The Heart of Evangelism

The Heart of Evangelism, Jerram Barrs ★★★★★
I was given this book since it is currently being used for the Sunday School class at church. At first, I was reluctant to read the book. I had heard Jerram Barrs speak in the past, and he definitely was dreadfully boring. This book is everything but boring. Barrs is definitely a better writer than he is a speaker. Jerram comes out of the L’Abri movement of Francis Schaeffer, who was one of the most influential people in my life, influencing my thought quite profoundly during my college years. Jerram addresses the issues of talking about your faith to other people, not like any other “evangelism” text I’ve ever read so far (which is really not many). Throughout the book, one can see the thinking of F. Schaeffer coming through, though with Barr’s distinct style. Schaeffer speaks of pre-evangelism, but Jerram gives concrete meaning to the term. He especially emphasizes the nature of Christ’s teaching while on earth, which though harsh with Pharisees and those who are self-righteous in established religion, was as gentle as a lamb and never insulting, demeaning, or harsh to the “man-on-the-street”. Through it all, Jerram emphasizes that it is not our skills of persuasion that lead people to faith, but rather the Holy Spirit working in peoples’ lives.