What do you think?
Rate this book
Gospel Reset: Salvation Made Relevant
Hit the Mark with a Gospel Reset!
The culture has changed. Christian values, traditions, and terminologies that were once common knowledge have become a thing of the past. The typical Sunday morning call to salvation is sadly like listening to another language for many people today.
This book will help you understand how to effectively reach the lost with a message of salvation that actually makes sense.
The culture has changed. Christian values, traditions, and terminologies that were once common knowledge have become a thing of the past. The typical Sunday morning call to salvation is sadly like listening to another language for many people today.
This book will help you understand how to effectively reach the lost with a message of salvation that actually makes sense.
130 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 1, 2018
86 people are currently reading
295 people want to read
About the author
Ken Ham
235 books358 followersDr. Ken Ham is the president of Answers in Genesis USA and is a well-known speaker and author on the subject of Young-Earth Creationism. He received a bachelor degree in applied science (emphasis on environmental biology) from the Queensland Institute of Technology, and a Diploma of Education from the University of Queensland. He has also received two honorary doctorates: a Doctor of Divinity from Temple Baptist College, and a Doctor of Literature from Baptist Liberty University.
He was a director of Creation Science Foundation (CSF) in Australia, an organization which he jointly founded with John Mackay. In 1987 he moved to the United States, still maintaining his links with CSF.
From 1987 to 1993, Ham worked for the Institute for Creation Research, and in 1994 set up what in 1995 became Answers in Genesis (AiG), a creation ministry dedicated to "upholding the authority of the Bible from the very first verse."
In 2008 Ham was described by well known atheist and evolutionary biologist PZ Myers as a "Wackaloon" for carrying out a prayer session with members of the Pentagon. Ham responded regarding the validity of that prayer breakfastand that PZ Myers and other critics were intolerant of his position.
He was a director of Creation Science Foundation (CSF) in Australia, an organization which he jointly founded with John Mackay. In 1987 he moved to the United States, still maintaining his links with CSF.
From 1987 to 1993, Ham worked for the Institute for Creation Research, and in 1994 set up what in 1995 became Answers in Genesis (AiG), a creation ministry dedicated to "upholding the authority of the Bible from the very first verse."
In 2008 Ham was described by well known atheist and evolutionary biologist PZ Myers as a "Wackaloon" for carrying out a prayer session with members of the Pentagon. Ham responded regarding the validity of that prayer breakfastand that PZ Myers and other critics were intolerant of his position.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
September 26, 2018
So there it was in my in box, because I am the pastor, and I get these sorts of things.
It was a slight little volume from Ken Ham, the founder of Answers in Genesis, a free gift to me. I assumed that pretty much every pastor in America must have gotten one, because it ain't like my sweet small church is particularly well known.
That turned out to be right. 266,000 copies, mailed out to churches in America. That's a whole lot of printing and postage.
Answers in Genesis, in the event you don't know it, is a Young Earth Creationist outfit, the folks who brought us the Creation Museum and that great big ol' reconstruction of the Ark.
The book's claimed purpose is simple: to reconnect Americans with the message of Jesus. It operates from the premise that America is an increasingly secularizing nation, a premise that is objectively and empirically true. To get to that starting premise, Ham cites research that supports conclusions that pretty much every strain of Christian has also discovered. In a society where Christianity and the broader biblical narrative are no longer a given, traditional strategies for conveying the message of Jesus are no longer viable. We can no longer rely on the culture to automatically yield church going folk.
Something new is needed.
Oddly enough, up until this point, I was pretty much there with Ken. He's not wrong.
Then, to set the stage for his plan for evangelizing America, Ham sets out what he views as the biblical precedent for how one successfully engages with cultures that are not your own.
As the linchpin of his argument, he lays out two contrasting passages from the Acts of the Apostles. The first, Peter's preaching to the Judeans in Jerusalem in Acts chapter 2. The second, Paul's preaching to the Athenians on the Areopagus in Acts chapter 17.
This was also odd, because, well, that's totally what I would do, too. It's exactly the right parallel.
So far, Ken and I were two for two, and that in and of itself was a little freaky. I read on.
As Ham describes it, Peter succeeds because the Jews that hear him share his culture and his knowledge of the texts of Torah.
But Paul? As Ham initially describes Paul's engagement with the "Greeks," Paul is completely rejected. They scoff and laugh at Paul. He fails to reach them, because they don't have a basis of common understanding.
This comparison is the fundamental groundwork for Ham's argument, and the basic tension of the book. To spread the Gospel, Ham suggests, we must "de-Greek" our listeners, relentlessly and aggressively tearing away all of their cultural assumptions. We must never compromise, or yield.
For a while it seems like Ham's argument is that we must not fail to spread the Gospel as Paul failed to spread the Gospel.
Um.
Ham assumes we will take him at his word, and not bother reading scripture ourselves. But here, being biblically literate helps, because Ham completely misrepresents Acts 17 read in its plainest meaning. Ham misses the point of Acts 17...and misrepresents the history of the spread of Christianity...so badly that it feels a mark of near-epic exegetical incompetence.
Because while the Athenians do scoff and laugh in Acts 17:18, the story of Paul in Athens goes on. If you read the whole story, they then say, hey, we've not heard this freaky Jesus stuff before. They're interested. And then they invite Paul to tell them more, so he goes to Mars Hill to join other philosophers who are presenting new and interesting things.
When Paul does so, he's not stupid about it. The Biblical account shows him both being respectful to Greek culture, using terms clearly recognizable from Greek philosophy, quoting Stoic philosopher/poets, and putting the message of Jesus in a form that was comprehensible to his listeners.
From the basis of respectful dialogue that adapts the message of Jesus to a new culture, Paul interests some of them further. After a few more conversations, some of those Athenians choose to be Christian.
That end result...Paul's successful culturally-relevant evangelism...is completely missing from Ham's version of events. Every bible verse describing the Apostle Paul's success in Athens is carefully edited out.
The conclusion Ham draws, having shucked and jived his way around the plain meaning of the text, is that what Paul was doing mostly failed. This works great with his presupposition, but it's materially, provably, and historically incorrect. The "Jewish" church that he lauds as the equivalent of the bible-believing model we should all embrace? It died. Ceased to be.
Ham acknowledges this, because you can't miss it. And there is an admission that, well, Paul kind of did succeed...which Ham then attributes to Paul's "de-Greeking." The same Paul who spoke in Greek, used the forms and structures of Greek rhetoric, and knew philosophy well enough to
Sigh.
The church that succeeded, that spread, that shared the message of Jesus with billions? It was the "Greeked" church. It was the church that adapted, that used whatever language, form, and understanding was necessary to share the message of the so-close-you-can-touch-it Kingdom of God that Jesus taught and incarnated.
That has always, always, always been how evangelism has worked. The great strength of Christianity is that it is adaptable, that it finds ways to work with the idioms of every culture. It is inherently universal and pancultural, integrating every truth that resonates with the Gospel into itself.
The maddening thing about this little book is that it is exactly and utterly the opposite of what is needed. "Salvation made Relevant," or so the book perversely claims. If we did what Ham wants us to do, sharing the good news would become utterly impossible.
So. This "free gift" from Answers in Genesis?
While I can appreciate the old axiom that you shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, I'm Greek enough to remember that didn't work out so well for the Trojans.
It was a slight little volume from Ken Ham, the founder of Answers in Genesis, a free gift to me. I assumed that pretty much every pastor in America must have gotten one, because it ain't like my sweet small church is particularly well known.
That turned out to be right. 266,000 copies, mailed out to churches in America. That's a whole lot of printing and postage.
Answers in Genesis, in the event you don't know it, is a Young Earth Creationist outfit, the folks who brought us the Creation Museum and that great big ol' reconstruction of the Ark.
