Some time ago a friend sent me a little gift she knew I would enjoy. It is a small book, published in 1959 titled Soul-Winning Made Easy and subtitled (The Encounter Method). It was written by C.S. Lovett who founded Baldwin Park Baptist Church (which, strangely enough, was later renamed Personal Christianity Chapel).
This book is a guide to personal evangelism and it is one that is a classic example of technique-based evangelism. Now obviously I appreciate the man’s desire to share the good news of the gospel and to train others to do the same. But what he offers is a method and one that needs to be followed with near religious fervor. He insists that anyone who would seek to evangelize must have a plan since “Every successful operation needs a plan. … One does not dare build a house without building-plans; the walls might not meet. Why, even a trip to the market requires a planned list to insure that items are not forgotten.”
He then writes “The controlled conversation technique is something new in evangelism and represents a real break-through in soul-winning. Older methods, dealing with excuses, seek to convince a prospect of his needy condition and humble him. … The new method ignores excuses and completely side-steps the explosive area of religious debate. Modern soul-winners have discovered that it is unnecessary to change a person’s mind before introducing him to Jesus. If he can truly be made aware of Christ waiting at the door of his heart, his responsibility becomes most clear. This makes soul-winning a positive ministry requiring fewer skills. Actually, it is a new frontier which allows Christian obedience to become fun!”
From that starting-point, Lovett provides a plan, step-by-step, word-by-word. He gives not only the words, but the actions and gestures that need to go along with them. And I thought, just for fun, I’d share some of that with you. These are just a few scans from what is actually a fairly lengthy book. Enjoy!
Comments (64) »
1. David Porter
May 25, 2009
9:46 AM
Tim,
I can hear the “modern” 50’s music playing, with the typical 50’s announcer describing this “new”, modern technique.
What a hoot!
2. Elizabeth R
May 25, 2009
9:52 AM
I’m laughing so hard at this. I love how you have to stealthily remove your Bible from your pocket. Also, “Ordinarily a man should never touch a woman” - I just have to laugh, otherwise I would cry.
3. Curtis
May 25, 2009
10:28 AM
Yet another example of the easy believism, watered down gospel, so sad to see such blatant misrepresentation of scripture. Hope this goes in your toss pile Tim.
Nothing wrong with preparing what you say, but make sure it’s as the bible teaches, law to the proud, and then grace to the humble. It’s this, “open the door of your heart” and ” God has a wonderful plan for your life” gospel that has filled the church with false converts. As John MacArthur says, a false convert will not sit long in a church with strong biblical teaching, they’re just looking to have their ears tickled, not to be pounded with the Lordship of Christ, submision, slavery, and repentance.
Remember, you must preach repentance before preaching grace, follow the example of scripture, and be sure your pleasing God rather than man.
4. Matthew
May 25, 2009
10:36 AM
I don’t know whether to laugh or cry….
5. Zach
May 25, 2009
10:37 AM
This rivals anything Pergatorio has ever done. At first, I asked “What are you doing Tim??” Then I understood.
My lamenting burst into a big laugh at that final line, “It is fun to use tools that can strengthen a new babe.” Laughing now as I type that. Of course, make sure that’s only AFTER you gently touch her forearm with your finger.
The total Armenian viewpoint means it was published by a) Bob Jones Press, b) Billy Graham Ministries, c) Anyone associated with the SBC’s John 3:16 Conference, d) Ergun Caner’s long-lost grandfather, or e) James White before he was reincarnated.
6. j challies
May 25, 2009
10:47 AM
I think his effectiveness would have been increased if he had employed various holsters. Assuming that you are witnessing to an FBI agent you could lean down and pull a small bible from under you pant leg, concealed in an ankle holster; when out west in cowboy country you could sport a bona fide holster and draw from the hip; if witnessing to NARC rebels in South America you could have small NT bibles arranged on ammunition belts crossed over your shoulders. When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
7. PJ Tibayan
May 25, 2009
11:04 AM
Wow. I heard Mark Dever refer to this, but all the steps with pictures?!!?!? I didn’t know that the author was from Baldwin Park, CA, just 30 minutes from where I live in LA.
