Customer Reviews

Tell the Truth: The Whole Gospel to the Whole Person by Whole People

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In his introduction, Will Metzger gives the reader his rationale for writing the book. He wrote this book under the conviction that while the Church has a mandate to evangelize, many within the Church were not doing evangelizing at all, and those who were evangelizing were not doing it well. In response to this trend, Metzger intends this book to help Christians "tell the gospel in a way honoring to God, helpful to others and liberating for you."

Metzger's book is comprised of three parts, each focusing on the three elements listed in the subtitle of the book. The first section deals with the content of the `whole gospel.' Here, he begins by emphasizing that bearing witness is more than just giving one's testimony. There is a specific message to which one is bearing witness. This point leads Metzger to go on to explain what he perceives to be the essentials of the biblical gospel. Metzger says that any biblical gospel presentation must be God-centered, and include an explanation of: (1) "God - the Holy and Loving Creator," (2) "Man - the Sinful Creature," (3) "Christ - the Merciful Redeemer," and (4) "Our Necessary Response." He also believes that knowing accurately the content is more important than simply sharing with as many people as possible.

In section two, Metzger focuses on the idea of converting the whole person. The first chapter in this section explains his view of biblical conversion. Here, Metzger wants to convey the distinction between God's work, regeneration, and the individual's response, conversion. He goes to share his desire to see a better, biblical balance between the use of the emotions and the mind in evangelism. Metzger encourages those who present the gospel not to rely on an appeal to the emotions. The truth of the gospel should inform the mind and so move the emotions. He ends this section by reminding his readers that the will also plays a key role - the gospel is not only an offer of the forgiveness of sins, but a radical call to live a life that is obedient to the Lord.

The third and final section deals with the whole person (character and actions) who delivers the message of the gospel. Metzger begins by explaining that a good methodology is needed, but Christians must not be satisfied with simply having a biblical methodology - they must practice it! He then goes on to explain some ways to do that effectively. He makes the point that the presentation should be a personal one. That is to say that while the message does not change, how we present it to a person may change. One must show an interest in the person's life and move the conversation from the everyday to the eternal.

One of the strengths of Metzger's book is his desire to be thoroughly biblical in his basis for the methodology that he espouses. This is important today when much of what the church does is based, not on the Bible, but on apparent pragmatism. Metzger evaluates many approaches throughout the book and finds them wanting.

Another strength of the book comes in Metzger's distinction between the Christian's responsibility in evangelism and God's responsibility. While, believers have a clear mandate to make disciples by proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ, they have no obligation to actually save the person. That is to say, they serve as the message-bearer, and God is the one who is responsible for illuminating the sinner's heart and allowing him or her to believe the gospel. This is, in many ways, a liberating truth. It means that one need not be consumed with feelings of guilt if a person does not accept the gospel. Instead, Christians should strive to be faithful to their call to share the gospel and leave the results of that proclamation to God.

A final strength of the book is its practicality. Not only is Metzger theologically precise, but he offers helpful discussion on the very basic ways in which one may begin a conversation that leads to the gospel, and how to do it well. He also provides thirty pages of Appendix material that ranges from listing some complementary approaches to evangelism to suggested schedules that lay out a plan for an evangelism-training course at a local church.

Metzger's book is perhaps one of the best books available on evangelism. This is evident in that he has avoided two classics pitfalls in evangelism. The first is that he has avoided the problem of allowing his theology to be disconnected from his practice. It is clear from his explanation of the gospel that Metzger holds a high view of God's sovereignty that is characteristic of the Reformed faith. Many others who claim to hold to such a faith often embrace evangelistic methodologies that are inconsistent with their theology. Again, Metzger's definition of the gospel, his understanding of how one goes about sharing the gospel, and his belief about how one actually receives salvation all reflect his theology beliefs. Second, Metzger has not, in any way, let his theology squelch his zeal for evangelism. Too many times, those who embrace a high view of God's sovereignty lack a passion for seeing the lost come to saving faith. Like the apostle Paul, Metzger's enthusiasm is driven by his view of God and the truths of the gospel. Many would do well to listen and learn from Metzger's book.

