Why Won't They Listen? A Radical New Approach to Evangelism

Rating:
Summary: A must read for any evangelist
Review: In his book, "Why won't they listen," Ken Ham offers a "radical" new approach to evangelism in today's world. His primary objective is to convince his readers that simply telling people about Jesus is not enough. He emphasises the fact that today's culture does not have the foundational belief in the Bible like our nation once had. He compares today's culture with the Greeks in Acts 17. Thus, our nation was once like the Jews in Acts 2 who once had a fundamental understanding of the Word of God. As a result, Mr. Ham attempts to persuade us to bring the nation "back to Genesis" so that we can present the Gospel message.

Although "Why won't they listen" is a great book, I don't think that Mr. Ham really needed to write it. I say this because his other book, "The Lie: Evolution" basically has the same message. In fact, I would highly recommend "The Lie: Evolution" over "Why don't they listen." The only difference between the two is that "Why won't they listen" focuses more on evangelism, while "The Lie: Evolution" is more about how evolution has affected our culture.

I am saddened by reviewers who criticise authors like Mr. Ham. They feel that creationists are misleading, or turning people away from the Gospel, simply because Mr. Ham's view contradicts what a lot of scientists believe. Critics usually say, "Go read a science textbook to find out the truth on origins," or go talk to a "real" scientist when dealing with science(Rather than reading what God's word says). Its as these critics are telling us that we should conform to the ideas of man before we go to the Bible. Or in other words, Man, not God's word, has the first say in regards to how we should view the world. When critics alledge, "The Bible is not a Science Textbook!" what they are really telling us that the Bible's history and science in Genesis can't be trusted. And thank goodness that the Bible is not a science textbook, because science textbooks change every year. I thank God for ministries like Answers in Genesis(whom Mr. Ham is affiliated with), who consistently emphasize that we should build all of our thinking on the word of God, rather than the fallible ideas of man. So, who are you going to believe, evolutionists, who say that Man evolved from ape-like creatures over millions of years, or Jesus, the creator(Col. 1:15-17)who says that Adam and Eve were created "In the Beginning."(Matt. 19:4), not billions of years after the beginning!

Rating:
Summary: Answer: The difference in the culture
Review: In this book, Ken Ham looks at the problem of why the Christian church in Western countries seems to be having a decreasing impact on the culture and fewer converts. His answer: the culture around us doesn't have the same set of Christian assumptions that they formerly held. Without the foundational concepts of sin, the fall, and others, they will not see the need for the Gospel. He discusses I Corinthians 1:23 to illustrate the differences in the previous culture and the current one in places such as Australia, England, and the United States.

Being a leader in the Answers in Genesis ministry, his focus is primarily on the shift in cultural thinking on origins from God creating the world in 6 literal days to evolution over millions of years. This book it not a direct attack on evolution as are other books of his (and the Answers in Genesis ministry), but rather showing the implications of the cultural shift when a society accepts evolutionary belief over literal 6-day creation and how this impacts evangelistic efforts. Ham states that for most non-Christians he meets, evolution has undermined their faith in Genesis, and consequently the entire Bible. He then talks about different categories of people based on their thinking and what methods would be effective in evangelizing them. Throughout, he presents testimonies of those affected by the type of evangelism he is advocating.

In this book I found clear explanations, good arguments, practical application, and a focus on the theme without lots of side-trails. Thus, I readily give this book five stars.

This is a book directed to Christians, and I recommend it to all of us as it has implications for how we think, evangelize, and worship. This book could be used as a basis for a small group study with a little effort by the leader.

Rating:
Summary: Answer: The difference in the culture
Review: In this book, Ken Ham looks at the problem of why the Christian church in Western countries seems to be having a decreasing impact on the culture and fewer converts. His answer: the culture around us doesn't have the same set of Christian assumptions that they formerly held. Without the foundational concepts of sin, the fall, and others, they will not see the need for the Gospel. He discusses I Corinthians 1:23 to illustrate the differences in the previous culture and the current one in places such as Australia, England, and the United States.

Being a leader in the Answers in Genesis ministry, his focus is primarily on the shift in cultural thinking on origins from God creating the world in 6 literal days to evolution over millions of years. This book it not a direct attack on evolution as are other books of his (and the Answers in Genesis ministry), but rather showing the implications of the cultural shift when a society accepts evolutionary belief over literal 6-day creation and how this impacts evangelistic efforts. Ham states that for most non-Christians he meets, evolution has undermined their faith in Genesis, and consequently the entire Bible. He then talks about different categories of people based on their thinking and what methods would be effective in evangelizing them. Throughout, he presents testimonies of those affected by the type of evangelism he is advocating.

In this book I found clear explanations, good arguments, practical application, and a focus on the theme without lots of side-trails. Thus, I readily give this book five stars.

This is a book directed to Christians, and I recommend it to all of us as it has implications for how we think, evangelize, and worship. This book could be used as a basis for a small group study with a little effort by the leader.

Rating:
Summary: Because you're not worth listening to
Review: They don't listen because fundamentalists like the aptly named Ham are not preaching the Gospel. Rather they offer an easily digestable Americanized product that combines a naive and anachronistic reading of the Bible with a good dose of pseudoscience (Ham is a leading proponent of young earth theories and teaches that humans coexisted with dinosaurs).

Ham "Radical New Approach" is more of the same. He argues that we need to return to a naive view of the Bible and view it as a scientifically and historically pristine textbook. How this approach is supposed to interest anyone with a halfway decent education is not explained. I'm also not sure what is "radical" about this...fundamentalists have been beating this drum for a long time now and all they've accomplished is an increasingly marginalized American church.

If you are truly interested in how to reach people with the Gospel, as opposed to how to drive people away, take a look at books by Brian Mclaren and Dave Tomlinson.

Rating:
Summary: Straight to the point.
Review: This book essentially deals with the fundamental differences between the two main religions that compete for the hearts and minds of the west - humanism and Christianity.

It takes an interesting view of the influence of humanism and in particular the evolutionary mindset it has spawned and its side affects on society.

I highly recommend this book to any Christian. In particular those who have had to deal with questions while witnessing centred around Genesis and Evolution.

Not a science book (so no Evolution vs. Creationism pros and cons list) but more a theological work looking at the problems with the modern, western, Christian Church.