Finding Common Ground: How to Communicate with Those Outside the Christian Community...While We Still Can

If you are an evangelical Christian, this is a book that comes highly recommended.I purchased this book at a conference after a friend of mine (who hadn't even read it!) suggested it to me. It is perhaps the best book on evangelism that I have read (with Becoming a Contagious Christian by Bill Hybels a close second). Any Christian could share with you the importance of evangelism, and most could probably offer a suggestion of "how to". But this book breaks out of the box that so often limits our evangelism efforts.As someone trained and practiced in the use of the Four Spiritual Laws (a gospel presentation frequently used by Campus Crusade for Christ, the organization of which Tim Downs is a part), I am relatively comfortable in "random" evangelism. But I have often struggled with reconciling such evangelistic attempts with being a "real" person. This book has helped me (and continues to, along with prayer and Scripture) to bridge that gap. Mr. Downs goes far beyond just a gospel presentation, but instead points readers in the direction of allowing their Christianity to spill over into every area of their life, thereby breaking the limits we so often place on our own evangelism efforts. But beyond that, he also focuses on how to communicate with those who don't share the same worldview that we have become indoctrinated in. Many times, I've found that outreaches offered around me have been appealing to those who have grown up in the Bible belt and share this worldview, though don't actually consider themselves believers. But these often don't appeal to people who specifically disagree with elements of my worldview. How, then, do we reach out to these people?This book is full of relevant, scriptural insight. It is worth every dollar you spend.

This is an excellent book for Christians who are too shy to share the gospel with friends, family or colleagues. Tim Downs manages to accurately capture the difficulties that Christians face when trying to communicate the gospel. He teaches us how to work around the barriers and to be 'shrewd' when communicating the gospel. This book is truly refreshing for those of us who are extremely frustrated by our failed attempts to speak to others about the truth of the Christian faith. All Christians should read this and apply it!

I really like this book. I would consider myself a "harvester" but I see the importance of sowing the seeds of the gospel. Before I came to believe in Christ, there were many seeds planted in my life, from the campus pastor who came around our dorm to the little relgious things my girlfriend would write in her letters. We can plant seeds anytime we interact with people. This can be someone we are hoping to share the gospel with or someone you may talk with for 2 minutes in line at the grocery store and never see again. We are called to be ambassadors for Christ and planting seeds of the gospel is part of being an ambassador. Read this book and find out how to plant seeds AND to become a harvester of the spiritual fruit.

Tim Downs new book breathes new life into an old idea, namely sowing the seeds of the gospel. Mr. Downs reminds us that proclaiming the gospel is not always about going for the hard sell, but also can and must include dropping a seed here and there. Sowing is a matter of being subtle, even hinting at one's faith. While some hard line "harvesters" may find Mr. Downs' suggestions to be too soft and insist that the times require that Christians be courageously outspoken, I believe his arguments are right on target. I see them as especially on target for two groups: those who work in environments that either constrain or prohibit expressions of faith and those Christians who simply may not be as outspoken as others. While only some may harvest, all can sow. The only reservation I have about Mr. Downs' book is that he is a little too nervous about post-modernism and a little too dismissive of efforts to address diversity issues. However, those are only small points along the way. I highly recommend the book!

Tim Down's really has a good grasp on what our mission is as Christians in western culture. This is the only book that I know that addresses the principle of sowing (in order to eventually reap a great harvest of souls) in such a concise, practical manner. If you need help in your evangelism efforts (and who doesn't these days?) this is the book to read on the subject. It's not a new methodology or insight - just a great treatise on a largely forgotten biblical principle. We are now using this book for our teachings in our church - and my hope is with this review to help get it into the hands of Christian leaders everywhere.