8. Jenny
May 25, 2009
11:11 AM
“You may very well have icicles of emotion travelling up and down your spine…”
OR
Your circulation may be cut off from the vulcan death grip this guy has on you when he’s commanding you to bow your head.
9. joseph Grigoletti
May 25, 2009
11:13 AM
Am I the only one who thought Way of the Master after seeing this?
10. Lew
May 25, 2009
11:28 AM
With “conversions” like this we have to wonder why evangelicalism is so watered down.
I agree with the person who said you have to laugh or you’d be forced to cry.
11. Jerry
May 25, 2009
11:28 AM
I wonder how many of those pressed to “make a decision” are now in Hell?
12. Denita
May 25, 2009
11:45 AM
I spent three years in The Smiling Cult Of Pseudo-Biblical Doctrine And Freaky Magazines, and this reminds me waaaay too much of the “instructionals” they used to present during their “meetings”…
—Denita
13. Tim Irvin
May 25, 2009
12:22 PM
After 2 years of Bible College, the Four Spiritual Laws (Flaws) and clipboard evangelism was so discouraging to me that I left. I returned a year later and finished my studies but changed my minor so that I wouldn’t have to endure such nonsense.
14. hashman
May 25, 2009
12:37 PM
This and Way of the Master, have very little in common.
kbh
15. Terry Basham, IIi
May 25, 2009
12:40 PM
Pretty interesting to see a time when people really believed they could point/lead sinners to Christ.
How can a person on a reformed blog wonder if any of these people went to hell because of this kind of presentation? If they were elect of God, then they were saved.
One of the tendencies in modern reformed circles is the tendency to become fatalistic and to abandon evangelism.
16. MikeRosy
May 25, 2009
12:44 PM
The Lord Help Us All…
17. Amanda
May 25, 2009
12:48 PM
I’m with Matthew - I wasn’t sure if I should laugh or cry.
18. David
May 25, 2009
1:11 PM
Will someone please tell me, what’s sup?
;)
19. Noah Salo
May 25, 2009
1:43 PM
Wow this is hilarious. Not only would that technique never work but the exegesis of the passage is entirely wrong. I hate it when false interpretations such as this are propagated for years in the Church.
20. David Kjos
May 25, 2009
1:44 PM
“How can a person on a reformed blog wonder if any of these people went to hell because of this kind of presentation?”
We don’t. We believe people go to hell because they are sinners without Christ, and that this kind of “evangelism” does nothing to change that and, in fact, obscures the gospel.
“One of the tendencies in modern reformed circles is the tendency to become fatalistic and to abandon evangelism.”
Nonsense. We mock things like this not because we have abandoned evangelism, but because this is not biblical evangelism.
21. Ryan-C
May 25, 2009
1:48 PM
best find all day!
22. Stan McCullars
May 25, 2009
1:51 PM
Sad. Very sad.
The controlled conversation technique is something new in evangelism and represents a real break-through in soul-winning.
What was this guy thinking?!
23. Bill B
May 25, 2009
2:27 PM
Reminds me of JW’s and Mormons. Scary.
24. Vivian Risse
May 25, 2009
2:52 PM
But do you know the wallet trick? “Let this hand represent you and me, and this wallet our sins.” So grievous. How merciful God was to show us truth!
25. Rachael
May 25, 2009
2:54 PM
What on earth?! Oh man!!
26. Charles
May 25, 2009
3:00 PM
It is sad to hear so much criticism from the comments here. While I am not an advocate of this method, I can appreciate one Christian trying to teach other Christians how to share the gospel. Most Christians (Calvinists and Arminians) do not share the gospel with any frequency. It would be interesting to hear how many of the critics have shared the gospel today, this week, this month, or even this year, in a one-on-one personal encounter.
27. Larry F.
May 25, 2009
4:26 PM
I think the biggest issue here is that the only verse quoted in the demonstration has NOTHING to do with salvation. It is, however, one of the most mis-applied verses in the Bible, especially by Arminians since it seems to support their theology when used as a salvation passage.
