This Coffee Shop Conversations Ebook, by Dale and Jonalyn Fincher, will help you discover the fine art of sharing your faith … without losing your friends.There are as many different styles of faith these days as there are ways to order your latte. So how do you talk to people about Jesus without offending them? By learning to cultivate respect and love for those who are different. Dale and Jonalyn Fincher will help • Gently invite others to share.• Cultivate an attitude of tolerance.• Avoid the buzzwords that will stop a conversation cold.• Talk about Jesus as a unique spiritual leader.• Listen more effectively.• Strengthen your own knowledge of your faith.Make the most of those casual, coffee shop moments. Find common ground as you gently and lovingly invite people to become followers and students of Jesus. It’s all here for you in this Ebook—Coffee Shop Making the Most of Spiritual Small Talk.
Another book that I can't whole-heartily endorse but did enjoy. They talk a lot about sharing Christ and listening and building understanding. Much of this was very good and filled with great insight. I love their sensitivity to people and the fact that they are not afraid to mix it up with unbelievers and those of other faiths as well as those within the Christian family who may have different views, but, again, I'm not sure I agree with their take on the issue of homosexuality and the reality of hell. They indicate that they see problems with homosexuality but never, in my mind, stand behind the scriptures. Also, not sure of their view on Hell. The seem to leave room for a diversity of opinion on the issue while perhaps believing in a literal Hell. Now, again, having said that; I did enjoy a lot of the book and learned a lot from it and like their open approach to others. I'm willing to bend in some areas but when the scriptures are clear, we've got to stand with the scriptures.
This book explains and advocates a thoughtful, respectful approach to talking with people about faith in Jesus. As someone who grew up in the church, this book gave me a refreshing perspective on a familiar topic. I think Dale and Jonalyn Fincher bring some much-needed cultural understanding to spiritual dialogues, while staying rooted in the truth. I'll probably read this again.
Because I am a moody reader; this book took forever to read. The book deals with changing your outlook on people around you. The information is good and the authors present it very smoothly. It just took me forever to read because I found the information very heavy. I did many hours thinking about maybe one or two paragraphs. Because I was not making progress quickly; it was easy to ignore the book for weeks on end laying on my nightstand. I put the book on my reference shelf, so I plan to pick it up again at a later time. I am glad I read the book; it just was very heavy for me.
This book is a great evangelism tool for people who want to become more natural in relating their testimony. The book gives numerous situational examples and provides answers to common objections about faith. I enjoyed how the book addressed hot button political topics, as much wisdom can be found in the contents of this book's pages.
I’m really sorry to say that I just can’t endorse this book. I found the title wholly misleading; the theology more than a little suspect, and the overall content dishearteningly condescending in tone. I’m thankful for the intended message of the book but I do not feel it does a good job of presenting it.
COFFEE SHOP CONVERSATIONS: Making the Most of Spiritual Small Talk by Dale Fincher and Jonalyn Fincher Publisher: Zondervan Date published: April 27, 2010 ISBN: 978-0-310-31887-3 Religion/Christian Ministry/Evangelism Paperback Reviewed by Lynne http://www.amazon.com/Coffee-Shop-Con... Obtained via publisher Rating: 5
Often times, believers have difficulty sharing their faith in Jesus Christ because they aren’t quite sure how to bring up the topic, usually for fear of offending someone. When conversations turn to religion, sometimes one of those involved throws out a question, a comment, or a detail that will try and trap the believer into showing ignorance of the Holy Bible or saying something to avoid the topic altogether. Many times, the believer may be left floundering for the right words to bring the discussion back on track, feeling helpless, ignorant, or foolish overall.
In COFFEE SHOP CONVERSATIONS, authors Dale and Jonalyn Fincher expertly share how they have managed to ward off or deflect blows from the enemy, through personal experience, without losing their friends in the process. They share tips and techniques that can help other believers share their faith, their relationship with Jesus Christ, without rocking the boat, upsetting anyone, or destroying relationships.