The book's claimed purpose is simple: to reconnect Americans with the message of Jesus. It operates from the premise that America is an increasingly secularizing nation, a premise that is objectively and empirically true. To get to that starting premise, Ham cites research that supports conclusions that pretty much every strain of Christian has also discovered. In a society where Christianity and the broader biblical narrative are no longer a given, traditional strategies for conveying the message of Jesus are no longer viable. We can no longer rely on the culture to automatically yield church going folk.
Something new is needed.
Oddly enough, up until this point, I was pretty much there with Ken. He's not wrong.
Then, to set the stage for his plan for evangelizing America, Ham sets out what he views as the biblical precedent for how one successfully engages with cultures that are not your own.
As the linchpin of his argument, he lays out two contrasting passages from the Acts of the Apostles. The first, Peter's preaching to the Judeans in Jerusalem in Acts chapter 2. The second, Paul's preaching to the Athenians on the Areopagus in Acts chapter 17.
This was also odd, because, well, that's totally what I would do, too. It's exactly the right parallel.
So far, Ken and I were two for two, and that in and of itself was a little freaky. I read on.
As Ham describes it, Peter succeeds because the Jews that hear him share his culture and his knowledge of the texts of Torah.
But Paul? As Ham initially describes Paul's engagement with the "Greeks," Paul is completely rejected. They scoff and laugh at Paul. He fails to reach them, because they don't have a basis of common understanding.
This comparison is the fundamental groundwork for Ham's argument, and the basic tension of the book. To spread the Gospel, Ham suggests, we must "de-Greek" our listeners, relentlessly and aggressively tearing away all of their cultural assumptions. We must never compromise, or yield.
For a while it seems like Ham's argument is that we must not fail to spread the Gospel as Paul failed to spread the Gospel.
Um.
Ham assumes we will take him at his word, and not bother reading scripture ourselves. But here, being biblically literate helps, because Ham completely misrepresents Acts 17 read in its plainest meaning. Ham misses the point of Acts 17...and misrepresents the history of the spread of Christianity...so badly that it feels a mark of near-epic exegetical incompetence.
Because while the Athenians do scoff and laugh in Acts 17:18, the story of Paul in Athens goes on. If you read the whole story, they then say, hey, we've not heard this freaky Jesus stuff before. They're interested. And then they invite Paul to tell them more, so he goes to Mars Hill to join other philosophers who are presenting new and interesting things.
When Paul does so, he's not stupid about it. The Biblical account shows him both being respectful to Greek culture, using terms clearly recognizable from Greek philosophy, quoting Stoic philosopher/poets, and putting the message of Jesus in a form that was comprehensible to his listeners.
From the basis of respectful dialogue that adapts the message of Jesus to a new culture, Paul interests some of them further. After a few more conversations, some of those Athenians choose to be Christian.
That end result...Paul's successful culturally-relevant evangelism...is completely missing from Ham's version of events. Every bible verse describing the Apostle Paul's success in Athens is carefully edited out.
The conclusion Ham draws, having shucked and jived his way around the plain meaning of the text, is that what Paul was doing mostly failed. This works great with his presupposition, but it's materially, provably, and historically incorrect. The "Jewish" church that he lauds as the equivalent of the bible-believing model we should all embrace? It died. Ceased to be.
Ham acknowledges this, because you can't miss it. And there is an admission that, well, Paul kind of did succeed...which Ham then attributes to Paul's "de-Greeking." The same Paul who spoke in Greek, used the forms and structures of Greek rhetoric, and knew philosophy well enough to
Sigh.
The church that succeeded, that spread, that shared the message of Jesus with billions? It was the "Greeked" church. It was the church that adapted, that used whatever language, form, and understanding was necessary to share the message of the so-close-you-can-touch-it Kingdom of God that Jesus taught and incarnated.
That has always, always, always been how evangelism has worked. The great strength of Christianity is that it is adaptable, that it finds ways to work with the idioms of every culture. It is inherently universal and pancultural, integrating every truth that resonates with the Gospel into itself.
The maddening thing about this little book is that it is exactly and utterly the opposite of what is needed. "Salvation made Relevant," or so the book perversely claims. If we did what Ham wants us to do, sharing the good news would become utterly impossible.
So. This "free gift" from Answers in Genesis?
While I can appreciate the old axiom that you shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, I'm Greek enough to remember that didn't work out so well for the Trojans.
August 1, 2019
I've long been a Ken Ham fan, and I'm glad I finally got around to this book. This book is short and sweet, and Ken Ham explains how we can no longer present the Gospel to people assuming a basic knowledge of Christianity. We are long past that.
In past times, someone could talk about how we are all sinners, and most people in America would know exactly what that means and agree. More Americans had basic Bible knowledge and understanding, even when they weren't believers. We are no longer living in that world, and this book explains how we need to go back to the very basics.
In order to adequately explain the Gospel today, we need to start at the beginning, explaining the Fall and what sin means, and why we are all sinners, so people can then understand why Christ had to die in the first place. Explain the bad news before you explain the Good News. Should be obvious, but it's really not obvious in many corners of Christianity these days. I think we've unfortunately seen alot of false conversions because the foundations weren't properly explained. This book corrects that problem and is extremely helpful and practical for evangelism to the lost, and even evangelism within our own churches and families. A great tool for immediately being more confident in explaining the Gospel, and I think badly needed today. Highly recommend!
In past times, someone could talk about how we are all sinners, and most people in America would know exactly what that means and agree. More Americans had basic Bible knowledge and understanding, even when they weren't believers. We are no longer living in that world, and this book explains how we need to go back to the very basics.
In order to adequately explain the Gospel today, we need to start at the beginning, explaining the Fall and what sin means, and why we are all sinners, so people can then understand why Christ had to die in the first place. Explain the bad news before you explain the Good News. Should be obvious, but it's really not obvious in many corners of Christianity these days. I think we've unfortunately seen alot of false conversions because the foundations weren't properly explained. This book corrects that problem and is extremely helpful and practical for evangelism to the lost, and even evangelism within our own churches and families. A great tool for immediately being more confident in explaining the Gospel, and I think badly needed today. Highly recommend!
July 1, 2020
This book is both an explanation of and a defense of Creation witnessing in general and Answers in Genesis’ ministry in particular. Even though it is short, it lays out the importance of creation and the fall in salvation and therefore in our witnessing. He shows us how our culture has changed. People no longer know what sin is or what is special about the God of the Bible, so telling them Christ died for their sins is almost meaningless. Instead, he contends that we must start from the very beginning, from Genesis 1:1. Acts 2 and Acts 17 are the Biblical passages that he uses to elegantly illustrate his point. Then he encourages everyone to use this method whether they are witnessing one on one, teaching Sunday School, or preaching.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wonders about the importance of defending the first chapters of Genesis.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wonders about the importance of defending the first chapters of Genesis.
May 27, 2023
My church is doing a book club on Gospel Reset, so I decided to read it. The premise -Western culture wandering away from Christian truths and thought - was nothing new to me. However, Ham's approach to presenting the Bible to this secular culture was new to me and I found it something to ponder when I interact within my job and the community. Without going into too much detail, Ham suggests we share Biblical truths to the secular world as Paul did with the Greeks. The Greeks had no clue on the history of creation, sin, and redemption, so Paul had to define God, sin, etc. to ensure he and the Greeks were on the same page. It is the same today when discussing topics with a secular culture. Define key words so that everyone involved in the discussion understand where one is coming from with their worldview.
I recommend to Christians interested in learning one way to better share Christian truths with a culture that is hostile and/or ignorant towards God.