28. Giancarlo
May 25, 2009
4:47 PM
This book should be rated R
29. Victoria
May 25, 2009
5:19 PM
After reading all of these comments I feel I must respond.
1. I am as reformed as can be.
2. I heard the gospel presented like this at a Baptist type camp when I was 13 years old.
I “asked ” Christ to save me from my sin and come into my life that night.
3. I went to a Baptist type church for a few years, until I began listening to John MacArthur on the radio.
I am now 60 years old and have been listening to John MacArthur for 35 years plus. I am a member of a church where the pastor is a graduate of the Master’s Seminary.
The point is that I became a Christian at that camp when I was 13.
The method was wrong but that did not hinder the Holy Spirit. God brought great conviction to my heart and God sovereignly saved me IN SPITE of the method and a wrong Arminian Theology.
I do get irritated with reformed folk who criticize this and yet maybe in a lifetime have never shared the Gospel with anyone.
I also sometimes find very cold hearts toward the lost among reformed people. THAT is a sinful shame!!!!!!!!
30. Tiffany
May 25, 2009
6:22 PM
This helps explain where “asking Jesus to come into your heart” came from. I thought people confused the Galatians 4:6 (“…Spirit of his Son into our hearts…” [ESV]). Some of this reminds me of some “invitations” given.
31. Charles
May 25, 2009
6:41 PM
I also wonder how many of those who are critical of the use of Revelation 3:20 have actually done exegesis in the seven churches of Revelation in general, and the seventh church in particular (3:14-22). While I do not happen to share the interpretation of the passage used in the book, the interpretation of 3:20 is not as cut-and-dry as some critics here would seem to imply. Consider for example the language of 3:16-18. Do these describe believers or unbelievers or both? Furthermore, some responders here might also read the following excerpt from Simon Kistemaker’s (who is squarely in the reformed camp) commentary.
“Look, I stand at the door and knock.” Being shut out from the spiritual life of the individual members of the Laodicean church, Jesus figuratively stands outside the door of their heart and knocks to gain entrance (compare James 5:9). He persistently knocks to gain their attention, so that no one will ever be able to say that the Lord failed to call them. He calls them individually by continually rapping on the doors of their hearts as though the owners are asleep. The stress is on human responsibility to go to the door and answer the one who is seeking entrance. The Lord opened Lydia’s heart (Acts 16:14), but here he waits for the sinner to do so. Here is the crux of divine action and human responsibility. When these two appear with reference to God’s electing grace in human beings, we encounter a mystery that defies human understanding. Scripture teaches God’s intervention and human accountability as the two sides of the proverbial coin (Phil. 2:12–13)” (Simon J. Kistemaker Exposition of the Book of Revelation, 174).
32. Mr. Harmless
May 25, 2009
6:48 PM
Umm…
33. Michael Awbrey
May 25, 2009
7:23 PM
I wonder if this type of stuff actually brought in more converts than it actually ended up driving away. Sad, sad, sad…
34. Ron Harvey
May 25, 2009
7:35 PM
I cut my spiritual teeth on this book as a young man of 10 years of age. My spiritual leaders used it as well. It wasn’t until I grew older and had a better understanding of the Scriptures that I began to understand that sharing my faith meant that I did my part but the Holy Spirit did the whole thing. I left the results to Him. What a joy in knowing the success of the Gospel did not depend on me and my gift of presentation. In was totally in God alone, Christ alone, and Scripture alone.
35. Ken
May 25, 2009
7:48 PM
Victoria’s and Ron’s experiences remind me of my own. The sovereign Spirit of Christ can and does use remarkably incompetent tools to accomplish his purposes in salvation—undoubtedly to the greater glory of God. In my case, it was a copy of that much-derided tome “The Late Great Planet Earth.” Say what you will about Mr. Lindsay, at the very least he communicated the gospel. I have long since moved on from the eschatology and theology on display there but I keep that book on my shelves as a reminder that God uses all kinds of weak vessels.
