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Reflections and Resources for Lifelong Learning for Missionaries

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Telling a Better Story is about listening to the stories of others and telling the Gospel story.

Telling a Better Story – a book review

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On August 24, 2020

In Book Reviews, Evangelism, Storying, Worldview

What does telling stories have to do with apologetics?Telling a Better Story: How to Talk About God in a Skeptical Age by [Josh Chatraw]

My interest was sparked when I saw this new book on apologetics focusing on telling stories earlier this summer. Apologetics has traditionally been oriented to philosophy and logic. Yet most people understand life through stories they seek to practice. Expressing the reason for the hope within us (1 Peter 3:15) is best communicated through stories. People relate to stories better than to formal syllogisms. Josh Chatraw’s new book, Telling a Better Story: How to Talk About God in a Skeptical Age (Zondervan, 2020) reimages apologetics for today’s context. The book is divided into three parts: Part 1 – A Better Story About Apologetics; Part 2 – Offering a Better Story; Part 3 – Objections to the Story. He writes the following about apologetics:

 

 

 

Once viewed as a tool to win debates, apologetics is now becoming more focused on generating productive conversations that open doors for people to consider the gospel. Rather than encouraging others to use what Charles Taylor refers to as “conversation-stoppers” (e.g. “I have a three-line argument which shows that your position is absurd or impossible or totally immoral”) or what Alan Jacobs refers to as the habit of “militarizing discussion and debate,” many apologists are emphasizing the need for Christians to become better listeners who seek to understand the person thay are speaking with before making appeals. This enables us to meet people where they are and find points to affirm before finding points to challenge.1Josh Chatraw, Telling a Better Story, Zondervan, 2020, p 19.

Listen to their stories

The author wants us to listen to their stories because they are windows for understanding. Stories, both big stories and little stories, are purveyors of culture and worldview. Stories explain life. They answer the big questions about the meaning of life and how to live well. Chatraw writes:

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Talking with Muslims about faith

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On November 27, 2017

In Evangelism, Missiological Issues, Islam

In my colleague’s review of the book, Dialogical Apologetics, in this blog, Gary Ridley noted that dialogue with adherents of other religions has often been seen as mutually incompatible with evangelism.  Dialogue has been used to describe inter-religious discussions in which evangelism is not seen as necessary or even a desirable goal. The book Gary reviewed points to another way of viewing that dialogue.

I would like to extend that conversation to focus particularly on dialogue with adherents of the Islamic faith. Unknown to most of us,  including myself until recently, Christians have a very long history of these interactions, extending back for many centuries.

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Photo by Jessica Sysengrath on Unsplash

Review of Dialogical Apologetics

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On November 17, 2017

In Books, Training, Book Reviews, Missiological Issues

I have a couple of shelves full of books on apologetics in my library. Some are very philosophical and technical – the kind you need a dictionary handy in order to understand. Some are like cookbooks that give recipes for every question you might encounter in defending Christian faith. A good friend recommended David K. Clark’s book, Dialogical Apologetics: A Person-Centered Approach to Christian Defense, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1993. It has been around a while but I was not aware of it.

Clark’s book emphasizes dialogue, a common topic in missiology, especially when interacting with adherents of other religions. Dialogue is often seen as antithetical to proclamation and defense of Christianity. The author makes a case that dialogue does not require neutrality or a commitment to pluralism. He writes:

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So what if they have their own sacred books?

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On February 28, 2017

In Bible, Missiological Issues, Islam, Missiology, Theology, Contextualization, Revelation

Revelation is the foundational theological issue in contextualization (see my “Contextualization: Theological and Cultural Issues in Evangelical Models” on the SEND U wiki). Evangelical Christianity maintains that the Bible is God’s unique self-disclosure. Our SEND statement of faith says, “that it is the only infallible Word of God, and the supreme and final authority in all matters of faith and conduct” (italics added).

How does this commitment to the uniqueness of the Christian Scriptures guide our contextualization in the presence of competing revelational claims such as the Qur’an, the Book of Mormon, or the Hindu Scriptures?

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No God But One: Allah or Jesus? a review

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On February 3, 2017

In Islam, Theology, Book Reviews

Nabeel Qureshi, the author of the best-selling Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, has written another helpful book that No God but One: Allah or Jesus? (with Bonus Content): A Former Muslim Investigates the Evidence for Islam and Christianity by [Qureshi, Nabeel]examines the evidence that led him to trust in Jesus. No God but One: Allah or Jesus?  is further described on the cover by the words “A former Muslim investigates the evidence for Islam and Christianity.”

The investigation is framed under two main questions:

Question 1: What are the differences between Islam and Christianity? (pages 23-148)

Question 2: Can we know whether Islam or Christianity is true? (pages 149-296)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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