I recommend to Christians interested in learning one way to better share Christian truths with a culture that is hostile and/or ignorant towards God.
August 11, 2023
⚓️ A wonderfully written book And tremendous challenge in reaching the lost with The gospel commanded by our LORD & Savior Jesus Christ.
A must read for all believers.
A must read for all believers.
October 22, 2018
This book was sent to my church for free, so I went ahead and read it. Ken Ham is right about some things. Yes, the U.S. used to have a general understanding of the Bible and Christian thought. And we dont anymore. And losing that has caused it harder to share the Christian faith. His answer, however, misses the mark. There are many amazing, successful ministries that have learned to share the Gospel and defend Christianity without emphasizing, or even believing, young-earth creationism, or literal 7 day creation. I was hoping he wouldn't emphasize it as much, but expected this when I started the book, so I'm not surprised.
October 7, 2018
This book was sent to be free and I wasn't a big fan. If I was a millennial, I probably would have stopped reading it. The author, Ken Ham, who is most likely a Baby Boomer, gave lots of reasons on what is wrong with today's culture. However, there was only a chapter or so of information on what to do about it. Felt like it was just a book promoting their curriculum.
September 29, 2018
The main idea of the book is solid, unfortunately some problems along the way kind of blunt the force of it. Particularly, Ham, I believe, errs in his reflections on America’s past and its relationship to the Jewish audience of Acts 2. While his overall perspective on the modern state of biblical understanding in America is helpful, his thoughts on how we got here are overly simplistic to the point of being misleading, and his solution - that is, what needs to happen now - is surprisingly terse. One would expect a stronger conclusion after the buildup.
On the whole, the book is helpful, but it would be most helpful to an audience who lacks the knowledge he provides. Unfortunately, an audience that lacks that knowledge is also likely to be ignorant regarding his errors, somewhat limiting the usefulness of the book.
The other issue is that the problem in modern Western culture is not merely a problem of ignorance, but rather - and this is the source of the problem, I believe - a moral problem. That is, they don’t want to know the truth. Even among believers, there is often a passive compliance because of sin. To some degree, the solution offered here deals with that, but it would’ve been helpful to see that drawn out better. The answer involves getting the gospel right, and particularly speaking in terms that will drive the point home to the hearts of those who hear, both professing believers and unbelievers.
On the whole, the book is helpful, but it would be most helpful to an audience who lacks the knowledge he provides. Unfortunately, an audience that lacks that knowledge is also likely to be ignorant regarding his errors, somewhat limiting the usefulness of the book.
The other issue is that the problem in modern Western culture is not merely a problem of ignorance, but rather - and this is the source of the problem, I believe - a moral problem. That is, they don’t want to know the truth. Even among believers, there is often a passive compliance because of sin. To some degree, the solution offered here deals with that, but it would’ve been helpful to see that drawn out better. The answer involves getting the gospel right, and particularly speaking in terms that will drive the point home to the hearts of those who hear, both professing believers and unbelievers.
September 26, 2018
I received this book for free, unsolicited, in the mail, because I am a pastor. I would not buy it, or read it except that it was free and I wanted to give an honest review. This about one third diagrams, one third big block quotes, and the rest could have fit into a long magazine article. There is nothing new here, it's all been said before: "The present is bad because it's not like the past."
October 15, 2019
I finished reading Gospel Reset today! I enjoyed this easy to read book. It got me thinking more about how I present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to this world. The reason I gave it only 4 stars was because the author stopped short of spelling out a real plan to present the Gospel. Although this is not a bad thing for some, as I approach the Gospel differently each time I show some how they can know for sure they are going to Heaven, some not as experienced would need some direction in this area.
I would recommend people read the book so they see the great need to present the Gospel in the appropriate way to each individual.
I would recommend people read the book so they see the great need to present the Gospel in the appropriate way to each individual.
September 27, 2018
This junk-mail book is laughably horrible. From the ridiculously simplified graphics and charts to the fundamentalist beliefs, it embodies everything wrong with American Evangelicals.
October 2, 2018
I gave this short little book a quick read because it was sent to our church and it addressed a topic I was interested in: the widespread decline in church attendance. Ham contends that American culture no longer has a basic understanding of Christianity which means that terms such as God and sin are not commonly understood. I suspect few who have observed American culture would find this surprising. This being the case, we need to quit assuming that people, even within the church, understand the terms we are throwing about. That is certainly another good suggestion.
Part of what caused me to rate this book ok (2-stars) rather than good (3-stars) is that Ham is unnecessarily contentious. He alienates some of his audience by saying that no Bible-believing Christian should embrace God-guided evolution (p. 74) and that President Obama "really helped facilitate" this cultural change (p. 80).
Ham also seems to long for the days when more Americans understood the basics of Christianity even though he admits that some of this older generation may not be Christians even though they are attending church (pp. 105-6). So, he is proposing a solution (rebuilding a Christian culture) that doesn't really focus on bringing people to salvation. This, I believe, is the wrong approach. People don't need a Christian culture, they need Jesus. Helping them know Jesus is where we should begin. That is where the early church began. And as the church thrived, despite a repressive Roman culture, it created a Christian culture.
Part of what caused me to rate this book ok (2-stars) rather than good (3-stars) is that Ham is unnecessarily contentious. He alienates some of his audience by saying that no Bible-believing Christian should embrace God-guided evolution (p. 74) and that President Obama "really helped facilitate" this cultural change (p. 80).
Ham also seems to long for the days when more Americans understood the basics of Christianity even though he admits that some of this older generation may not be Christians even though they are attending church (pp. 105-6). So, he is proposing a solution (rebuilding a Christian culture) that doesn't really focus on bringing people to salvation. This, I believe, is the wrong approach. People don't need a Christian culture, they need Jesus. Helping them know Jesus is where we should begin. That is where the early church began. And as the church thrived, despite a repressive Roman culture, it created a Christian culture.
April 29, 2022
Since reading Already Gone a few months ago, I’ve started to wonder how our church can better present the truth of the Bible to the youth that attend. Last month, my husband and I went to the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum and came back with some books that my husband wanted to read, including this one, and after reading Gospel Reset, he’s started to have similar thoughts to those I’ve been having.
The book rehashes some of the information presented in Already Gone, but obviously not everyone who reads it will have read the other book (my own husband, for example). To me, the value of the book lies in the comparison of Peter and Paul preaching to Jews and Greeks (respectively) in different chapters of Acts to the culture of America past to America present. Though many of us today already recognize that the culture is a lot less open to hearing about the Gospel than it has been in the past, it’s helpful to have this comparison to the Bible and the early church.
I found most of the illustrations unnecessary (and sometimes confusing), but overall, the viewpoint presented and resources at the end can provide some helpful insight into a big problem facing Christians today.
The book rehashes some of the information presented in Already Gone, but obviously not everyone who reads it will have read the other book (my own husband, for example). To me, the value of the book lies in the comparison of Peter and Paul preaching to Jews and Greeks (respectively) in different chapters of Acts to the culture of America past to America present. Though many of us today already recognize that the culture is a lot less open to hearing about the Gospel than it has been in the past, it’s helpful to have this comparison to the Bible and the early church.
I found most of the illustrations unnecessary (and sometimes confusing), but overall, the viewpoint presented and resources at the end can provide some helpful insight into a big problem facing Christians today.
