions. He also spends some time on why questions are better than answers.
The book is an interesting, engaging, and helpful read. I have never thought about using this method of evangelizing and of dealing with tough questions, but I am definitely intrigued by the idea of it after reading this book. The author did a great job of getting his ideas across in an interesting way, and I feel this is a book that will be helpful to many Christians.
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
August 22, 2017
This book is useful. It has more focus than a lot of the other books on the topic, focusing almost entirely on the underlying assumptions behind statements made in evangelistic conversations. Although I agree with other reviewers that the most essential part of the book is the first three chapters, I found that the remainder of the book was also worth reading. In the first three chapters, Newman sets out the kernel of his approach, explaining how statements people make can be a mask for their true intentions or expose a plausibility structure that they are willing to question. In the remainder of the book, Newman applies these principles to specific (and controversial) questions that unbelievers today might ask. A useful book that helped me rethink the way I discuss the gospel with others.
September 14, 2010
I found this book very helpful and have already started applying it with significant results. Newman's basic thesis is that when we do evangelism asking questions is much better than just giving the answers. Asking someone a question forces them to evaluate their beliefs instead of putting the Christian on the spot all the time. He also supports this thesis with convincing scriptural arguments.
For example, if someone asked why God allows evil and suffering he will usually ask, How would you explain why there is so much evil in the world?"
For example, if someone asked why God allows evil and suffering he will usually ask, How would you explain why there is so much evil in the world?"
September 16, 2014
Excellent. One of the more helpful, refreshing, common sense books on evangelism I've read. Randy Newman's basic approach is to ask plenty of questions to uncover what's really going on in people's hearts before you unload a gospel presentation. Also a very good apologetic treatment of some of today's most difficult objections to Christianity. I'm not sure I am as well informed or quick witted as he is, but encouraging none the less.
March 20, 2020
Read October 1, 2016. Read again March of 2020.
Dr. Newman managed to make what would often be an “eye-rolling” topic to be engaging and even funny at times. He pushes boundaries on difficult topics relating to evangelism (sex, sexuality, etc.)
I think the book’s illustrations could use an update (many new readers may not have been alive, or old enough to remember 9/11), but overall the information seemed helpful and relevant.
Dr. Newman managed to make what would often be an “eye-rolling” topic to be engaging and even funny at times. He pushes boundaries on difficult topics relating to evangelism (sex, sexuality, etc.)
I think the book’s illustrations could use an update (many new readers may not have been alive, or old enough to remember 9/11), but overall the information seemed helpful and relevant.
January 12, 2008
still haven't finished reading this book. But I appreciate the author's notes on how to share Christ with people in our generation. Sometimes though, I think he's just using the book to showcase how much apologetics he knows how to use. But maybe I just feel embarrassed by my lack of such knowledge!!
March 19, 2013
Loved this tool! Makes me excited to share my faith again and it really gave some great tools with with to do it. I especially apprecited it's Biblical approach to homosexuality and also the section on fear within Christians that is unnecessary. Very good book-every modern day Christian should read it.
January 24, 2012
Great book on how to talk to people about Jesus. The clue is in the title: we need to ask seekers and sceptics questions to challenge their misconceptions and presuppositions, and so keep the conversation going.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 183 reviews