36. GrammaMack
May 25, 2009
7:50 PM
“Bowing your head first causes terrific psychological pressure.” Right, ‘cause that’s the way to get a genuine conversion!
37. chuck p
May 25, 2009
8:11 PM
As a few people have mentioned above, I give them credit for at least trying and having a plan. I know a lot of folks have had their lives changed by the Four Spiritual Laws and all the other helps.
I hear how tracts are effective anymore and then I run across someone who was brought to the LORD buy one of them. Unless I was out there witnessing I would cut them some slack.
38. Renee
May 25, 2009
8:25 PM
Curtis, I agree with your comments.
Kids nowadays can easily convince their peers to go see the latest and greatest movie by speaking freely and with fervor about what it is they love about the movie,. So could we as Christians convince our peers to see about Jesus, were we truly intimate with the knowledge of His suffering, His love, and above all, His majesty.
I’m afraid that techniques in proselytizing are merely substitutes for the life-changing power we receive as new creatures in Christ.
39. Mike Garner
May 26, 2009
1:18 AM
It really troubles me that there are people who are defending this. The entire argument presupposes that if someone has “good intentions” then anything that results from those intentions should be given a free pass. This book and methodology is counter-biblical and counter-productive. Defending it in the name of the author’s good intentions is tragic.
Should we evangelize more? Of course.
Could we learn something from the intentions of this author? Possibly.
Are there some people who call themselves reformed who don’t appear concerned with the lost? yes.
However, NONE of those things imply that this book should be given a pass, reformed believers are not concerned with evangelism, etc. Many (if not most) of the greatest evangelists in history have been reformed.
40. Sean
May 26, 2009
4:06 AM
I don’t know how I would feel if I (hypothetically) saw the person who lead me to Christ leading someone else to Christ the identical way (with the identical wording and actions). I suppose if my response to their presentation was authentic, I would be comforted and thankful that they are continuing in their work. But if my response to their presentation was not authentic, I would have suspicion and bitterness at being made “a fool of”.
I think when we all look at ourselves; we probably have a “manual” such as this one upon our minds. We have the issues and verses that we find ourselves driving at over and over. In fact, we may not ever open our mouths and share the gospel because we don’t know how to say what we want to say. I want to laugh at this book and these images as being stupid by their approach, but at the same time I have to admit I don’t have much of a “strategy” to back up my desire to see the lost reached for Christ. Shame on me.
41. Victoria
May 26, 2009
8:07 AM
To Mike
I certainly am not giving the book a pass. It is awful.
To all:
My point is this: If God can use a Jackass to convey truth-He can Sovereignly use this kind of of approach. His Word will never return to Him void.
And God can use the foolishness of man in reaching His elect. I am not EXCUSING or defending the approach, I am just saying that God is not limited by any approach in reaching His elect.
I am one who was genuinely converted by God’s sovereign Grace with a method similar to the one under discussion, but I do not approve or use that method when I share the Gospel.
I would like to to ask people here -How do you share the Gospel with your lost family, friends, and neighbors. Or more importantly—do you share the Gospel with anyone?
It concerns me to see a lot of this kind of discussion on Reformed blog sites; but I do not hear a deep and heartfelt appeal that we pour out our hearts in prayer for the unsaved.
Many nights I can’t sleep because of the terrifying thought of the Wrath of God and an eternal Hell. I am so grateful that I am not going to suffer His wrath or Hell: but that does not relieve me of the responsibility to do everything that God allows to both live and share the Gospel.
I am sorry to say that many of our Baptist friends are way ahead of us in their passion for lost souls.
When it comes to this issue(burden for the lost) I see little evidence of it on many Reformed blog sites.
42. Andy Wood
May 26, 2009
8:24 AM
“Ordinarily a man should never touch a woman, but in this case the Holy Spirit will bless it.”
I’m speechless… laughing so hard I can hardly type. Exactly WHERE on the forearm do I lightly touch to release the power of the Holy Spirit?
Lovett wrote another book I want to get a hold of… “Help, Lord, the Devil Wants me Fat!”