Dale and Jonalyn Fincher, are a husband-wife team who speak nationally through Soulation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping others “be appropriately human”. Although I am not sure just how much we, as believers, should tolerate other religions, COFFEE SHOP CONVERSATIONS is still a gentle tool that will help people be respectful of others and their beliefs, invite others to share, cultivate what they consider an appropriate attitude of tolerance, and avoid ‘buzzwords’ that will stop a conversation cold. Above all, Finchers share ways of talking about Jesus Christ as a unique spiritual leader.
Learning what Finchers have to say of how to genuinely engage people in meaningful spiritual conversations, as Jesus did, is an excellent and rewarding way to educate ourselves on how to do this, since many believers have all had these sorts of conversations at one time or another.
Finchers share much of their experience and learning over the years, which may be greatly beneficial to all believers, or to just anyone interested in how to be “appropriately human”. However, my own experiences with witnessing have more to do with people watching what I do, how I behave, or with me just sharing what I know about God and of what He has done in my life. I praise God publicly, talk about Him in my everyday life, knowing that another person’s curiosity may open a door for me to share Jesus with him or her. Boldness is sometimes the key to sharing about Him, not necessarily tolerance or gentleness, in my opinion. Jesus meets people right where they are at, and His Spirit guides and leads us in meeting them as well. He guides us in our conversations, too. I don’t necessarily worry about a person’s religion or beliefs. I am just myself, sharing the light of Jesus to those around me.
COFFEE SHOP CONVERSATIONS, however, is a gracious book relevant for today’s world, especially with the mixed pot of various religions and cultures out there, and I highly recommend it. Regardless of how believers share their faith and love for Jesus Christ, there are many avenues we can use. Finchers’ experiences work well for them, I’m assuming, which is why I recommend this book. Any information we can learn, to adapt to our own walk with God, is always of benefit.
COFFEE SHOP CONVERSATIONS shares ways to read the Bible, too, if one is struggling with that and needs some direction.
For any believer who seeks to learn how to witness with more effectiveness and understanding, then COFFEE SHOP CONVERSATIONS is well worth a read. I found it enjoyable, interesting, and full of refreshing insights and wisdom.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author and/or publisher through the Speakeasy blogging book review network. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
When it comes to sharing your faith, do you operate chipmunk-style or coffeehouse-style? If you go the way of the chipmunk, you’re on a mission to scurry out and spread the Gospel, then hurry back to your hole. It can be scary, tense, performance-driven, and guilt laden. (If I sound like I know this style intimately, I do. And it paralyzed me from talking freely about my faith for a very long time.) The problem? Most of the time you feel like a failure because sharing your faith with someone doesn’t often result in an immediate change of heart. Leaving the well-traveled grooves of a life lived without God takes time and the work of the Holy Spirit.
But coffeehouse-style is different. Coffee Shop Conversations, by Dale Fincher and Jonalyn Fincher, brews up a fresh way to share your faith and a key component is something I was never taught to do when I learned the ways of evangelism: listening. “All people are like packages,” write the Finchers. “God invites us to look beyond the outside labels and give people our attention. Jesus shows us how to open the envelopes of people’s lives and know our neighbors beyond the roles they play. Like the wrapping, our bodies conceal our souls within. Each person holds unknown surprises, unique concerns, interests, and motivations. What’s inside the packages we call people?”
So rather than seeing people as a project, a target, or a mission, we need to see them as precious and unique individuals who cannot be approached with a one-size-fits-all memorized technique. We need to be present, awake and aware in the moment, and primed to infuse even the briefest interaction with meaning. Coffee Shop Conversations’ challenge to meet people in love, humility, and grace, and to strive to strike up meaningful spiritual conversations reminds me of what a powerful conversational evangelist once told me: “I choose to keep myself open and talk to people. I stop and listen and I care about their problems. Then, when I look in their eyes, sometimes….sometimes I see a spark, something from deep inside that reaches out to something deep inside me. Then I know that they are looking for something more. It might not happen that day, or that week, or even that year, but I know that if we become friends, someday I will get a chance to share the thing that is most important in my life.”
