Mere Evangelism

Michael Ward

Conversion, Lewis once remarked, “does not occur without the intervention of the supernatural”. He knew that only the mysterious action of divine grace can finally change someone’s heart, and his humility before that mystery underpinned all the extraordinary efforts in evangelism that characterised his life and work. Mere Evangelism examines Lewis’s example in a thorough and thoughtful manner and reflects the same spirit of humility, the sine qua non of the whole enterprise. I warmly recommend it.

Rico Tice

Reading Mere Evangelism was a bit like being given a code book by a genius to help me unlock the minds and hearts of my dear non-Christian friends! It really was thrilling to read such a surprising and joyous book that trains me for evangelism. If you don’t believe me, just read the first paragraph of Chapter 1. It made my day.

“Makes evangelism feel achievable”

I bought this book after hearing Randy Newman speak at the Evangelism Conference. It is written with the same light heartened but profound insight and honesty that he speaks with. His explanation of pre-evangelism and how we can use conversations with our non-Christian contacts to open up opportunities for further discussion is really helpful. He doesn't make the assumption that we should go from nothing to sharing the gospel all in one go, but that we can gradually encourage people to think things through for themselves, leaving them wanting to know more. He explains how to use questions in response to their questions to further their consideration of gospel truths that many non-Christians already accept or can see in the world around them.
I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone, whether you are familiar with CS Lewis or not.

“Share the gift”

Reading "Mere Christianity" by C. S. Lewis, first, would be helpful, but this book provides approaches of sharing our faith with family, friends and others. Evangelism is difficult, but God wants us to make the most of every opportunity in bringing lost souls to Him. Our confidence should be in God who uses us to help deliver His message of salvation. For that I am thankful and blessed. I encourage you to share God's gift.

“Challenging and Encouraging!”

This book challenged and encouraged me! I’ve never read anything at length by C.S. Lewis, but after reading this book, I definitely want to. Randy Newman uses Lewis’s approach to evangelism to inspire Christians today. The apologetics of Lewis and the centrality of the gospel make this such a compelling read. Randy writes with clarify, sharing the good news of the gospel within its pages, inspiring readers to do the same in their everyday lives.

Although hard to choose, 2 of my favorite chapters were chapters 3 and 5.

In chapter 3 “The Honoring of Objections”, Randy guides the reader through Lewis’s intention to not just gloss over objections, but rather listen to them and understand them. Lewis then weakens the objections by challenging them with questions and follows with offering the gospel as something better. It’s not about just pounding the Bible over peoples’ heads because that can often fall on deaf ears.

Chapter 5 is titled “The Centrality of the Gospel” and how could that not be a favorite part of this book (and life as a whole)? Randy Newman reminds the reader that one should be able to clearly and concisely explain the gospel. That’s the foundation of evangelism.

I’m leaving this book wanting to be a better evangelist and read more from both C.S. Lewis and Randy Newman. 10/10 recommend.

“Valuable insights and a Sensible approach”

As a somewhat timid evangelist perplexed how to make relevant approaches to others on the subject of accepting Jesus, this book excites and inspires me with its sensible insights into ways of conducting one's broaching the matter with others, others who may have serious obstacles in their arguments for ignoring or even refuting the claim of Christ.

“Helpful aid in presenting the gospel to unbelievers”

A new release from @thegoodbookcompanyusa, Randy Newman’s book, Mere Evangelism: 10 Insights from C. S. Lewis to Help You Share Your Faith, is a fresh approach to help believers winsomely engage others with the truth of Christianity. Newman, who now works at The C. S. Lewis Institute, was himself a Jewish convert to Christianity aided in his conversion by the writings of Lewis. As many people know, Lewis was a long-time skeptic of the claims of Christianity but eventually accepted Jesus into his life and defended Christianity in the public and academic spheres. What Newman has done in this book is to examine the methods Lewis used throughout his writings and radio broadcasts to bring people to understand the Christian faith in new ways. After looking at Lewis, Newman turns to Scripture for the biblical basis underlying each chapter’s insight. Although Lewis is a household name thanks to Narnia, many skeptics and people with questions don’t think to read Lewis these days. Newman’s book helps to renew Lewis’s relevancy to a new generation. •••

Newman writes, “This isn’t a book to increase membership in a C. S. Lewis fan club or prompt praise for him. It’s to strengthen our resolve to point lost people to the one who can deliver them from a realm where it’s ‘always winter but never Christmas.’ My prayer is that this book will help you say and do things that will make an eternal difference in many people’s lives.”

“You will LOVE this”

I loved this book for many reasons. It's always good to learn how to be better at sharing the gospel with unbelievers, especially as the culture shifts in ways it can be hard to keep track of. It's clear that Randy Newman is passionate about evangelism and that he's something of an expert on CS Lewis. He takes lessons from Lewis and shows us how we can apply them in today's culture as we try to share Jesus with people. He keeps pointing us to Christ and to the gospel. He is training rookies and seasoned evangelists alike so anyone could read this and learn something new. And the book sparked my creativity and my imagination. It's inspiring and beautiful. It encouraged me to do more 'pre-evangelism' with my friends- and also to go away and read Mere Christianity! Honestly, this is truly a book worth reading.