43. Jackie
May 26, 2009
9:20 AM
Apparently God can use anything to attract us to Him. For me it was The Late Great Planet Earth. That started the whole ball rolling for me. Then someone used little tracts from the SBC to further evangelize me after my many endtimes questions. Ultimately it was the Holy Spirit of course. I remember the night I was reading in the book of John. All of a sudden it just came to life and I understood! I had been reading it before along with the tracts that only confused me with their numbered points. But this night the Living Bible in red letters were supernaturally opened up to me and I understood what I was reading. It was the account of Nicodemus talking to Jesus. I was still a bit confused about the whole conversion thing so I kept pursuing it until a pastor’s wife harvested me with a set of questions to determine my state and my understanding and then she led me to pray on my knees. That is when I was ushered into the kingdom (can I say kingdom here?). So, God used the various rough and refined methods that were present in my life and I became born again! PTL!
44. Michael
May 26, 2009
9:45 AM
My dad has this very book - Yikes. I took one look and told him this is all so wrong. And there you have it.
45. Puritan Lad
May 26, 2009
10:39 AM
Ouch!!!
Unfortunately, not much has changed…
46. Ray Fowler
May 26, 2009
11:10 AM
The section following the prayer of invitation is remarkably similar to Dr. Kennedy’s Evangelism Explosion. In E.E. after the prayer of commitment, the witness turns to John 6:47 and has the person read the verse: “I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.” Then the witness is instructed to say something along these lines:
——————————————————————-
You just told Christ in your prayer that you trust Him alone for your salvation. As best you know your heart, did you really mean that?
Yes.
Do you believe that Jesus Christ meant what He said in this promise you just read?
I do.
Then let me ask you this question: If you died tonight, where would you wake up?
In heaven.
Who said so?
Jesus Christ.
—————————————————————-
Actually there are some other similarities, too, as far as having a plan, and specific instructions on what to say when. However, I like Kennedy’s presentation a whole lot better! Plus Kennedy makes it clear that his is only a guide and that you need to be flexible with it. (Perhaps Lovett does, too, I don’t know.)
47. Mickey Merrie
May 26, 2009
2:01 PM
Revelation3: 20
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Doesn’t anyone see the irony in this?!?! Jesus is talking to the “church” here, not to the unsaved, or is there more here? Maybe He is shut out of what is done in His name but has NOTHING to do with Him as He truely is!!!! Maybe modern “churchianity” here in Amerika in particular is a Jesus franchise!!!! Like Chucky Cheese, where he is the mascot, and it’s all about the dough!!! 37,000 denominations here, then split between the Southern and the Reformed, and Calvin,and the Wesley, and the Luther, and the First….and the people leaving the “traditional service” can’t even talk to the people arriving for the “contemporary service”, who don’t like them anyways….and they all go to the same “church.”
The lulliby from the “bullpits” keeps everyone asleep as they wait for the pre-trib rapture to wisk them away to their blessing, because god loves us even if he hates our sin, besides we send more missionarys out then any other country, so there can be no judgement for us. We will be gone so he can get them good. Meanwhile divorce, abortion, pornography, theft, sexual abuse, financial abuse…are just as bad inside the steeple houses as they are outside……….Joel Oldstain is right, most ARE LIVING their best life now.
Wake up!!!! Jesus couldn’t be recognized as the awaited savior, because the traditions of the Religious prevented them from seeing Him as He is!!! Do you not think that it is the same today?!?!
Nobody comes to Me except the Father draws them to Me. True repentance and true conversion needs no salesmenship!!! A person born from above is a new creature. You can’t stop them from receiving Jesus. ….Ah, but it is far more profitable today to fill the pews with religious folks who have not the Spirit, but gather for the benefits, because it is “good for me!”
So enjoy the “work” of trying to make goats act like sheep, as you work to “get them connected and plug them in.”
Fear well Jesus words….”depart from Me, I never knew you.”
Are you examining yourself? Feeling conviction? Repenting? Not to worry lamb, He that began a good work in you is faithful to complete it.