The FInchers describe this powerful intersection of souls as “looking beyond different beliefs and into people’s souls to see our shared struggles.” Because whether someone is a Buddhist, Muslim, Wiccan, or doesn’t quite know what they believe, they bear the image of God are we need to treat them with value. Besides challenging us in Part 1: Making Spiritual Small Talk to look at sharing our faith in a whole new light, Coffee Shop Conversations is an equipping book. Part 2: Restocking Your Tools includes engaging chapters on How to Read the Bible, Misquoting Jesus, and differentiating between different religious belief systems in One True Religion. The Finchers even unpack popular spiritual books such as The Secret, The Four Agreements, and a popular Oprah pick, Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth. The last section is Helping Friends Home, and deals with common questions and topics that might arise in spiritual conversations, because, after all, some topics are harder than others. For example, the problem of pain and suffering is one that different religions handle with vastly different ideas on the solution.
Finally, coffee shop conversations are as much about learning as they are about teaching or sharing your faith. “We want this book to serve not merely as a collection of apologetic tools, but as a road map guiding you toward freedom to be yourself as you talk about Jesus. We hope you will customize your conversations to the unique gifts God has forged in your soul. May you develop your own questions and ideas to introduce others to the God of Israel. May you continue to be taught and humbled by the humans God places in your life.” Coffee Shop Conversations is a great reminder that it’s all about loving your neighbor, and sometimes that’s easier, more effective, and a whole lot more fun in a coffee shop. White chocolate mocha, anyone?
A fresh perspective on sharing Jesus with others in an honoring and effective manner. The sections related to studying the Bible with the background of genre and historical context as well as the discussion of misquoting Jesus were handled expertly. Encouraging Christians to ask caring questions and not be threatened to listen to the reasons why others choose a variety religions or spiritual designs is so important! I loved the humility of the authors as they explored spiritual conversations with others and their desire to learn from others - no matter their spiritual conviction. In addition, their insight on spiritual abuse is exceptional and I know they share a great deal about this topic on their website forum as well.
One point of contention from page 167 relates to this quote: "Evolution explains how our universe came to look like it does through natural processes, not why the universe exists." Although I agree with the authors point about not being unloving or antagonistic when a discussion about evolution arises, I disagree with the premise about the how and why in the statement above. I believe a worldview about how AND why the universe exists affects the core and foundation of all other beliefs. If the premise is that our universe came into existence through an accidental, haphazard process like evolution, then our value of human life, our life's purpose and views of life after death are deeply impacted. If, however, we rely on monotheistic creationism worldview as our how and why we are here on earth, our dignity and worth are derived from our Creator God, our purpose is set by Him and our future after death is secured by His Son's atonement for our sins on the cross and His resurrection. I know Dale and Jonalyn believe this, but I simply disagreed with the delineation of the how and why in the statement listed above.
One of my favorite quotes from the book that I wholeheartedly agree with is from page 213: "The resurrection of Jesus is the core of our theology, the reason we believe Jesus has the power to make us appropriately human and restore the whole world."
This is a thoughtfully written book about an incredibly important topic - I definitely recommend!
Coffee Shop Conversations” by Dale & Jonalyn Fincher is a 219 page book about how to have meaningful and respectful discussions about your faith with those who don’t share and have differing views.
Written in a casual tone, peppered with personal ancedotes, “Coffee Shop Conversations” looks at a way to have discussions in both difficult to everyday casual situations, particularly in an everchanging world.
There is some food of thought to be shared in the reading though there were spots that left me questioning the direction of the writing; Perhaps it was the way the wording was, but although this is makes great reading, this is a book best suited for those who are a little more grounded in their understanding of Scripture then for those who are new to the faith.
From the Media Release about “Coffee Shop Conversations”, the following is shared:
A 2008 study released by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life notes that the number of people creating their own interpretations of faith and culture is growing. Seems like there are as many different styles of faith as ways to order your latte. How does a Christian have normal conversations about Jesus without accidentally sounding offensive, bigoted or intolerant?
In Coffee Shop Conversations (April 2010) by Dale Fincher and Jonalyn Fincher, readers will find the tools they need to speak plainly and honestly about their faith, avoid speaking “christianese” and have meaningful, tolerant and respectful conversations with friends who don’t share their views. Coffee Shop Conversations is written to an audience of 18-35 year olds interested in articulating their faith throughout their everyday activities.