September 24, 2021
This a short book but I got a lot out of it because the author voiced a concern that I have been mulling over in my mind. And that is the fact that this is a post-Christian society and that to share the Gospel must be different from the way it was done twenty years ago. This is a society
where most people are Bible illiterate and don’t know the basic concepts of the Judeo-Christian world view. They don’t see man as fallen, they have not heard about the Golden Rule and they have no basis for identifying sin. When the Gospel was preached to the Jews, the disciples could draw upon the Jewish teachings to share about Christ the Messiah. But when Paul preached to the Gentiles, the message had to be changed so the audience would understand that Paul was preaching one God and not many Gods, that God was the creator, the concept of sin and why they needed a Savior. This is where we are today. This is a daunting task to change a worldview, but a handful of disciples did it, and the message of the Gospel must still continued to be preached, knowing the appropriate approach for each group.
where most people are Bible illiterate and don’t know the basic concepts of the Judeo-Christian world view. They don’t see man as fallen, they have not heard about the Golden Rule and they have no basis for identifying sin. When the Gospel was preached to the Jews, the disciples could draw upon the Jewish teachings to share about Christ the Messiah. But when Paul preached to the Gentiles, the message had to be changed so the audience would understand that Paul was preaching one God and not many Gods, that God was the creator, the concept of sin and why they needed a Savior. This is where we are today. This is a daunting task to change a worldview, but a handful of disciples did it, and the message of the Gospel must still continued to be preached, knowing the appropriate approach for each group.
April 5, 2023
I love the point he makes about how we live in a “Greek” culture (a culture with no foundation of biblical truth) so when Christian’s tell people to repent, it sounds like foolishness because they don’t understand what’s being said.
We are confusing the culture by not explaining what we mean. Simply saying “God loves you, or repent” means nothing when people do not understand that sin entered the world through Adam, and because of that the whole world is broken and in sin, we are all infected.
(Sin is like anger,murder, sex outside of marriage, jealousy, bitterness, etc.etc.)
God is Holy, He hates sin, because we are all sinners, we all eventually are going to die so our sinfulness does not live on. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23)
Yet God loved us even in our sinful state, He had mercy on us and came into the world in human form (Jesus) and He lived a life without sin so that He could trade His perfect life for ours- He died in our place, and came back to life (Happy Easter!)
This was to make a way for us to escape the penalty of our sin and live in His presence forever…by our faith in Jesus, we repent of our sins and trust in Him alone to justify us before God.
We are confusing the culture by not explaining what we mean. Simply saying “God loves you, or repent” means nothing when people do not understand that sin entered the world through Adam, and because of that the whole world is broken and in sin, we are all infected.
(Sin is like anger,murder, sex outside of marriage, jealousy, bitterness, etc.etc.)
God is Holy, He hates sin, because we are all sinners, we all eventually are going to die so our sinfulness does not live on. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23)
Yet God loved us even in our sinful state, He had mercy on us and came into the world in human form (Jesus) and He lived a life without sin so that He could trade His perfect life for ours- He died in our place, and came back to life (Happy Easter!)
This was to make a way for us to escape the penalty of our sin and live in His presence forever…by our faith in Jesus, we repent of our sins and trust in Him alone to justify us before God.
December 31, 2018
Interesting read. The author discusses how America and other countries used to have a Christian foundation of God, sin, etc., but now has become more secular and focused on what is taught in schools as fact and people are leaving churches. He compares and contrasts the Acts 2 (Jews) teaching vs the Acts 17 (Greeks) teaching and says while we used to have the "Jewish" foundation and understanding from Genesis of how the world was formed etc., now most people have more of a "Greek" foundation and to teach to them, we have to go back to Genesis and teach the beginning to people and not start with salvation and assume they already have a foundation. Would like to see more solutions and tips of what to do about this situation.
July 27, 2024
This was a great book it explained how to share the Gospel correctly, and it explains how we are not an Acts 2 generation anymore. Rather, we are an Acts 17 generation. Therefore, we must start in Genesis starting with creation and the fall of man, and show them that they are sinners and show them their need for a Savior. This has encouraged me to tell even more people about Jesus, and give them a true understanding of the Gospel, and a rock solid foundation rather than throwing the Gospel in their face them not understanding it because they don't understand sin and God. This is truly a great book, and I recommend it to everyone. It is very easy to understand. I'm only 16 years old so I recommend it for many ages!!!
Mark 16:15 NKJV
[15] And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
Praying for you all ♥ 🙏
Mark 16:15 NKJV
[15] And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
Praying for you all ♥ 🙏
October 11, 2018
Before diving in lets tackle the title. Instantly some people will be turned off by the title of this book and thinking it short changes the Gospel or is suggesting a "new" Gospel. Lets dispel at least part of that, Ken Ham is not suggesting that the Gospel is any different then it ever has been but he is suggesting that it's presentation in our current culture should be different. Ken Ham's main "argument" throughout is that american culture used to be like the Jews (with a base knowledge of scripture) and now the american culture is like the Greek culture (due to their severe lack of knowledge in the Bible). On the plus side I think some good points are made about the lack of apologetics training in churches. It was also interesting to listen to Ken's musings about what he has seen or heard over the years. Sadly, this is where the praise comes to a grinding halt.
Despite Ham's effort's to stick to a constant comparison of past verses current culture he seems to frequently undermine his own analogue. For example he jokes about first coming to america to witness to the "'pagan' culture". If pagan then, why the sudden change of heart now? He also uses recent surveys to point to current cultural issues, however, he fails to provide any comparison data outside of his own anecdotes and observations. His observations could be correct, but actual data to support it would have helped.
It is also troublesome that he made statements against his own research project. On page 67 of the kindle version he states, "The majority of our Christian leader have taught generations of kids and adults to believe in the evolution of life and man and/or millions of years." However, in another AiG publication "Already Gone" (which he quotes heavily from early in the book) the survey results showed that out of 1000 participants (which were young adults who are no longer in church) only 9.5% of them had a pastor of Sunday school teacher who taught they could believe in Darwinian evolution. Only 26% had a pastor who taught that Christians could believe in an old earth. And yet a whopping 82.6% were taught that creation was 6 literal days (the full data set can be found in the appendix of Already Gone on the AiG website). This degree of double talk and poorly put together editing choices continues throughout.
In addition, perhaps the most disturbing aspect of this whole book is the overall nature and some of the examples that could have been explained in more depth but instead you are left with small bites that seem to only hint at their true purpose. For example there is a illustration used repeatedly that shows 2 stack of books, a single book labeled "God's Word" and then another stack labeled "Man's Word. The mysterious aspect of all this is that both stacks have an american flag stuck on-top of the books. Why would this matter? The only thing I can think of is a deliberate attempt to appeal to a sense of "Christian nationalism". On the page prior to one use of the aforementioned illustration, Ham lays into Barrack Obama's quotes about various religious groups being a part of american culture. And he goes on to hint that Obama is at fault for many of the current culture shifts. Lastly, Ham seems to want to grab onto buzz words of the day like using "fake news" to describe school science teachings. If his insinuations are true or not is beside the point. The issue is Ham is pushing hard for this to appeal to a certain demographic.
Between the previously mentioned issues and Ham's frequent mention of well over a half dozen other AiG resources it becomes clear that he thinks he has a cure for failing churches and it all amounts to just over a hundred pages of young earth brainwashing and Christian "nationalist" propaganda. The few good points Ham makes are completely missed in this haphazard poorly done plus size brochure.
Despite Ham's effort's to stick to a constant comparison of past verses current culture he seems to frequently undermine his own analogue. For example he jokes about first coming to america to witness to the "'pagan' culture". If pagan then, why the sudden change of heart now? He also uses recent surveys to point to current cultural issues, however, he fails to provide any comparison data outside of his own anecdotes and observations. His observations could be correct, but actual data to support it would have helped.
