Jim Henderson is a recovering evangelist. Back in his soul-chasing, church-starting days, he began hearing a grating dissonance between his faith in Jesus and the way he went about winning new converts. Henderson realized he was doing unto others what he would never want done unto him. He was manipulating conversations to set up a pitch. Viewing people as potential notches on his evangelism belt rather than fellow sojourners and prospective friends. Listening only to the extent it could reveal an argumentative opening. He realized he hated the whole enterprise.
"I told the people in my church, 'I don't like evangelizing, and I know you hate it, so I've decided that I'm formally resigning from witnessing. You're all free to do so the same,' " Henderson recalls. "I said, 'I love Jesus, you love Jesus, and we all want to connect people with Jesus. But we're gonna have to figure out new ways to do it.'...
I beleive the line was "you have to allow yourself to be influenced, so you can influence." Jim Henderson seems to have traded one ill for another. His over zealous technique of tyring to close the deal on a new convert, for another man centered idea that those who don't know God don't want to think they are lost. Well sure they don't "that's why their lost." No one is so blind, as one who is, but doesn't know they are. Our strategy shouldn't be a strategy, you simply scatter the seed, and let the feilds produce what they may. The book simply sounds like a money making scheme. Jesus said "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is near." Faith, repentence, by the sovereign grace of God is what brings about conversion not sales tactics or I'm going to engage you and affirm your feelings. Just like most man centered ideas there is no biblical basis for any of his actions.
Some of the comments on the actual article broke my heart. One guy claimed that religion should be made illegal. Really? And I hate the fact that people's perceptions of God have been screwed up because of bad experiences on the part of people who might be Christian, but come off as someone lacking compassion, judgmental, hypocritical, etc. It really breaks my heart, and I hope these people could get connected with people who really live the life they sing about. I hope that I can be one of those people, rather than a Pharisee.
2 Timothy 3 13 But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them; 15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.---NASB
James Lewis | 7/9/2008
COMMENTS | 
john uk from wales: "
christopher000
i guess what really caught my eye and..."