Through this book, Metzger has provided an excellent resource for pastors, missionaries, and all believers who heed the call of God to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to every tribe, language, and nation.

Theology matters in evangelism. A man-centered theology will result in man-centered evangelism. But a God-centered theology will bring forth the fruit of a God-centered evangelism to the glory of Christ. Will Metzger in Tell the Truth seeks to set forth a gospel theology which will compel a faithful proclamation of the name of the Lord. He argues for a holistic presentation of the gospel to the entire person by complete people. In other words our witness must present the whole gospel to the whole person by whole people.

The truth of the gospel has become only a watered down version presented in man-centered theology. Yet, Metzger rejects this reduced gospel and argues that it is imperative to recover the full glory of the gospel to present a faithful witness to the world. Humanity must see the depth of their depravity. They must feel the burden of sin heavy upon their backs. Then they must look up to the cross of Christ, falling down on their knees, where their burden will be lifted. He writes, "You will find that as people begin to grasp the significance of God as creator and man as the sinful creature, they begin to sense that Christ has done exactly what is needed for their dilemma" (71). This is the heart of the gospel which must be recovered.

The gospel of God is for the whole person. Biblical conversion radically changes the mind, emotions and will. The regenerative work of the Spirit takes our hard stony hearts and recreates them into soft and malleable vessels for his use. Conversion is not mere intellectual assent, but a grasping of the gospel with heart, mind and soul. Metzger writes, "We must forsake any kind of evangelism that either overtly exalts the mind or unduly neglects it" (98). Yet, in exalting truth we must not forsake our emotions. Our emotions are to be stirred.

We must proclaim the truth of the gospel to the mind with passion all the while calling for a response. The will cannot be forsaken for if no response is called for; if no change of life is required than the gospel has not been preached. The gospel is calling sinners to embrace Christ. "True evangelists do pop the question. In fact, we are to plead, command, invite and beg" (106)! The gospel is for the whole person.

In a day where methods are placed over the message Metzger succeeds wonderfully in explaining the glorious gospel message of Jesus Christ. In particular, his insistence on the proper use of the law and gospel in evangelism serves as a much needed corrective to an often lopsided gospel presentation (53-82). Many evangelism methods today focus on the "simple gospel message" but fail in declaring the whole gospel by leaving out the law. They tout that Jesus is the answer, but they have forgotten the question. Without the law there can be no gospel. Without sin there is no grace.

The law of God convicts of sin but it is powerless to save. Metzger binds the law and the gospel together thus upholding the biblical message of hope for unbelievers. The law of God must be espoused within the context of the love of God (68-69). Sin would not be known if it were not for the law and the poor sinner would recoil at an angry God unless redeemed by the grace of Christ. It is in recognition of sin that grace is made known. Grace cannot be grace without sin and the convicting work of God's law.

Metzger also lays the axe to the root of false assurance based upon a past profession of faith without the semblance of any present fruit (79-81). There are many who believe that they are Christians because when they were little they prayed a prayer of salvation at Sunday school. Yet, Metzger debunks this false security by effectively arguing that what matters most is not a past profession but a present possession. He writes, "Our eternal security should be focused not on remote past actions but on our present attitude toward Christ" (81).

Metzger's work is a shining spot on the horizon of writing on evangelism for he exalts the sovereignty of God but forsakes not the responsibility of human words and actions. By lifting up God as sovereign hope is assured to those who seek to evangelize the lost. Evangelism centered on human methods and a truncated message will be left ultimately standing dependent on the will of man. However, a God-centered evangelism believes in the biblical hope that Christ purchased people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation (Rev. 5:9). The faithful evangelist can rest in the sure promises of God that his word will not return void. The gospel proclaimed will not vanish off echoing into non-existence. It will be heard, it will be believed and it will be obeyed.