It is also troublesome that he made statements against his own research project. On page 67 of the kindle version he states, "The majority of our Christian leader have taught generations of kids and adults to believe in the evolution of life and man and/or millions of years." However, in another AiG publication "Already Gone" (which he quotes heavily from early in the book) the survey results showed that out of 1000 participants (which were young adults who are no longer in church) only 9.5% of them had a pastor of Sunday school teacher who taught they could believe in Darwinian evolution. Only 26% had a pastor who taught that Christians could believe in an old earth. And yet a whopping 82.6% were taught that creation was 6 literal days (the full data set can be found in the appendix of Already Gone on the AiG website). This degree of double talk and poorly put together editing choices continues throughout.
In addition, perhaps the most disturbing aspect of this whole book is the overall nature and some of the examples that could have been explained in more depth but instead you are left with small bites that seem to only hint at their true purpose. For example there is a illustration used repeatedly that shows 2 stack of books, a single book labeled "God's Word" and then another stack labeled "Man's Word. The mysterious aspect of all this is that both stacks have an american flag stuck on-top of the books. Why would this matter? The only thing I can think of is a deliberate attempt to appeal to a sense of "Christian nationalism". On the page prior to one use of the aforementioned illustration, Ham lays into Barrack Obama's quotes about various religious groups being a part of american culture. And he goes on to hint that Obama is at fault for many of the current culture shifts. Lastly, Ham seems to want to grab onto buzz words of the day like using "fake news" to describe school science teachings. If his insinuations are true or not is beside the point. The issue is Ham is pushing hard for this to appeal to a certain demographic.
Between the previously mentioned issues and Ham's frequent mention of well over a half dozen other AiG resources it becomes clear that he thinks he has a cure for failing churches and it all amounts to just over a hundred pages of young earth brainwashing and Christian "nationalist" propaganda. The few good points Ham makes are completely missed in this haphazard poorly done plus size brochure.
July 10, 2024
This excellent little book explains how we live in an Acts 17 culture not an Acts 2 culture anymore. It was so good, and it is at our church library!
October 2, 2018
I am a huge fan of Ken Ham and Answers In Genesis. I recommend their site to almost everyone I know. It makes me so angry to know that Satan has infiltrated the schools and therefore modern culture, turning people from the truth of God’s Word. Children are no longer taught that they are the designed creation of a loving God and that sin is what separates us from Him. Instead, schools teach that they are the result of millions of years of random evolution and they deny the existence of God. They teach that different religions seek to give people “meaning” in life, but at the same point science is their god. Make no mistake: evolution is a RELIGION, and NOT based on scientific fact. It’s an unproven falsehood being preached to children in the public school systems. It’s both sad and infuriating at the same time.
One other review I saw for this book ripped it apart because of it mentioning that the world isn’t like it was in 1950. What Ken Ham was talking about was the fact that God hadn’t been fully kicked out of the schools at that point, and that when people said “God” or “sin,” they already had a foundation to know what was being talked about. Today, when someone says “God,” the response is “which one?” God’s power and authority has been attacked and shared with other false gods in today’s culture. In this book, Ken Ham says that we need to get back to recognizing the God of the Bible as the ONE TRUE GOD. There is no room for belief in evolution. If we are to understand the Bible as we should, we need to understand Genesis as it’s written and allow no room for undermining it’s truth. (Don’t worry, there’s PLENTY of scientific evidence! Check out Answers in Genesis for some more great resources). Unfortunately, Satan has led people in the world to believe that the battle is “science vs religion” in an attempt to discredit the Bible, but in truth the globe proclaims its creation by God.
A great quote about this is found on page 81:
“People understood right and wrong because there was an absolute authority–the Word of God. If people don’t build their thinking on God’s Word, there’s only one other foundation, and that’s man’s word. When there’s no absolute authority to declare what is absolutely right and wrong, we end up like ancient Israel during the time of Judges.”
The book then quotes Judges 21:25, which says “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” So the point Ken is making is not necessarily that we need to go back to 1950, but that we need to return to seeing God as the ultimate authority that He is, or else the battle for what’s “right and wrong” can no longer be defended as it should.
When you have a generation that has been brainwashed into believing that evolution is fact instead of an unproven religion, you have to get them to understand the foundations of the world before they can understand their need for Jesus. If they don’t believe the world was created by God, then they don’t understand their need for Jesus. If we want people to believe the gospel, they have to understand where they came from and therefore why they need the gospel.
I can get very fired up on these topics. I grew up going to public school and remember being told that evolution was a fact (even though they weren’t technically allowed to call it such). Teachers would discredit Christianity by attempting to say that we could “have faith if we wanted to” but science was essentially the truth. Then they taught us a whole bunch of lies that were rooted in false sciences. I had an interest in studying creation long before I graduated high school, so thankfully I had enough knowledge to see many of the lies as they were taught. Unfortunately the lies start at a very young age, teaching children that dinosaurs went extinct “millions of years ago.” It makes me angry and want to fight more for people to know and understand the truth.
This book goes along great with the mission of Answers in Genesis. In order to get the world to understand the Gospel, they need to understand their foundations. It’s a great resource for teachers, parents, students, youth leaders, etc. I highly recommend any of Ken Ham’s works to anyone and everyone.
One other review I saw for this book ripped it apart because of it mentioning that the world isn’t like it was in 1950. What Ken Ham was talking about was the fact that God hadn’t been fully kicked out of the schools at that point, and that when people said “God” or “sin,” they already had a foundation to know what was being talked about. Today, when someone says “God,” the response is “which one?” God’s power and authority has been attacked and shared with other false gods in today’s culture. In this book, Ken Ham says that we need to get back to recognizing the God of the Bible as the ONE TRUE GOD. There is no room for belief in evolution. If we are to understand the Bible as we should, we need to understand Genesis as it’s written and allow no room for undermining it’s truth. (Don’t worry, there’s PLENTY of scientific evidence! Check out Answers in Genesis for some more great resources). Unfortunately, Satan has led people in the world to believe that the battle is “science vs religion” in an attempt to discredit the Bible, but in truth the globe proclaims its creation by God.
A great quote about this is found on page 81:
“People understood right and wrong because there was an absolute authority–the Word of God. If people don’t build their thinking on God’s Word, there’s only one other foundation, and that’s man’s word. When there’s no absolute authority to declare what is absolutely right and wrong, we end up like ancient Israel during the time of Judges.”
The book then quotes Judges 21:25, which says “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” So the point Ken is making is not necessarily that we need to go back to 1950, but that we need to return to seeing God as the ultimate authority that He is, or else the battle for what’s “right and wrong” can no longer be defended as it should.
When you have a generation that has been brainwashed into believing that evolution is fact instead of an unproven religion, you have to get them to understand the foundations of the world before they can understand their need for Jesus. If they don’t believe the world was created by God, then they don’t understand their need for Jesus. If we want people to believe the gospel, they have to understand where they came from and therefore why they need the gospel.
I can get very fired up on these topics. I grew up going to public school and remember being told that evolution was a fact (even though they weren’t technically allowed to call it such). Teachers would discredit Christianity by attempting to say that we could “have faith if we wanted to” but science was essentially the truth. Then they taught us a whole bunch of lies that were rooted in false sciences. I had an interest in studying creation long before I graduated high school, so thankfully I had enough knowledge to see many of the lies as they were taught. Unfortunately the lies start at a very young age, teaching children that dinosaurs went extinct “millions of years ago.” It makes me angry and want to fight more for people to know and understand the truth.
This book goes along great with the mission of Answers in Genesis. In order to get the world to understand the Gospel, they need to understand their foundations. It’s a great resource for teachers, parents, students, youth leaders, etc. I highly recommend any of Ken Ham’s works to anyone and everyone.