I learned much from this book about respecting others because they are fellow image- bearers. We are all in this state of "humanness" together, and God proved to us that he values the human condition by actually JOINING us in our humanness and living it out in perfection. NONE of the rest of us fully live out our humanness, because the rest of us are fallen humans. We have to learn to approach each other as fellow humans. There is no one we can't lean something from, regardless of whether they have met our savior yet. That being said, I felt the authors, while condemning legalistic, judgmental attitudes (as Jesus did) leaned too far toward the direction of tolerance and non-confrontation. There IS such thing as absolute truth, and it is found in the gospel. If we take too much time getting there because we nod and smile and keep asking questions, our friends will never come to the knowledge of the gospel, which is the only rescue from our sinful state. Since I'm concurrently reading a book on nouthetic counseling, the contrast was quite apparent.
I did very much appreciate the section describing the different genres of scripture and how each must be interpreted and applied differently. Organized religion has misinterpreted and taught as "thus saith The Lord" many principles which were never intended by God to be set forth as commandments for all people and all times.
In today's world of what the authors term "design your own religion," this book would be very helpful to a mature Christian who desires to have a meaningful spiritual conversation with someone who may not agree with their spiritual viewpoint. Learning to ask questions and get to know the person well, and what they actually believe, before talking a great deal about your own stance on God, doctrine, etc. is excellent advice that I feel would work well. Too often we are bent on presenting why something they believe does not, in our opinion, agree with the Bible and immediately cause someone to stop really listening rather than having a meaningful dialogue. There are some points of doctrine/belief that I did not agree with what I perceived to be the authors take on the issue, but I still found the book helpful, thought-provoking, and insightful.
Some helpful tips but there is little of substance beyond how best to keep a conversation going without insulting them. I was disappointed by the lack of guidance on how best to bring the gospel into "coffee shop conversations". A contributory factor to this might be the way the gospel is formulate in the book as simply a question of something wrong with us which God wants to fix rather than an understanding of man as having personally offended God by his sin.
The best parts of this book can be found in books by other authors with less uncertainty, such as "Questioning Evangelism" and "Bringing the Gospel Home" by Randy Newman and "Tactics" by Gregory Koukl.
Pleasantly surprised by this book (picked up as a free e-book). Coffee-Shop Conversations is a good book about loving your neighbor and talking to them about things that matter. It is a conversational book of apologetics and evangelism that encourages good questions and offers thoughtful responses, holding up Jesus and his work and not getting snagged in the thickets of so many minor points that obsess American evangelical culture. Engaging and it quotes from authors I respect. It does sometimes seem to be slanted towards the recovering fundamentalist, but that is not the entire tone, and perfectly explicable knowing the author's backgrounds.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I don't agree with all their positions, (and I'm certain the authors would be cool with that) but I particularly enjoyed the section that compared religions. it really put things in perspective and gave me an understanding of how different people think.
I will definitely read this again in about 6 months for freshness and to reinstall info in my head that I wish I had retained.
Non fiction is a struggle for me to read sometimes, so that's the only reason that this was just ok for me. Written by a couple, the book deals with how to have meaningful conversations about Jesus with others that don't believe as you do. Not sure I agreed with everything but some good points to remember that I highlighted.
Reading Coffee Shop Conversations improved my ability to move from casual conversations to spiritual conversations to Jesus conversations with people who are missing out on Jesus. Dale and Jonalyn don't talk about apologetics, they apply it. They help people see the inconsistencies in their own thinking and beliefs, deconstructing defenses so they can hear the Gospel.
Decent. Shows how Christians can unknowingly look like idiots (or worse) and how to avoid. I like that it explains some popular spiritual books (New Earth, The Secret, etc), and how Christians can talk about them. It's a little upbeat for my taste, but I've recommended it to friends.
Loved this book. It brings into focus the importance of theology looking through the glasses of our everyday lives. I also enjoyed the authors, Dale and Jonalyn Finch sharing their perspective and experience and passion for God, and relationships.
Some good tips on what to say with non Christians. Only things that bothered me and don't agree is is when he got into theology of the soul, eternal hell and alcohol. If you don't share the same belief you will not benefit as much from those chapters.