Introduction to Evangelism

by Alvin L. Reid

Book Overview

'The evangelistic mandate', says Alvin Reid, 'is central to the mission of the church in any age'. In this important new book, Reid traces the essence of evangelism -- its history and character -- teaching Christians how to preach the Gospel effectively. Using methods built upon biblical, historical, and theological foundations, this exhaustive guide integrates doctrinal issues with practical matters of methodology, while developing the personal...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805411437
• ISBN13: 9780805411430
• Release Date: August 1998
• Publisher: B&H Publishing Group
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.19 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Great tool

I found this book very useful and interesting for my class. I would suggest all christian leaders and pastors to read this book.

A+

Great Book. Not much more to say :) Easy to read and lots of good information that every Christian should know. Gives you skills and confidence to share the faith of Jesus Christ. We should all be witnesses for Him, not just pastors, we are all called to tell people about Jesus Christ. Interesting stories from a great author. I will look into more of his books :)

Reid's Intro to Evagelism

This work is intended by the author to be used by pastors and students in the field of evangelism. Reid divides the subject matter into three major sections with five chapters in each of the first two sections and eight in the final section. The major headings are: Part 1, What We Must Know: The Convictional Basis of Evangelism, Part 2, How We Must Live: The Spiritual Basis of Evangelism, and Part 3, What We Must Do: The Methodological Basis of Evangelism. This review will focus on the second section regarding the spiritual basis of evangelism. In Part 2, Reid introduces his topic by relating the attitude of Dr. David Livingstone in his passion for the lost souls of Africa to the need for the individual to not only be equipped with a biblical basis for evangelism but with a heart that is "filled with a passion for God." As the reader moves through this section, he is exposed to the author's ideas regarding Christian character, Christian discipline, evangelistic prayer, the work of the Holy Spirit and Christian witness in that order. This structure points up one of the major weaknesses in Reid's approach to the subject. If the reader is expected to understand the spiritual basis of evangelism and is introduced to this section with the example of Livingstone's passion for souls, then the reader should have been led immediately to the source of this passion in a chapter on the Holy Spirit's work in evangelism. Instead, one has to wade through two chapters that should follow the explanation of the Holy Spirit's place since character and discipline are part of the work of the Spirit. In addition, Reid's chapter on prayer discusses several aspects of the Holy Spirit's work through the prayer life of the evangelist but the reader has not yet been introduced to the fundamentals of the Holy Spirit as The Evangelist. The second weakness of Reid's approach is also his greatest strength. Reid has a great enthusiasm for his subject and is obviously a practitioner and not a theorist. This book is extremely readable because the author tells his and other people's experiences along with injecting other anecdotal material to hold the reader's interest. The narrative flow of the book makes one want to keep reading and seeing where the author will go next, what interesting characters will be met, what extraordinary circumstances will be experienced. However, in the fast moving stream of the narrative, one loses the impact of the principles that the author has learned by experience or through the experiences of others. At the point where one should stop and reflect on the eight scriptural principles involved in "Praying Your Friends to Christ" at the end of the chapter with that title, the author suddenly takes the reader on another anecdotal ride with a student named Joel who shares Jesus with a stranger. The chapter is concluded with a wonderful quote from Leonard Ravenhill that makes no mention of prayer at all. The reader would have greatly benefited from a

Very helpful and thorough

I loved this book. As a full time minister, I need resources like this. It is hard to find a thorough book like this. Many illustrations make it very practical too.