{Book Review} Mere Evangelism: 10 Insights from C.S. Lewis to Help You Share Your Faith

The Good Book Company has published a book on evangelism by author Randy Newman that is titled Mere Evangelism: 10 Insights from C.S. Lewis to Help You Share Your Faith.

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Mere Evangelism: 10 Insights from C.S. Lewis to Help You Share Your Faith

This book is fabulous, and I want to say right up front that I cannot recommend this book highly enough! Let me explain why. 

I’ve read many books on evangelism, and this may be my new favorite. Newman does not disappoint at all! First of all, this book is incredibly unique as it seeks to integrate wisdom from C.S. Lewis. But don’t be troubled by that if you’re not familiar with Lewis’ writing, because Newman does a wonderful job of explaining, in very simple terms, the weighty wisdom of Lewis. 

I want to highlight a few aspects of Newman’s work that I really enjoyed. I benefited from chapter one which deals with the idea of “pre-evangelism”. I was a little uncomfortable with the idea at first, thinking that it might be an assault upon Sola Scriptura, but as I continued to read, I found that this idea is actually found in Scripture (see, for example, how Paul deals with the Stoic and Epicurean philosophers at Mars Hill in Acts 17 or how Jesus dealt with the woman at the well in John 5).

Newman says this: “People’s presuppositions—their underlying , often unspoken beliefs about themselves, God, and the world—either set them up for belief in the gospel or for the rejection of it. Some assumptions pave the way for acceptance. Others need to be torn down.” He also says that pre-evangelism is “a wide array of conversations and actions that pave the way and build plausibility for understanding and reception of the gospel.”

Newman also quotes John Stott: “people are looking for an integrated worldview which makes sense of all their experience. We learn from Paul that we cannot preach the gospel of Jesus without doctrine of God, or the cross without the creation, or salvation without judgment.” Stott was referring to Paul’s comprehensive approach to preaching the Gospel. Lewis referred to this pre-evangelism as “praeparatio evangelica [a preparation for good news].” 

I also appreciated chapter 5 on the centrality of the Gospel. Newman says that he rests “in the reality that God’s kingdom is greater than any gospel presentation I can utter.” Though he uses a specific presentation typically, he understands that there isn’t only one way to present the good news. I also loved that he mentioned this at the end: “Meditating on and savoring the wonder that the God of the universe chose to save rebels like us is the very best preparation for evangelism”. In regards to sharing this good news, I also loved chapter 6 in which he highlights Lewis’ ability to illustrate reality and the usefulness of illustrations in Gospel conversations. 

Conclusion

Newman’s book is filled with excellent, practical wisdom in how to share the Gospel. It’s intelligent, humble, practical, and heart-warming. This is a wonderful combination for a book on evangelism. As I mentioned above, I highly recommend this book to you! 

Disclaimer: My thanks to The Good Book Co. for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. The opinions expressed are my own.