November 18, 2020
This was a quick easy read. And it has really got me thinking of how I will be teaching my own kids and running my ministry. As a missionary and someone passionate about sharing the gospel , I really appreciate the idea of having to change the way we talk about Christ and the Bible with how our world has changed. I have, many time had to go back and retell and explain things from the beginning rather then talking just about Jesus. This book really confirms and puts missing pieces together that have already been thing I have been seeing in people.
If you care for sharing Jesus with the world, I would take time to read this book and ponder the points made in.
If you care for sharing Jesus with the world, I would take time to read this book and ponder the points made in.
October 2, 2018
Every Christian leader, teacher, missionary and parent should read this!
October 3, 2018
Hit the Mark with a Gospel Reset!
The culture has changed. Christian values, traditions, and terminologies that were once common knowledge have become a thing of the past. The typical Sunday morning call to salvation is sadly like listening to another language for many people today.
This book will help you understand how to effectively reach the lost with a message of salvation that actually makes sense.
"The gospel message hasn’t changed, but the way in which it needs to be presented in a secularized culture does need to change. It’s time for a Gospel Reset!" - Ken Ham The Author
Chapter1:Millennial "Lingo", 2. Millennials and the Church, 3 Why Is This Happening? 4. Building a Proper/Solid Foundation 5. Peter's Sermon, 6. An Acts 2-Type Culture, 7. Paul's Sermons/A Christian on "Mars", 8. An Acts 17-Type Culture 9. What Caused the Great Divide? 10. Where Did the Church Go Wrong? 11. The Solution-A Gospel Reset, 12. Conclusion, Appendix A: Genesis-Romans Road Appendix B: Unlocking the Door
Ken Ham presents that the culture in the world of our Founding Fathers ( USA) was quite different than the culture today. Even for those who were not Christian, the Bible so permeated the culture that a pastor or evangelist could preach a sermon such at Peter did in Acts 2 and they would understand the underlying ideas. Today our culture is more like the Greeks in Acts 17 and Ken Ham encourages pastors to preach more like Paul did to the Greeks.
"In this era, I earnestly believe we need to do a lot of what I call "de-Greekizing" of people, so they will be able to listen and understand the gospel. Not only do we need to start our message at the beginning of Genesis, but we need to deal with the false information that generations have been taught that makes so many doubt and disbelieve the Bible." p106
"Let me put it this way. It's as if the devil has said, "You Christians can go on teaching kids about the miracles Jesus did in the New Testament. You can teach them about the babe in the manger, and the Resurrection. You can teach them about Jesus healing the blind people and raising the dead. Teach them about the feeding of the 5,000, about the Israelites crossing the Red Sea, about Jonah being in a great fish for three days. Go ahead. Teach them these stories. And while you are doing that, I'm going to be indoctrinating those same kids not to believe the Book. I'm going to use the fake news of evolution and millions of years to brainwash them into believing science has effectively disproved the Bible, making it nothing more than an outdated, obsolete book of 'stories'. And since you won't be teaching apologetics, I will teach my own apologetics through the education systems, media, and the Internet to make sure they doubt God's Word. The more this happens, most won't even listen to your message of the gospel." p. 107
"Now most kids go to public (state-run) schools. Even though there are some Christian teachers as missionaries in that education system, overall, the state education system has become very "Greek". For the most part, the Bible, prayer, and teaching of creation have been eliminated from this system. Evolutionary naturalism is now taught as fact. Atheism has become the state religion imposed on generations of kids. Overall, state schools have really become, in most instances ( and increasingly so), "churches" of atheism. Educators indoctrinate their kids in a very secularized worldview. Most students today have little or no understanding of the history concerning the foundation of the West or the effect of the Reformation on Western culture." ..."And we wonder why they don't understand or accept the gospel. Christians are preaching to these generations as if they are "Jews" with messages like, "Repent of your sin and trust in Jesus." But to most, this message is foolishness and they simply don't understand it." p. 69 "Sadly most churches today are not teaching their young people how to defend their faith. ....Because of this, so many kids are growing up doubting, not defending the Bible as the infallible Word of God."p.69.
Lutheran pastors have a treasure of Law and Gospel, Word and sacraments. We should teach apologetics to our children as well as be sure we are teaching the foundations from Genesis, so they are ready to "give an answer for the hope that is in them."
The culture has changed. Christian values, traditions, and terminologies that were once common knowledge have become a thing of the past. The typical Sunday morning call to salvation is sadly like listening to another language for many people today.
This book will help you understand how to effectively reach the lost with a message of salvation that actually makes sense.
"The gospel message hasn’t changed, but the way in which it needs to be presented in a secularized culture does need to change. It’s time for a Gospel Reset!" - Ken Ham The Author
Chapter1:Millennial "Lingo", 2. Millennials and the Church, 3 Why Is This Happening? 4. Building a Proper/Solid Foundation 5. Peter's Sermon, 6. An Acts 2-Type Culture, 7. Paul's Sermons/A Christian on "Mars", 8. An Acts 17-Type Culture 9. What Caused the Great Divide? 10. Where Did the Church Go Wrong? 11. The Solution-A Gospel Reset, 12. Conclusion, Appendix A: Genesis-Romans Road Appendix B: Unlocking the Door
Ken Ham presents that the culture in the world of our Founding Fathers ( USA) was quite different than the culture today. Even for those who were not Christian, the Bible so permeated the culture that a pastor or evangelist could preach a sermon such at Peter did in Acts 2 and they would understand the underlying ideas. Today our culture is more like the Greeks in Acts 17 and Ken Ham encourages pastors to preach more like Paul did to the Greeks.
"In this era, I earnestly believe we need to do a lot of what I call "de-Greekizing" of people, so they will be able to listen and understand the gospel. Not only do we need to start our message at the beginning of Genesis, but we need to deal with the false information that generations have been taught that makes so many doubt and disbelieve the Bible." p106
"Let me put it this way. It's as if the devil has said, "You Christians can go on teaching kids about the miracles Jesus did in the New Testament. You can teach them about the babe in the manger, and the Resurrection. You can teach them about Jesus healing the blind people and raising the dead. Teach them about the feeding of the 5,000, about the Israelites crossing the Red Sea, about Jonah being in a great fish for three days. Go ahead. Teach them these stories. And while you are doing that, I'm going to be indoctrinating those same kids not to believe the Book. I'm going to use the fake news of evolution and millions of years to brainwash them into believing science has effectively disproved the Bible, making it nothing more than an outdated, obsolete book of 'stories'. And since you won't be teaching apologetics, I will teach my own apologetics through the education systems, media, and the Internet to make sure they doubt God's Word. The more this happens, most won't even listen to your message of the gospel." p. 107
"Now most kids go to public (state-run) schools. Even though there are some Christian teachers as missionaries in that education system, overall, the state education system has become very "Greek". For the most part, the Bible, prayer, and teaching of creation have been eliminated from this system. Evolutionary naturalism is now taught as fact. Atheism has become the state religion imposed on generations of kids. Overall, state schools have really become, in most instances ( and increasingly so), "churches" of atheism. Educators indoctrinate their kids in a very secularized worldview. Most students today have little or no understanding of the history concerning the foundation of the West or the effect of the Reformation on Western culture." ..."And we wonder why they don't understand or accept the gospel. Christians are preaching to these generations as if they are "Jews" with messages like, "Repent of your sin and trust in Jesus." But to most, this message is foolishness and they simply don't understand it." p. 69 "Sadly most churches today are not teaching their young people how to defend their faith. ....Because of this, so many kids are growing up doubting, not defending the Bible as the infallible Word of God."p.69.
Lutheran pastors have a treasure of Law and Gospel, Word and sacraments. We should teach apologetics to our children as well as be sure we are teaching the foundations from Genesis, so they are ready to "give an answer for the hope that is in them."
