THE STORY BEHIND the BOOK I use at Talbot Seminary and wherever invited.
I backed into writing Soul Whisperer while in a doctorate program and working on staff at Sandals Church. Inspiration came from anguish—bumping into earnest believers disenchanted with the way “the Church” had pitched evangelism. You know the well-intentioned but ineffectual “Just go tell them (the stranger) about Jesus” thang. It was heart-breaking to see Christians sidelined from the Missio Dei, “the mission of God”. Thus, Soul Whisperer was my attempt to redeem evangelism. I sought to re-enlist church members by reframing engagement around the deft and dynamic mission pattern of Christ—a deeper, relational paradigm. As to the word “dynamic,” the book makes doable the personal nature of Christ’s interactions—who reads each person’s soul—their particular needs and storylines—and then offers laser-like pinpointed words. How much more resonant is his way than ours? Yes, you can learn his way, too!
Being a relational paradigm, it introduces a new set of relationally-oriented mission skills that are direly needed in our time: (1) Positioning, (2) Deepening, (3) Journeying. Illustrating how spiritual “influence” occurs, I pay special attention to “the taking,” not merely the telling. I also want to show believers how to read and reach others from distinct starting points: God accusers, skeptics, atheists, moralists, cultural Christians, pleasure seekers, progressives, and those of other religions. From stories of real people crossing into faith, the book diagrams what is necessary to achieve faith formation. For your own gospel-sharing empowerment, and for your church’s or group’s training, please join me in this exciting subject matter—the redemption of lives and souls.
The book is available on Amazon. As a FREE peak, here is the book’s Preface, popular amongst trainees.
