More Ready Than You Realize: The Power of Everyday Conversations

If you are wondering why your church isn't growing, why you have to do "evangelistic events" because no one is sharing their Christianity with anyone else... if you're wondering if you should become "purpose driven" or "seeker friendly" or perhaps do a marketing campaign. Don't. Buy this short, inexpensive book for everyone in your church and tell them not to come back until they've read it. They will be given a view of evangelism that's actually beautiful (a cooperative dance where we learn form each other while giving people a place to belong before they believe) to replace the old, rather intimidating paradigm (argue people into submission, bludgeon them with your logic until they cry "Lord!") If you and your people will grab hold of the simple concepts for community in this book, I think you'll see a vibrancy and life that you'd always wished for.

still sharing your faith using the four spiritual laws? still trying to "convert" the lost? still sharpening your knowledge of apologetics so that you can "win" arguments? Brian McLaren, in More Ready Than You Realize, proposes that the most effective way to share your faith is become a spiritual friend who asks more questions than providing concrete answers. Get others to tell their stories, and really listen. Tell your own story of finding faith, finding grace, finding love. This book's main proposition is that people will continue to seek and find Christ if we give them space and if we remain "safe" friends to talk to.

Get ready for something completely different. This is not an evangelistic techniques book. This is not a traditional questions-answers apologetics manual. It's not even a book about how to do "friendship evangelism". It's a book that radically alters what we think evangelism is all about. It's a book that presents an exciting new vision of what spreading Christian faith will look like in this postmodern era. McLaren even avoids using the term evangelism - with all of its connotations of confrontational street preachers, formulaic spiritual laws, or guaranteed soul-winning methodology - preferring the concept of spiritual friendships. In other words, McLaren points out that in today's postmodern world what we need is not more formulas or more hit-and-run evangelists; what we need is more Christians willing to invest the hard work of building authentic relationships with non-Christians, not for the sheer purpose of converting them, but out of genuine love and friendship. Such spiritual friendships should become places where seekers can feel free to ask hard questions of their friends without being given easy answers; where they can share their struggles without fear of condemnation; where they can have questions and doubts without being pressured for a quick decision. McLaren recognizes that coming to faith is a process, a journey, and almost never a one time event.This book is really more of an extended case study of a real life experience McLaren had with this kind of spiritual frienship. It is not a comprehensive treatise on evangelism or even a thorough study of all the implications of McLaren's approach. I'd recommend this book primarily for small group discussions where you can apply the principles he derived from this case study to your own personal situations. I'd also recommend it to anyone who is discouraged by traditional approaches to evangelism, perhaps thinking that they're really only suitable for ultra-extroverts or neo-Billy Grahams. This book gave me hope that even an introverted intellectual like myself can in fact lead people to faith in Christ.

So, you wonder what the title of this book is about. At first glance, I thought it was an unusual title. What does dancing have anything to do with evangelism? Why would I want to read a book on evangelism? Does it work? Don't people get freaked out when you start "evangelizing" to them anyway?This book will change your mind immediately on the whole concept of evangelism. It uses the metaphor of dancing to discuss evanglism. Huh? Well, think of it this way: Sharing the love of God with people is not easy. Neither is teaching someone how to dance. You must take small steps first and lead them slowly. A lot of what we see in evangelism out there is more like wrestling than dancing. Who wants to wrestle over issues and how would that lead someone to God? Wrestling is not a beautiful thing to watch but a dance between two people is. This book takes you through the beautiful process of evangelism as a dance. I highly recommend this book to EVERYONE. This is THE effective way of evangelism. Brow beating someone is a waste of energy and does more hurt than healing. (Think about it!) Check out this book. It's an easy read! It truly is. Very Christian-centered but friendly to all Christians at any reading level. Doesn't get overly spiritual or heavy on indoctrination. It is Christ-centered and tells you in simple terms. Why do book authors always feel liek they need to sound more intelligent than they really are? Just say it! This book says it like it is. Like I said. A very easy read. And a great sense of humor too! You won't be bored.

For many non-Christians, just the thought of encountering a Christian "evangelist" is likely to incite discomfort, if not anger. One reason for this is that the church's attempts to "preach the gospel" have all too often come across as arrogant, overly intrusive, condescending, high pressured, and, well, just plain irrelevant. Indeed, too often our ecclesiastical traditions work against even our best motives, and we end up hindering the progress of the gospel, unnecessarily offending those who most need help. It seems that in our desire to share the truth, we have somehow forgotten that, among other things, we are to share it "in love," that is, in a way that is personal, easy to hear, and applicable to the particular situation we are addressing. Likewise, we have become overly content with our own brands of ministry, even to the point of being critical of anything that disrupts the status quo. Unfortunately, much of the church has failed to come to grips with the many societal shifts that have taken place over the past few decades. In short, we've been unable (or unwilling) to approach postmodernism in an evenhanded fashion. Some of the worst features of "modern" Christianity include the tendency to engage in manipulative techniques, to force-feed Bible verses, and to offer simplistic solutions to life's dilemmas. Many postmoderns have rightly rejected such practices, which is a good thing. Unfortunately, though, many postmodern people have come to equate Christianity with its worst adherents and its most unbiblical routines. As a result, many turn a deaf ear to the Christian gospel, or at least to the modernistic formulation of it.How, then, should we respond to this situation? In what way can we reach today's world with the gospel of Jesus? While many have opted for "the old time" (but worn out) religion, and though others only recognize the worst elements of postmodernism, surely there must be a better way. What we need, is a serious (yet careful) rethinking of the biblical data, an honest appraisal of the best (and not just the worst elements) of postmodernism, and a fresh application of ancient truth to our postmodern situation. Rather than defending the status quo, we are in desperate need of believers who are willing to be postmodern trailblazers, people who take seriously both God's word and His world. One of these trailblazers is Brian McLaren, and we ought to thank God for people like him. Although McLaren clearly recognizes the dangers that abound, his approach to postmodernism is primarily positive. Indeed, he treats postmodernism less like something to be avoided-though some of it obviously should-and more like an opportunity to engage in ministry that is refreshing and new. It just might be that God is providing us with some wonderful opportunities during this postmodern phase of history. In More Ready Than You Realize, McLaren is not interested in mere theory. Rather, he is concerned to explain and demonstrate how Christians can