Mere Evangelism

Evangelism is an extraordinary task; it’s what God uses to bring people from death to life. But it has always been difficult.

C.S. Lewis was used by God in the conversions of countless people, from friends and acquaintances in his own lifetime to modern-day readers of books such as The Chronicles of Narnia and Mere Christianity (the most influential Christian book of the 20th century). As Tim Keller comments, “C.S. Lewis was incredibly skilled at getting Christianity across in a way that’s powerful to thoughtful people.” So, if we want help with evangelism, there is much we can learn from the clarity and imagination of this hugely influential Christian writer.

You may feel inadequate to the task; after all, there is only one C.S. Lewis. But evangelist Randy Newman skillfully helps us to apply the methods Lewis used (storytelling, humor, imagery, and more) in our own conversations.

You will be equipped to talk about your faith and engage with unbelievers wisely, whatever their attitude towards the Christian faith.

About the Author:

Randy Newman is the author of Mere Evangelism and the Senior Fellow for Evangelism and Apologetics at The C. S. Lewis Institute in the Washington, DC area. He has also taught at numerous theological seminaries and colleges. After serving for over 30 years with Campus Crusade for Christ, he established Connection Points, a ministry to help Christians engage people’s hearts the way Jesus did. He has written a number of books and articles about evangelism and other ways our lives intertwine with God’s creation. He and his wife Pam live in Annandale, VA, and are grateful for their children and a growing number of grandchildren. He is also the host of Questions That Matter, a podcast of the C. S. Lewis Institute

When I first saw the option to review this book, I immediately clicked it without concerning what I was getting myself into. This tends to happen a lot in my life. I tend to take on more than I can do, but somehow it always seems to work out in the end. You see the reason I chose to review this book, was simply because it was based on the teachings of C.S Lewis. Growing up, I have found that while many of Lewis’ books are difficult to understand at first, they provide tons of insight into the Christian faith.

When I began reading this book, I found it hard to understand at first, but the more I dove into reading this book, the more I saw that I was overthinking what Newman had laid out for me as the reader of the book. The more I read this book, the more I realized that this book was conversational and easy to read.

At the beginning of this book, Newman lays out what pre-evangelism is. To put pre-evangelism simply; it is the removal of anything preventing someone from considering faith in Jesus Christ. Newman does this by laying out things we need to consider, such as gospel-centered conversations, respecting other beliefs and values, and providing genteel disagreements. In the end, Newman ultimately proves to us that we will not be like Lewis in our attempt to share our faith, but we can still adopt his methods of sharing the gospel.

Mere Evangelism is a helpful book that applies Lewis’ ideas of our current life as Christians. When I picked this book to review, I did not think that it would have such a huge impact on my life. I figured that this book would give me some insight into Lewis’ views, but I did not imagine how much insight it would give me.