Monday, August 23, 2010

5 Days with John Dickson: Day 5 – Talking About Talking

When John Dickson begins to talk about talking about Christ in his book, The Best Kept Secret of Christian Mission, he makes it feel normal and natural.

It seems that when we put on the witnessing hat, we feel awkward and freeze up. He suggests, however, we overcome a sense of inferiority about our Christian faith that often keeps us quiet about proclaiming the gospel.

And, even as we talk freely and naturally about God, prayer, church, the Bible, faith, Jesus, and so on with other Christians, “we decide to allow our faith to rise back to the surface where it belongs” with those who don’t know Christ (page 182).

In so doing, we allow God-talk – brief, casual, passing references to the faith – into our everyday conversations. These are not designed primarily to initiate conversations about Christianity, but to be part of a relaxed and natural Christian. He further illustrates, in the Appendix, how we can retell the stories recorded in the Gospels for answering contemporary questions.

“Each of us should speak of Jesus as our personalities, abilities and opportunities allow,” Dickson says, “confident that, as we do, God’s Spirit will work through us” (page 148).

This is a welcome message for us non-evangelistic type Christians. Plus, as he says throughout his book, we are further promoting the gospel with more than our lips.

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