How Shall We Reach Them? Defending and Communicating the Christian Faith to Nonbelievers is a helpful book giving practical insight into the twin arts of evangelism and apologetics. Early on in the book the authors, Alistair McGrath and Michael Green, emphasize that those churches which are committed to evangelism grow, while those that don't are on the decline. They declare, "Evangelism must be a normal, regular, and expected aspect of modern church life----for both pastor and congregation."   

They bring out a very important point about the "why" of evangelism----generosity, sharing something precious and satisfying with those who matter to us. If the gospel really means something to us, then we won't want to keep it to ourselves.   

In defining apologetics, the authors define it as a sort of "pre-evangelism" that prepares the ground for evangelism proper. Apologetics deals with giving reasons for our faith that persuade people that Christianity does make sense. While evangelism is like offering bread to a hungry beggar, apologetics is like convincing the beggar that it is available and good to eat. The job of the Christian is to not only proclaim the good news, but to explain why the good news is attractive. 

We must answer the objections that people have about Christianity. That's what apologetics is all about. It is our responsibility to reach out to the reason, emotion and experience of the people we encounter. We must show them what Christianity is all about and then attempt to remove any barriers that prevent them from coming to faith.   

The authors give four reasons why people are not Christians: 1.) Reasons of climate----the climate of unbelief that has developed because of the Renaissance, Enlightenment, scientific materialism and urbanization; 2.) Reasons of the memory----many people have been hurt by institutional Christianity and are resentful; 3.) Reasons of the intellect----a variety of reasons often encountered in our liberal Postmodern culture, including the claim that miraculous events can't be proven by science; 4.) Reasons of the heart----these are reasons that are often dark, dealing with sin in the person. The authors point out "...in short, what seems to be an intellectual reason for rejecting the gospel may actually be a moral reason----not 'I can't believe,' but 'I won't believe.' It is not a reason but an excuse for rejecting Christ."   

The authors urge that we be able to concisely, briefly and effectively be able to share the essentials of the gospel in a very short time space, since so many in today's culture have little time to listen to you at length. They stress that we don't need to make the gospel attractive by dressing it up in "modern clothes," because the gospel already is attractive. We do need, however, to be able to relate the gospel message to our audience in terms they can relate to.   

Good apologetics, say the authors, are based on two premises: 1.) that you know something about your friends, and 2.) that you know something about Christianity. They point out that today's Postmodern world is largely image-based. We therefore need to develop image-based approaches to apologetics and evangelism rather than the traditional word-based approach. The authors also point out the need to sell people on the richness of the gospel, not to sell the church as an institution. People in the Postmodern world are not interested in "metanarratives," but they will listen to your personal story about how Christ has impacted your life.   

The authors spend considerable time discussing how to build bridges to people of various attitudes or backgrounds. For instance, in dealing with college-age people in Western society, they suggest we approach them in a way that allows them to not feel their personal integrity is being challenged. In other words, we must be able to deal with them in a way that allows them to openly discuss things without them losing face because they've "lost an argument." We shouldn't force our conversation partners into "win-lose" situations, but rather present Christianity as an attractive choice that allows for "hope in the face of death, a sense of peace in the presence of God, a new perception of personal dignity and a revitalized sense of purpose..." In dealing with people who have previously been "burned" by religion, they suggest that we explain the difference between "religion" and "faith."   

Close to ninety pages is devoted to dealing with people of other religions, including the New Agers, those in Eastern religions, such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Shintoism, etc., those into the Muslim faith, and those involved in Judaism.   

They devote an entire chapter on Christians having confidence in an age of religious pluralism. They quote Visser t'Hooft, first secretary of the World Council of Churches: "It is high time Christians should rediscover that Jesus Christ didn't not come to make a contribution to the religious storehouse of mankind, but that in him God reconciled the world to himself." The authors point out that pluralism should not really scare us, but encourage us to share our faith, since pluralism gives every person the right to be heard.   

The authors wrap up the book by discussing the importance of equipping the Christian church, giving practical suggestions on how to train people in visiting, personal evangelism, home groups, lay training, apologetics and nurture. They state, "Churches will start to grow when people feel confident enough to talk to their friends about their faith, to bring them to church to hear regular competent presentations of the Christian gospel, and to respond in a sensitive and caring call for a personal decision to faith. Once this pattern becomes established in the life of the church, the potential for growth is enormous. It has yet to happen; but given time and commitment, it will happen."   

This book is a valuable tool for anyone wishing to learn more about how to reach people for Jesus Christ and is a must-read for any church that wishes to impact the Postmodern society in which we live.