Honest Evangelism- a Book review

by Richard Wilson

“I can’t do that!”

“It’s impossible!”

“No way!”

How often have you heard children, or even adults utter these words of resignation when faced with a daunting task that seemingly calls out way beyond their abilities or their comfort zones? Perhaps you yourself have been known to dismiss a challenge with a similarly swift rejection? We can all lack confidence from time to time, and this can often manifest itself in an outright refusal to even contemplate a task. In truth, we’d probably all like an easier life in which awkward or uncomfortable situations are passed on to someone else, or better still avoided altogether.

When I was asked if I could review Rico Tice’s book Honest Evangelism I was delighted to accept this particular challenge. One reason was because Rico Tice was a name I’d become familiar with from the DVD accompanying the Christianity Explored course I attended back in 2010. His style of delivering a message was particularly engaging and thought provoking, and it was pleasing to see he’d transferred this ability from the screen to the written word without any loss of clarity.

Rico speaks in a way that we can all relate to, whether we know the Bible inside out, or even if we’ve never actually opened it before. His simple, practical style makes “Honest Evangelism” the sort of reading resource that any Christian can understand and use when heeding Christ’s call to go out and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28: v19-20).

The theory of why we should evangelise is all very well, but of course putting it into practise is not always as straightforward. Only a few weeks ago I encountered a work colleague bemoaning the fact he’d been invited to a Christingle service that his son was attending with his Beavers group; “I really can’t be dealing with all this religious stuff at Christmas” he laughably exclaimed to a concurring colleague. I say “laughably” because the irony of such a statement is really off the scale. But in reality of course, it’s anything but funny. Sadly, this is the increasingly prevalent attitude in so many offices, schools and homes across the western world. And isn’t it always the case that such comments are expressed in front of sympathetic ears? A nodding audience of lost souls in a spiritual vacuum who all find great comfort in their collective separation from God.

It certainly makes it more difficult for those of us who might feel compelled to challenge such attitudes, even if we’re armed with the evangelistic weaponry that Rico Tice compels us to wield in our everyday lives. Rico recognises these constraints as he outlines typical scenarios we’re all familiar with. He describes the difficulties that we can, and will face in evangelism with a stark prediction that we will get hurt, we will sometimes suffer from severed relationships and we will face rejection – all reasons he identifies, why we just don’t do evangelism. But then he isn’t the first to identify the hostilities that lie in wait for evangelists as he quotes Jesus’ own words: “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves” (Matthew 10: v16).

So given this rather daunting and possibly off-putting path to evangelism, we need a few tips on how to overcome our fears and actually make a success of it. And this is where Rico Tice’s remarkably straight talking and comforting familiarity within the pages of this book can help us break down those fears. At just 101 pages, it’s a concise read that tackles all the issues quickly using real life situations to illustrate each point, and a step by step guide through each chapter.

“But I’m not an evangelist”

One sub-heading that caught my eye on page 74 was “But I’m not an evangelist”, and I think this typifies the way Rico can relate to our own lives. He knows we’re not all modern day versions of Billy Graham, and he reassuringly outlines why we don’t need to be. If your qualities include integrity, sincerity, persistence, enthusiasm, courage and care then you’re a fully qualified evangelist. And if any from that list are currently escaping you, they’re all things you can attain through God’s Spirit.

What must I remember? What do I say?

So each of us can be an evangelist, even if we doubt ourselves. What must I remember? What do I say? Be yourself. Getting started and two things to do – these are all simple chapter headings within the book that are not only self-explanatory, they are to me the sort of basic things I’d hope to see in any guide on evangelism. So any time you’re not sure how to approach a situation, you can simply consult any of these sections to refresh your thinking.

Overall, this book provides a feeling of comfort, knowing that others have trodden the same path and achieved success using the simple advice on offer. It’s a real-life guide that helps you tackle situations confidently. I wouldn’t however expect myself or anyone else reading it to rush straight into their workplace / school / local pub and start sharing the gospel from the word go. There is an acknowledgment that the time needs to be right for your efforts to be effective. You need to sniff out  the right situations for you to use the tips on offer.

Often fear can be our biggest enemy in evangelism. This book can be our biggest ally.