"The Sacrament of Evangelism" by Jerry Root and Stan Guthrie

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Jerry Root and Stan Guthrie. The Sacrament of Evangelism. Moody Publishers, 2011. 288 pgs. 

Root and Guthrie offer a way of looking at life that makes us open to God's presence everywhere. They then apply to evangelism. The result is an entirely different way of thinking about evangelism; it is not about us doing anything to God, but about allowing God to do things to us. It is about going out into the world, finding that God is already there, and engaging with His ongoing activity. Through four sections, each with five chapters, Root and Guthrie explain this world view, explore it's implications, and offer some practical advice on actually doing it. 

Suffused with wisdom and humility, The Sacrament of Evangelism was an exhilarating read. It is evident that each section of this book seeks to open the readers eyes to God's presence and strengthen in the readers heart a desire for God. This combination perfectly illustrates what Root and Guthrie are after in using the word 'Sacrament.' Their view of evangelism, and life lived in the presence of God, is something you must think about and will benefit from adopting. 

The best section of this book was the third: "The Gospel and Humanity." In it Root and Guthrie take a look at how our desires connect to God, the three desires we all share, and what place our other longings have. These become points at which we can help people see their own desire and need for God.  In contrast, I was disappointed in the fourth section of this book. The practical advice seemed to lack the verve and quality of the rest of the book. Perhaps they missed something or, perhaps, this is because it is very difficult to give practical advice in this sort of thing, other than "go out and do it!" which Root and Guthrie begin saying at the beginning of the book and never stop. Either way, The Sacrament of Evangelism is an excellent book. 

Conclusion: 4.5 of 5 Stars. Recommended. You should read this. Seriously. We all come to the discipline of evangelism with baggage; usually massive amounts of it. This book will not only help you sort through that, but give you something so much better in return. 


Special Note: This is my 100th book review on this blog!!! 

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