Lastly, it should be briefly noted that Metzger places evangelism within its proper context in the total and comprehensive plan and purpose of God. Evangelism is at best secondary to worship which is number one on God's agenda. He writes, "Worship is our response to his extreme grace" (152). And yet worship and evangelism exist in a reciprocal relationship. One cannot worship without first believing in Christ through the tool of evangelism. And worship brings a deeper understanding of the grace of God which is the natural compelling factor in evangelism. Evangelism brings forth worship and worship constrains evangelism. Evangelism is not an end in itself, but only a means to the end which is worship.

Metzger gives us a gospel saturated book on gospel centered evangelism. He gives cogency and clarity on the nature and reality of our hope - the gospel. He exemplifies the necessity of reaching the whole person: mind, emotions, will. And he reminds us that God uses broken clay pots to carry the thirst-quenching wine of his gospel. In short, he holds forth the gospel as our hope and motivation to bring the message of Christ to a world at enmity with the Sovereign creator of the universe.

In a day when pragmatism rules and numbers count and walking the aisle or raising a hand is believed to indicate a new life in Christ, Will Metzger is refreshingly honest in his handling of the Gospel presentation. Metzger divides his book into three sections following the theme of the sub-title; part 1)The Whole Gospel, 2)To the Whole Person, 3)Offered by Whole People. In part one Metzger does a good job of addressing those hungry only for numbers, "Our task is to present faithfully the gospel message by our lives and our lips. Any definition of our task that includes results is confusing our responsibility with God's prerogative." (25)

In part two Metzger discusses presenting the Gospel to the whole person and spends a chapter on each aspect of the whole person; mind, emotions and will. This section of the book addresses the seeming inconsistency in many believers by presenting the view that perhaps these believers are not believers at all because they have only heard and been taught a watered-down version of the Gospel.

Chapters eight and nine, which comprise section three, address the mode in which persons are confronted with the Truth. Here character and communication are discussed in regards to spreading the Gospel on a person to person level. The appendix has two very helpful sections about complementary approaches in evangelism and worksheets for improving our witness.

This book is most definitely a keeper and on a scale of one to twelve I would give it a ten. Metzger's style is easy to read and flows smoothly. This book can be read in a day and most definitely kept as a resource when information on spreading the Truth--Jesus Christ, is required.

Semper fi & agape, Ed D.

Most evangelism books that I have read focus on methods and numbering results without giving true honour to the King of kings and the Lord of lords (1 Timothy 6:15) but this is not the case with Will Metzger's book. He truly seeks to establish a God-centered approach to evangelism that is refreshing and encouraging to read.

Metzger's book is not a "how to" manuel for evangelism although he does give you a great overview of the true gospel message and helps the believer to understand that witnessing is made less difficult when we realise that our purpose is to simply tell the whole gospel to the whole person. Metzger challenges modern evangelism by asserting that the message of the gospel is not just the person of Christ but the doctrines of grace.

Overall if you are looking for a book on evangelism than purchase this book today. You will enjoy the study questions at the end of the book that make this book quite easy for small group Bible studies or personal studies. It's time to allow the sovereignty of God to be involved in evangelism and yet it's also time to proclaim the entire gospel to the nations (Matthew 28:19-20) and exalt our awesome God!

I am a pastor in southern california with extensive experience in campus evangelism (cold turkey and open air preaching) and evangelism through the local church. I must have read over 20 books on evangelism and this book is by far the best book on evangelism that is both effective and God honoring. The author employs several charts to highlight the differences between God centered and man centered approaches to evangelism which are very helpful. A must read for all Christians!

If you're into gimmicky evangelism, then continue shopping. If, however, you desire to develop a more biblically based understanding of the Gospel, this book is the one for you. Metzger is excellent in getting us to look past the shallow and manipulative approaches to evangelism that are so prominent in our day and making a case for presenting the full gospel (counting the cost, repentance, etc.). This would be a great book for individual or group study.