Rather, are you angry at the message, or the messinger? Continue on in your religion and works. Though you might want to do a study on the deeds of the Nicolaitanes which thing Jesus HATES! Now there is a topic for a full gospel NEVER PREACHED!
Time is short friends, as everything that can be shaken is shaken, and Amerika and this world’s governments are judged, prepare for your persecution.
It’s time to stop doing “church” and start being the church….not the 37,000 creations of men, but the one that the gates of hell wil not prevail against…Built by Jesus our Lord.
Your brother;
Mickey Merrie
He.must_increase@yahoo.com
48. Anita
May 26, 2009
2:03 PM
As a young married wife, I worked willingly along side my husband as we learned the steps to Dr. Kennedy’s Evangelism Explosion. We spent several years in door to door ministries and I still use many of the scriptures and testimony training in my witnessing today. But unlike some of our peers in the program, we did not ‘go for the close’. We are at the mercy of God and willing vessels to be used for His glory.I saw and still see myself in many situations where God uses me to share His good news with the lost. We are all called to give an account for the hope that is in us but it seems like lately so few of us do. It is too easy to dismiss spiritual subjects and talk about something else. We can pick apart methods, criticize churches, etc. but unless we are doing it through the love of Christ we are doing it in the flesh . I know many strong believers who attribute their salvation experience to just such a situation. I myself am one. I was 8 years old when I went forward at a Billy Graham movie. I did not realize that that was the moment God kindled my heart but I knew there was a difference. About 4 years ago (and that event was 41 years ago) God brought that night to mind and I instantly remembered that that was when the change in my life took place. God is not limited as to how He works and we may not have our methods down pat but God is the author of our salvation and He will use us despite our glitches:)
49. sylvan
May 26, 2009
4:13 PM
Sounds just like Ray comfort stuff to me.
50. anonymous
May 26, 2009
5:05 PM
I think this stems from man wanting to put a star in his own crown, instead of having a heart that truly desires Gods glory.
It is absolutely arrogant and deceptive to think flesh and blood can produce a born again believer.
51. Thomas Booher
May 26, 2009
5:51 PM
Here is my thinking on this:
Jesus said in Luke 24 to preach “repentance and remission of sins to all nations.”
Also, in Acts 26, we see where the voice of Jesus came to Paul in the heavenly vision. Here Paul explains that he preached to everyone that they should “repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.”
I think what needs to be asked is this: Is this guy in the article, with all of his formulas and methods, ever preaching repentance for remission of sins? What about Billy Graham and the others who use this “say a prayer for salvation” methodology.
Paul rebuked Peter and others for not being straightforward with the gospel. So when we come to the point where we don’t even think we should speak out against gospel presentations that make no mention of repentance, and intentionally at that, we have come to an unbiblical and very dangerous position.
C. S. Lovitt states that “it is unnecessary to change a person’s mind before introducing him to Jesus. If he can truly be made aware of Christ waiting at the door of his heart, his responsibility becomes most clear.”
Not if they do not know WHY Jesus is standing at the door of their heart. For a person to understand what it means to repent, he must first understand what it means to be a sinner. No, this isn’t “changing a person’s mind” it is simply a necessary part of the gospel! Only God can change a persons mind (which is what it means to repent) about their sinfulness and wickedness. Yet notice Lovitt instructing us to lead unbelievers in prayer to make a decision. This is backwards. We should tell the truth of men’s sinfulness, of how God views them, of the reality of hell and of God’s condemnation, and after they understand that, only THEN will they be able to understand what we mean we say that Jesus is the Savior. It appears Lovitt simply urges people to “make a decision” for Jesus, yet just what this decision is, is unclear.
Maybe he does explain repentance, but I do know much evangelism today does not preach repentance for forgiveness of sins, and thus they not only are they preaching a non-straightforward gospel, they are not preaching the gospel at all! And we all know what Paul says about those who do that…
52. Rita Martinez
May 26, 2009
7:12 PM
Three comments:
1. This is not AT ALL like Way of the Master Radio..actually they’re even against the sinner’s prayer presented here and they teach that you can’t tell a person he/she is saved just because they prayed a prayer…
2. This is exactly what Paul Washer spoke against in his sermons on evangelism.
3. I am a Calvinist and I do evangelize, I’d be careful to say that most Calvinists don’t evangelize, because most of my friends are Calvinists and most of them do personal evangelism, and the people I go witnessing with every week are Calvinists.