August 23, 2020
We live in a radically different culture than what I grew up in. In fact, when I started ministry 30 years ago, the culture then was very different than what we are in just a short time later. Satan's strategy has worked well, a strategy to undermine the authority of God's Word. That war against God's Word is one that began in the Garden of Eden and has been going on since that time. The battle is for the mind, focusing on a culture's worldview.
Back some time ago I had noted to a friend that when I began in ministry, there was a basic understanding of God's Word, and by-and-large, a general acceptance of God's Word as authoritative. Biblical illiteracy was much more rarer then, than it is today. In fact, when one was to present the gospel several decades ago, there were some basic points that were generally known and even, in many cases, accepted as being true. Not so today.
In this book by Ken Ham, presents a detailed explanation of the transformation of the culture, providing data related to surveys taken amongst young people who grew up in the church. It comes as no surprise that young men and women are prone to exit the church when they leave home and go to college. That isn't a surprise to those who have followed church history, modern church history, and the decline within the church of holding God's Word as the absolute standard for life and godliness. Churches commonly design their kids' ministries, their youth ministries as well, to be more guided by "having fun" than by proclamation of the gospel of Christ and the growth of the young believer. Ham calls the church to evaluate how we teach God's Word, how we prepare young people to leave home and to help them so they would not exit "their faith" (A discussion for a different time is whether young people are truly leaving the faith of perhaps, they are not leaving something at all, but are merely being exposed for what/who they truly are).
In this book, Ham contrasts the sermons by Peter and Paul. Peter preached to a religious audience, an audience that embraced the authority of the Old Testament as God's Word. In Paul's case, Ham focuses the reader on Acts 17 where Paul preached his infamous sermon in Athens. Paul was speaking to a religious audience, but it was an audience that believed in many gods and did not believe in the God of, nor the authority of the Old Testament. The contrast between these two sermons provides fodder for Ham to point out the various approaches to sharing the gospel, making it clear that, because of the lack of knowledge about the Bible, the person sharing the gospel today has to go back to the very beginning and develop an understanding of doctrinal issues that several decades ago, were widely known and understood, at least to some degree.
I thought Gospel Reset was an okay book. It's not one that knocked me off my chair, so to speak, but undoubtedly, would provide some interesting insight for discussion with those who want to consider how he/she needs to approach charing the gospel in the current culture.
Back some time ago I had noted to a friend that when I began in ministry, there was a basic understanding of God's Word, and by-and-large, a general acceptance of God's Word as authoritative. Biblical illiteracy was much more rarer then, than it is today. In fact, when one was to present the gospel several decades ago, there were some basic points that were generally known and even, in many cases, accepted as being true. Not so today.
In this book by Ken Ham, presents a detailed explanation of the transformation of the culture, providing data related to surveys taken amongst young people who grew up in the church. It comes as no surprise that young men and women are prone to exit the church when they leave home and go to college. That isn't a surprise to those who have followed church history, modern church history, and the decline within the church of holding God's Word as the absolute standard for life and godliness. Churches commonly design their kids' ministries, their youth ministries as well, to be more guided by "having fun" than by proclamation of the gospel of Christ and the growth of the young believer. Ham calls the church to evaluate how we teach God's Word, how we prepare young people to leave home and to help them so they would not exit "their faith" (A discussion for a different time is whether young people are truly leaving the faith of perhaps, they are not leaving something at all, but are merely being exposed for what/who they truly are).
In this book, Ham contrasts the sermons by Peter and Paul. Peter preached to a religious audience, an audience that embraced the authority of the Old Testament as God's Word. In Paul's case, Ham focuses the reader on Acts 17 where Paul preached his infamous sermon in Athens. Paul was speaking to a religious audience, but it was an audience that believed in many gods and did not believe in the God of, nor the authority of the Old Testament. The contrast between these two sermons provides fodder for Ham to point out the various approaches to sharing the gospel, making it clear that, because of the lack of knowledge about the Bible, the person sharing the gospel today has to go back to the very beginning and develop an understanding of doctrinal issues that several decades ago, were widely known and understood, at least to some degree.
I thought Gospel Reset was an okay book. It's not one that knocked me off my chair, so to speak, but undoubtedly, would provide some interesting insight for discussion with those who want to consider how he/she needs to approach charing the gospel in the current culture.
February 19, 2019
A short, thought-provoking read. He identifies some tends that it is hard to argue with. 1) America no longer has the Bible literacy or the worldview that is based on Scriptures that it had in previous generations. 2) When many churches try to compromise with evolutionary or secular thought, they are setting up their people to very their faith and the Bible as unreal and unnecessary. 3) This worldview gap makes communicating the gospel difficult. Unless terms are defined and groundwork laid, the actual message risks seeming meaningless.
Ham's solution is a return to a full-throated teaching of Genesis as historically and scientifically accurate. This alone will give Christians a consistent worldview to rest their faith upon and this alone will enable the world to understand (and be won over) by the message of Christ.
While I agree with the need to teach the historicity and reliability of Genesis and all Scripture, I worry that Ham fails to grasp the spiritual nature of faith. That is, faith is created neither by emotional decision nor by logical conclusion; faith is created by the Holy Spirit working through the promises of God in Christ Jesus. Are there marvelous examples of the Bible's historical and scientific accuracy? Yes! But that's not why I believe the Bible. They are intellectually satisfying and encouraging, but I believe the Bible because I trust it's author--I trust Jesus because he has died for my sins, so of course I believe and rely on what he says. Ham almost seems to reverse it--"You can believe Jesus, because what he says in the Bible and you can believe the Bible because it's true; Let me prove this by history and science."
There's a danger to that. Science (and even history) is ever changing and subject to revision. Evidences used to discredit the Bible in years past seem laughable today as science progresses. But that's a two-edged sword. Evidence that seems to corroborate the Bible today may shift tomorrow. Solution? Do not build your foundation on the evidence. Build it on trust in the Lord who saves. If all the evidence is overturned, so what? Let God be true and every man a liar.
In the meantime, is the history and science (apologetic) worthwhile? Yes! They are ways to remove objections from believers and unbelievers minds allowing them to hear the message. Just build on something even more stable and enduring--God's Word.
Ham's solution is a return to a full-throated teaching of Genesis as historically and scientifically accurate. This alone will give Christians a consistent worldview to rest their faith upon and this alone will enable the world to understand (and be won over) by the message of Christ.
While I agree with the need to teach the historicity and reliability of Genesis and all Scripture, I worry that Ham fails to grasp the spiritual nature of faith. That is, faith is created neither by emotional decision nor by logical conclusion; faith is created by the Holy Spirit working through the promises of God in Christ Jesus. Are there marvelous examples of the Bible's historical and scientific accuracy? Yes! But that's not why I believe the Bible. They are intellectually satisfying and encouraging, but I believe the Bible because I trust it's author--I trust Jesus because he has died for my sins, so of course I believe and rely on what he says. Ham almost seems to reverse it--"You can believe Jesus, because what he says in the Bible and you can believe the Bible because it's true; Let me prove this by history and science."
There's a danger to that. Science (and even history) is ever changing and subject to revision. Evidences used to discredit the Bible in years past seem laughable today as science progresses. But that's a two-edged sword. Evidence that seems to corroborate the Bible today may shift tomorrow. Solution? Do not build your foundation on the evidence. Build it on trust in the Lord who saves. If all the evidence is overturned, so what? Let God be true and every man a liar.
In the meantime, is the history and science (apologetic) worthwhile? Yes! They are ways to remove objections from believers and unbelievers minds allowing them to hear the message. Just build on something even more stable and enduring--God's Word.
