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Our role as Christians is to spread the gospel to all others so that they also can come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV) Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
And while we know this to be true, the idea of talking to others about God and our faith can be uncomfortable and scary at first.
Steve and Cheri Saccone wrote the book, Talking About God, as a way to help others read examples of how they have approached certain topics with nonbelievers.
Steve is also the author of Relational Intelligence and Protege. He is a regional executive for unrestricted education at Southeastern University.
Cheri is a freelance writer and registered nurse with a background in psychology.
The book walks through six unique conversations narrated by either Steve or Cheri.
Jen
Cheri walks through her interactions with Jen. The theme Jen struggles with is focusing on trying to know God cognitively. She seeks out information on learning about Christianity but misses out on the heart aspect of having a personal relationship with Jesus.
Yash
Steve discusses his many interactions with Yash who is of a different faith. Yash struggles with feeling pulled to Jesus and Christianity but wants to find a way to make multiple faiths fit together. Steve walks through the conversation and bible verses that he shared with Yash to let him know that Jesus is the only way to salvation.
Lacey
Lacey’s example is one of self-reliance over giving up control and allowing God to to lead the way. Cheri retells her experience with Lacey and the long process it can take to tear down walls and let God be the ultimate leader.
Jake
Steve provides comfort and support to Jake in his struggle with shame. Jake’s hindrance to faith is that he feels he’s not “good enough” to be loved by God. And that theme caused him pain in all other aspects of his life as well.
Maya
Cheri shares Maya’s story of depression and anxiety and the then ensuing isolation. Maya also is a unique story from the rest, in that she had not had any experience or knowledge of God in her life prior to meeting with Cheri.
Eric
Steve narrates his conversation with Eric who was struggling with his sexuality. The story walks through the difficulties not only for Eric but also for Steve, as his friend, but also as a Christian. Eric’s example shows the complexity and pain of the situation.
Final Thoughts
I found each of the above stories to be themes that I see often in my therapy office. Many of my clients struggle to accept Jesus or become closer in their relationship with Him due to one (or more) of these issues. So I appreciated the legitimacy of the examples Steve and Cheri provided.
As a whole, I would say I found the book beneficial but there were some areas that I struggled with.
At times Cheri responded based off of assumptions and/or emotional responses to the situations. She acknowledges some of those situations but not all of them. While her experiences worked out for the best, I could have seen some of them going quite poorly if that were to be how she responded to someone else.
I found Steve’s narrations to be more helpful in how to talk with others about God.
So overall I would say Talking About God was an interesting book to read as a starting off point for someone who has never discussed God and Christianity with others. It is an easy read and the positive testimonies are encouraging.
This is not a book to read, however, if you are looking for specific scriptural answers that some of your nonbeliever friends may question you about.
Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book by Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.
For more of my book reviews check out posts in the book review tab.
God bless!
Melissa
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Great honest review much appreciated! Especially with a professional perspective too!
Thank you Jenny! God bless!
I love how the Lord has equipped you with not just His Word but your counseling experience and you have the healthy well rounded approach to life and to help others! TY for being willing to share with all of us! ❤
Thank you so much Donna for those kind and encouraging words! My goal is to be open to however God wants me to use my knowledge and experience to help others and glorify Him! Thank you again for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. God bless!
I’m going to look into this book. I’ve been wanting to find another book to read when I finish the one I’m on now.
It’s an interesting read. I always appreciate reading and hearing about how others talk to people about God and coming to faith. Thank you for stopping by. God bless!
Very nice
Thank you! God bless!
Awesome post
Thanks for the review of this book! It looks interesting about each scenario and how to respond!
I appreciated the different scenarios and the different ways they approached each. There definitely isn’t just one way to talk to others about God. Thank you for stopping by and reading the review. God bless!
This sounds like a really interesting book. I really like the structure. Well organized and concise apologetics and analysis!
I definitely think it’s a good starting point for people to work to get comfortable with talking to others about God. Thank for stopping by Alice! God bless!
Learning how to talk to people about our Christian faith can be a little bit intimidating at first. But like every thing else it gets easier the more you do it. I really appreciated the way you broke down each person and their unique situations. It’s so important for us to see people as individuals and not group them together. God bless you!
Thank you Connie! Yes, the book did a great job of showing the differences. Thank you for stopping and commenting. God bless!