Mere Evangelism

Reading Mere Evangelism was a bit like being given a code book by a genius to help me unlock the minds and hearts of my dear non-Christian friends! It really was thrilling to read such a surprising and joyous book that trains me for evangelism. If you don’t believe me, just read the first paragraph of Chapter 1. It made my day.

Randy doesn’t pretend evangelism is easy. In fact, he states the opposite. But even if he can’t make it magically easy, he does make it desirable and realistic. His blend of experience, clarity, and contagiousness make him compelling like few others on this topic. Randy’s writing will help break the spell the secular age is trying to cast on us to keep us quiet about Jesus. Perhaps this book is just what you need for the post-COVID world and its new evangelistic opportunities.

One of the most helpful, concise, and inspiring books on evangelism I’ve read. Using C.S. Lewis’s winsome rhetoric and joy-based apologetics as a model, Newman offers a roadmap for effective evangelism in a secular age—one that engages the head and the heart to persuade skeptics that the gospel is too beautiful and too good not to be true.

This book challenged, refreshed, and inspired me. Randy Newman is a compelling guide and writes with clarity. He does more than tell us to share the good news—he makes us want to do it and helps us become better at it.

Dr. Randy Newman has pulled off a rare feat. He’s written a book on evangelism that is both practical and beautiful. He adeptly pulls out valuable insights from the writings and life of C.S. Lewis on how to be an effective witness for Christ, yet does so with imagination and grace-full prose. If you desire to tell others about Jesus, this book will help you tremendously. Read it and prayerfully apply its principles, and I know that others will be drawn ‘further up and further in.’

Conversion, Lewis once remarked, “does not occur without the intervention of the supernatural”. He knew that only the mysterious action of divine grace can finally change someone’s heart, and his humility before that mystery underpinned all the extraordinary efforts in evangelism that characterised his life and work. Mere Evangelism examines Lewis’s example in a thorough and thoughtful manner and reflects the same spirit of humility, the sine qua non of the whole enterprise. I warmly recommend it.

Every Christian willing to admit that evangelism is difficult will identify with Randy and benefit from his well-written study of C.S. Lewis’s strategies and biblical teaching on this topic. He comes alongside us to offer practical application steps that lead to conversations about God and the gospel and motivate us to share the good news with the people around us.

Not since Manley Pippert’s Out of the Saltshaker and Chapman’s Know and Tell the Gospel has a book on evangelism so captured my imagination and warmed my heart. In Mere Evangelism the intertwining of the imaginative apologetic of C.S. Lewis and biblical principles is unique and masterly. Newman highlights the brilliance of Lewis without eulogising and is careful to ensure that the book is replete with Scripture. Mere Evangelism will prove a tremendous resource in helping Christians to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.

A first-rate book on personal evangelism. No modern Christian in the English-speaking world has reached as many people with the gospel as C.S. Lewis, and Dr. Newman provides the reader with ten insights on how Professor Lewis fulfilled the Great Commission.”

Most of the time, evangelism does not take place in a single conversation. It is a process of bringing the truth of the gospel into an encounter with someone in need of grace. Using C.S. Lewis as a shining example, Randy Newman takes us through this process, from clearing away obstacles to calling for response. Mere Evangelism is a wonderful resource, full not only of evangelistic principles but also of evangelistic passion.

Mere Evangelism combines an articulation of C.S. Lewis’s art of translating the Christian faith in ways that make sense to the ordinary outsider with a realistic approach to evangelism from our current starting point in an increasingly secular world. Shaped by its insights, we will be better equipped to accompany the Spirit’s work in nudging others along on their journey to Jesus.

Combining the rich wisdom of C.S. Lewis with the experience (and wit) of evangelist Randy Newman—what a great idea for a book! It is a stimulating combination that I trust will yield much spiritual fruit.

A beautiful book that weaves together the best of C.S. Lewis’ creative storytelling and wisdom with Newman’s vast experience and theological underpinning for evangelism. It culminates in a wonderfully well-rounded and easily accessible book that leaves you feeling more joy in the gospel yourself and excited about taking the gospel to those around you.

I have read quite a few books on evangelism (including more than a few by this author), but this stands out. Newman performs a real service to the reader by mining the riches of C.S. Lewis’s works and making them immediately applicable to the gospel conversations we are having (or wanting to have) with our friends and family every day. As I read, I found myself informed, encouraged, and excited to engage more people with the good news. I have no doubt that I will often have occasion to recommend this book to others.

Randy Newman has done it again—but even better than before. His descriptive prowess and ability to turn a phrase shed new light on the passion, burden, and intelligence of C.S. Lewis’s arguments for the faith. A must-read for all who are committed to proclaiming the gospel today.

Randy Newman has dug deeply into Lewis’s works to unearth and display treasures that are often overlooked. Throughout, he sprinkles the text with helpful tips that will both motivate us and help us more effectively engage our friends with the message of the gospel.

C.S. Lewis wrote, ‘If Christianity is untrue, then no honest man will want to believe it … if it is true, every honest man will want to believe it.’ From that secure footing, Randy Newman’s highly readable book translates Lewis’s approach to evangelism effectively for today’s contemporary audiences.