August 25, 2018
This is a must-read book dealing with which could possibly be the biggest problem plaguing the evangelical Christian church. This book is in the form of a wake-up-call to the church to start teaching the bible and evangelizing the American culture the way Paul did in Acts 17.
For many, many years we have been witnessing and sharing our faith to a Greek culture (who does not have the biblical foundations of God, and how He created the heavens and the earth) the same way we share our faith to the Jewish culture of Acts 2 (Who has the biblical foundations of God and creation). No wonder why when we are sharing our faith to the lost in America that they look at us as nuts. Even when using the Romans Road, or Ray Comfort's way of evangelizing and using the 10 Commandments to show a person they are a sinner, people still have no concept of what sin is, or that they violated any moral regulations to a deity who created them and everything in the universe. We have got to change how we evangelize to our Greek culture and first give them a foundation to set the whole house of the gospel on.
This book was revolutionary for me in that I need to change how I share my faith to people. I need to stop using the Romans Road, and start using a modified version of it, applying creation and our accountability to a just, holy, righteous creator. I need to be absolutely careful what tracts I use so as to not confuse people any further. I need to consider that people have no idea that there is one God, what sin is, or that they are accountable themselves. I have met multiple people right here in the bible belt of America that had no idea who Jesus was. Never heard of Him. Shocking. I need to be prepared to give an answer TO THOSE PEOPLE as well. To prepare yourself...first read this book. It is a quick read, and full of information. Straight to the point with no irritating filler.
Whether you are a Pastor, Youth Pastor, Evangelist, parent, or millennial, you need to read this book.
For many, many years we have been witnessing and sharing our faith to a Greek culture (who does not have the biblical foundations of God, and how He created the heavens and the earth) the same way we share our faith to the Jewish culture of Acts 2 (Who has the biblical foundations of God and creation). No wonder why when we are sharing our faith to the lost in America that they look at us as nuts. Even when using the Romans Road, or Ray Comfort's way of evangelizing and using the 10 Commandments to show a person they are a sinner, people still have no concept of what sin is, or that they violated any moral regulations to a deity who created them and everything in the universe. We have got to change how we evangelize to our Greek culture and first give them a foundation to set the whole house of the gospel on.
This book was revolutionary for me in that I need to change how I share my faith to people. I need to stop using the Romans Road, and start using a modified version of it, applying creation and our accountability to a just, holy, righteous creator. I need to be absolutely careful what tracts I use so as to not confuse people any further. I need to consider that people have no idea that there is one God, what sin is, or that they are accountable themselves. I have met multiple people right here in the bible belt of America that had no idea who Jesus was. Never heard of Him. Shocking. I need to be prepared to give an answer TO THOSE PEOPLE as well. To prepare yourself...first read this book. It is a quick read, and full of information. Straight to the point with no irritating filler.
Whether you are a Pastor, Youth Pastor, Evangelist, parent, or millennial, you need to read this book.
April 19, 2018
As soon as I saw the title of Ken Ham's new book, Gospel Reset: Salvation Made Relevant, I wanted a copy of it. It's published by Master Books and contrary to what some folks are saying Brother Ham is not preaching a new gospel. Far from it.
This is a book of tactics. So, what Mr. Ham has done in this book, is point out that a lot of times Christians will preach an Acts 2 sermon to the world when we are really dealing with an Acts 17 culture. This just does not work. We are not living in the same country we had a few years ago, and while we should have seen it coming many of us didn't. The culture is no longer familiar with the Biblical terms, but now largely ignorant of them...so much so that we have got to define the terms we use even if we think they are obvious when we witness to the people.
We must earnestly contend for the faith, be ready to give an answer, and preach the gospel! As Mr. Ham points out that we need to follow the example given by Paul in his dealings with the Greeks. The apostle took the Greeks from the very beginning (Jesus is the Creator) so they could understand the very message of the Cross. That's what we need to do as well.
I'd recommend this book as an apologetics, evangelistic study guide for preachers, pastors and anyone who is interested in being obedient to the Great Commission!
This is a book of tactics. So, what Mr. Ham has done in this book, is point out that a lot of times Christians will preach an Acts 2 sermon to the world when we are really dealing with an Acts 17 culture. This just does not work. We are not living in the same country we had a few years ago, and while we should have seen it coming many of us didn't. The culture is no longer familiar with the Biblical terms, but now largely ignorant of them...so much so that we have got to define the terms we use even if we think they are obvious when we witness to the people.
We must earnestly contend for the faith, be ready to give an answer, and preach the gospel! As Mr. Ham points out that we need to follow the example given by Paul in his dealings with the Greeks. The apostle took the Greeks from the very beginning (Jesus is the Creator) so they could understand the very message of the Cross. That's what we need to do as well.
I'd recommend this book as an apologetics, evangelistic study guide for preachers, pastors and anyone who is interested in being obedient to the Great Commission!
July 7, 2022
I have read many books by Ken Ham and I am very familiar with a style of writing. I found this book to be a very quick read on a very important topic. His main idea is that the way we communicate the truth of the Gospel has to change to impact the culture in which we live. He says that many times we are sharing the gospel thinking that the people we are sharing the gospel with have a base understanding of the Scriptures. In reality, because the Scriptures have been removed so far from the public view that many people don't have a base understanding of scripture. Therefore, to share the gospel, we must go back to the very basics of Christianity. This fits into the Answers in Genesis ministry, as he believes the book of Genesis holds the keys to communicating the gospel to the next generation.
I agree with Mr. Hams assessment on the situation. If you have done any research on the nones, you will acknowledge the fact that they have no base knowledge of the Scriptures. In Gospel Reset, Ken reveals that this is not a new problem. It was a problem that was faced in the book of Acts. Just as the apostle Paul had to change the way he spoke of the gospel in Athens, so we too need to change the way we share the gospel in this current culture.
I would recommend this book as a quick read to refocus the way in which we share the greatest message of all!
I agree with Mr. Hams assessment on the situation. If you have done any research on the nones, you will acknowledge the fact that they have no base knowledge of the Scriptures. In Gospel Reset, Ken reveals that this is not a new problem. It was a problem that was faced in the book of Acts. Just as the apostle Paul had to change the way he spoke of the gospel in Athens, so we too need to change the way we share the gospel in this current culture.
I would recommend this book as a quick read to refocus the way in which we share the greatest message of all!
October 26, 2018
I was excited to read this book especially after the introduction - the thought of reaching an Acts 17 audience today instead of an Acts 2 audience. It is such a relevant issue today that Christians need to be able to bridge the communication divide with the unchurched who have no idea what we are talking about or doing on Sunday morning or in conversation about Christ. However in this very brief book, it Ken Ham's answer is to return to the message of Genesis 1-11. People won't understand the Gospel today unless they first understand these chapters as a literal history. I'm all for a 6 day creation and taking the fall as an historical event. But I don't believe that that is the only way we can reach the lost today. The law is written on everyone's heart no matter what our background. Therefore, we can touch them with the law and they can be crushed and prepared to receive the Gospel of Jesus. How to use terminology, language, and ways of communicating that reach this age is vital. I was hoping for more on this but Ham just pushes his Genesis 1-11 agenda and his Answers in Genesis materials and museum. It could have been much more.
November 14, 2018
More than half the book is rehash of Already Gone and his previous work, like some of his old videos explaining 1 Cor stumbling block and foolishness comparison. So you can either skip ahead to page 79 and easily skim the rest of the book in one sitting, or get the main point here- America and most of the Western countries are in a post Christian era. Because of relativism and secular humanism, Ham explains that we cannot share the gospel using all of the Christian cliches and terms. People don't recognize or Define the words the same as we intend them. He recommends a strategy of asking questions to find a person's worldview Foundation. Then you can share your biblical worldview Foundation and build up the gospel from there.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews