Michael L. Simpson, Permission Evangelism: When to Talk, When to Walk. David C. Cook Publishing, 2003.
Referenced in: Approaches to Evangelism – Conversational/Relational
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
The premise of this book is that evangelistic conversations are often best conducted when they come a as a result of permission from the listener. This is in the spirit of Colossians 4:5-6 and 1 Peter 3:15-16 which suggest wise and sensitive conversational exchanges with unbelievers.
Simpson encourages people to conduct conversations as non-threateningly as possible, respecting the non-believer’s spiritual journey by gently moving variously forward and away based on their readiness, and waiting for the Holy Spirit’s prompting before going into deeper levels. Then, if and when the unbeliever gives another permission to share the gospel by asking more questions, they are much more likely to value the response. They may opt out of the discussion or may ask for more. As long as a person is faithful and obedient to the opportunities of the moment and neither forces nor evades, this is fine. Prayerful attunement to the Spirit’s leading allows one to sense the opportunities God is giving and the discernment to use them wisely.
This is over against market-driven or hard-sell evangelistic methods, or impersonal literature-dropping like so many campus movements. It focuses on building fruitful, genuine relationships with others.
There are several who may benefit from this book. One is those who feel guilty about not evangelizing or not getting the results they believe they should. This is helpful not only for active evangelists but also for those who refrain from evangelism out of doubt that they cannot accomplish anything. This book also helps those who have grown up in the church and have no real knowledge of how unbelievers think. Simpson offers insight into postmoderns. Some are “firm” in their beliefs and are hard to convince, even by one who is well-versed in apologetics. Others are “flexible,” whose beliefs are an eclectic and unrefined collection of thoughts from a variety of systems. They are easier to talk to, but even more difficult to reach because they embrace Christian discussion as something interesting to learn from. Others are quite negative in their assessment of Christians are not open to discussion at all. These and other realities point to the need for a new approach like permission evangelism.
Throughout the book, Simpson offers many examples of conversations. He makes helpful suggestions for individuals and groups. He also helps churches who want to provide “safe entry points” for unbelievers and “incubation” environments for new believers.
One respectable feature of this text is Simpson’s acknowledgement that this is not the only way to do evangelism, and that there may be times that it could actually be sinful to employ this approach. So much of it is based on social appropriateness. God does not always work on this scale, however. The story of Saul of Tarsus and others demonstrates that God may dramatically interrupt an unbeliever’s life, and he may use others to accomplish this. In many if not most cases, however, the kind of conversations Simpson discusses are a needed and helpful part of evangelistic work.
From the Publisher
When was the last time that a non-believer actually asked you to share your faith? Now you can learn to engage unbelievers in a way that honors God, and that helps you move past the guilt, fear, and failure that so often thwarts evangelism! Author Michael Simpson, a former atheist who used to attack and attempt to disprove the beliefs of Christians, today has a powerful vision and passion for reaching the lost for Christ. In this daring new way of looking at evangelism, Simpson will equip you to recognize the powerful work of grace in your own life, and to understand the right and wrong ways to approach a seeker. You’ll learn to articulate your personal story of salvation as the amazing, compelling adventure that it really is!
Evangelism was never like this! Experience the joy and freedom that Permission Evangelism offers!
About the Author
Michael Simpson has more than 16 years in high-tech, holding positions from Strategic Market Planner to Chief Marketing Officer. Michael Simpson is recognized worldwide as a leading industry strategist, public speaker and contributing author to several books. As president of 5thLine, Inc., he assists companies like POLO/Ralph Lauren and Sage Software, Inc., plan for the future. Focused on evangelism in the workplace since abandoning atheism in 1992, he has developed a course using cutting edge “1:1 marketing” concepts that have been proven to help Christians reach those seeking spirituality, but that reject the traditional church. He sits on the board of directors for Spy in the Land ministries and has been involved in several successful church plants.
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