The Gospel in Human Contexts by Paul Hiebert. Hiebert’s book is written with a focus on international missions, but in the glocal we find ourselves in today, cultural anthropology and missiological focus is needed as much in the Christian West as in the far East.
What then is the relationship between the gospel and human contexts? The first principle is that the gospel must not be equated with any particular human context, not even the biblical cultural context: gospel versus culture. The gospel is distinct from human cultures. The second principle we need to keep in mind is that the gospel must be put in specific sociocultural contexts for people to understand it: gospel in cultures. The third principle to guide us in understanding the relationship of the gospel to human social and cultural contexts is tha tthe gospel is transformative–gospel transforming culture.
The Trellis and The Vine by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne. Marshall and Payne have written a book that hits at the heart of what many in the pastorate know to be true. As much as we love our sermons and as necessary as they are, sermons are not enough. Ministry has to be personal and one-on-one and we must create a culture that enables and allows this kind of ministry.
If the real work of God is people work–the prayerful speaking of his word by one person to another–then the jobs [in the church] are never all taken. The opportunities for Christians to minister personally to others are limitless.
Conversational Evangelism by Norman and David Geisler. The Geisler’s encourage approaching evangelism, not as a one-time event, but as a relational process that leads toward conversion. Conversational evangelism is much more difficult to learn than simply using a tract or perhaps the Romans Road, but in a post-modern and post-Christian world, the conversational approach to evangelism is necessary if the church is going to impact lostness.
It was common 30 or 40 years ago to use a simple tract to share the gospel with others, especially on college campuses. Many baby boomers were won to Christ back in their youth because someone shared the gospel with them in this way. Today it is much more difficult to reach people by just sharing a simple four-point Gospel presentation.