53. Charles
May 26, 2009
8:20 PM
Rita,
I am not sure that anyone here is implying that Calvinists don’t evangelize. The fact of the matter is that many Christians do not share the gospel, whether they be Calvinists or Arminians. I applaud the fact that you in your friends do. May your tribe increase! But please note that the reason we have books like Lovett’s and programs like Evangelism Explosion and Way of the Master are proof that Christians in general do not share the gospel. Or in other words, if we were all as diligent as you and your friends then we wouldn’t have these books or need these programs.
The main problem that I have with a number of the responses here is the critical comments and mockery concerning Lovett’s book. As I noted in a previous response, my approach is not Lovett’s. But, I wonder whether some iof us have forgotten the lesson of Mark 9:38-41. Similarly, I can’t help but wonder whether have those who have been quick to mock a Christian brother (assuming that Lovett is) have forgotten John 13:34-35.
54. Mitzi
May 27, 2009
8:15 AM
This kind of thing makes actual witnessing that much harder. I work every day among agnostics, atheists, and Hindus (scientists-talk about a tough crowd), and some of them have been approached by this method or something like it. It hardens them. When the Hindu philosopher started asking them questions not answered in their training, and did not go along with their procedure, they stopped talking to him. He respects me for listening to him and (praying all the while for the words) attempting to answer him. I keep having to say, “Christ never said that. Christianity is actually practiced differently by those who believe in Him for more than fire insurance…”
55. Tom
May 27, 2009
8:42 AM
Wow. The evangelizer is a dead ringer for Bill Pullman. Who else can just imagine him saying, “Today we celebrate…our Independence Day!”
56. J.P.H.
May 27, 2009
9:33 AM
I find it offensive not because it’s watered down or biblically incorrect, though it may be those things as well, but because it’s trite and patently manipulative. This kind of stuff is exactly why Christianity is viewed the way it is by those outside the church: cheesy and manipulative.
57. Geoffrey
May 27, 2009
2:59 PM
“…terrific psychological pressure…”
…wow…
58. Massimo Lorenzini
May 27, 2009
10:23 PM
I am a Calvinist and I deplore easy believism and man-centered evangelism including the shallow, manipulative method being criticized in this book. But I must say that I am more bothered by some of the arrogant mocking in some of the comments here. I appreciate the comments of Victoria (#29). All I could think of when reading some of these comments is “What are you doing to evangelize the lost?” God help us to humbly trust and obey him in seeking to save the lost as Jesus did.
59. Joe
May 28, 2009
12:52 AM
I’ve used Lovett’s methods to trick a lot of people into becoming a Christian. My method of making people become believers is a little fresher than what Lovett originally wrote, but using the same techniques, I have seen many people make a decision with their lives that I can take credit for.
60. Ronnica
May 28, 2009
2:32 PM
While I agree that I can appreciate the author’s desire for the salvation of others (and wish mine were greater), how dare we cheapen the gospel to the level of a simple purchase.
61. Matt
May 28, 2009
2:46 PM
One nice thing about back then, you could always pick out the Christian…he was wearing the jacket and tie…
62. Francis
May 28, 2009
3:30 PM
A.W. Tozer spoke of this and it sickened him.
The insanity that is the evangelical church today is the logical outcome of such a man-centered approach.
63. Fredd
June 3, 2009
5:17 PM
Yesterday’s episode of Wretched (hosted by Todd Friel of Way of the Master Radio) had a long roasting of this book. It was pretty funny.
64. Quote Quote No Name
June 5, 2009
8:03 AM
Wow….what a way to make false converts. This is the kind of thing that damns the souls of men to hell…since it make salvation out to be a work of man in stead of wholly a work of God.