This book is definitely a treasure on the subject of evangelism, especially personal witnessing. My interest in reading this book has led me to read Part One and Part Two, where Metzger talks about the Whole Gospel (or content of the gospel) to the Whole Person (or the conversion of the total person). I also covered Part Four (The Gospel Offered by Whole People) where the author focuses on the person's character and communication in witnessing. The four appendices were also briefly examined. Overall, this is indeed a good 'training manual on the message and method of God-centered witnessing.'
I find some connections with the author while reading this book. First, his experience as a new Christian wanting to witness for Christ in a friendly setting resonates with my own journey in seeking to be an effective Christian witness. I therefore can relate with him when he said, "I was one of those Christians who believed in friendship evangelism, but for me it turned out to be all friendship and little evangelism" (15). Second, his desire to understand the message and the methods of the gospel that led him to attend various evangelism trainings and seminars resembles with my early Christian experience. Third, I can also relate with his stories how frustrated he was in hearing methodologies, rather than clear gospel message, in many seminars he has attended on evangelism. These seminars were more harmful than helpful to the gospel. Fourth, I can identify with the joys and the challenges he had as a former campus minister with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, having been a former staff member with InterVarsity Philippines myself.
Metzger's motivation in writing this book comes from his conviction that while the Church has a mandate to evangelize, many within the Church were not evangelizing at all. And even those who were engaged in evangelism were not doing it the right way. In response to this sad situation, Metzger's desire to help fellow believers led him to write this book with the intention to ""show and tell" the gospel in a way honoring to God, helpful to others and liberating for [them]" (15). The way he presented the book exactly corresponds with his goal for the book does not only explain clearly what evangelism is and what the gospel is, it also includes many practical steps on how to engage oneself in God-honoring evangelism. His methodology complements very well with that of Nick Pollard in his book "Evangelism Made Slightly Less Difficult." The four appendices are even very useful in terms of starting an evangelism training in the church. Appendix A (Training Materials for Learning God-Centered Evangelism) and C (Study Gide of Metzger's book) are especially handy for pastors or teachers in the church who want to learn and apply the content of Metzger's book in training believers for effective witnessing.

Too many books on evangelism are either gimicky, or shallow, or both! Metzger's book is soundly Reformed, intensely practical, and outstadningly written. One hopes that InterVarsity will reprint it!

In reaction to the recent resurgence in Reformed theology among young evangelicals, some Southern Baptists have registered concern that personal evangelism may suffer a setback. Calvinists and non-Calvinists alike sometimes wonder if a strong view of God's sovereignty can lead to active evangelistic efforts.

Will Metzger's book, Tell the Truth: The Whole Gospel to the Whole Person by Whole People (IVP), helps Christians keep evangelism front and center, and he accomplishes this task by offering doctrinally-minded Christians a training manual for witnessing in a God-centered way. Today, I will summarize the four main sections of Metzer's book. Tomorrow, I will offer a few areas of agreement and critique.

Summary

Metzger begins by focusing on the importance of the gospel itself. Whereas some evangelistic strategies assume that the Christian already understands the gospel, Tell the Truth rightly perceives that the very message of the gospel is often neglected or even lost completely in certain methods of evangelism.

Metzger hopes readers will "recover the theological content of the gospel because only as your view of God's active grace in salvation is changed can you find the confidence, joy, and gratitude to undergird a new evangelistic lifestyle" (15).

Integral to Metzger's thesis is the idea that methodology flows from theology. Our theology is not only important in getting the message right, but also in how we present that message. He writes:

"A scriptural doctrine of evangelism should be the controlling element in any practice of evangelism" (19).

Because theology is so important for effective evangelism, Metzger spends a good deal of the book defining the gospel.

First, he shows that many forms of evangelism minimize the biblical content of the gospel. Too many strategies proclaim God's love to the exclusion of his holiness and justice (39-41). He points out that gospel presentations rarely speak of the danger and reality of hell (46-7).

Next, he offers a road to recovery of the "whole" gospel.

Metzger's gospel presentation can be categorized in five major points:

Evangelists must teach about God, specifically his role as Owner, Father, and Judge of humanity (51-8).
We must speak of "God-centered living," which brings the Law into the picture (Love God and your neighbor) (58-62).
Evangelists must show how "self-centered living" separates us from God and enslaves us to sin (62-7).
We must proclaim Jesus Christ, whose death and resurrection provide our "way back to life" (67-75).
Evangelists must call for the necessary response of repentance and faith (75-82).
After defining the main components of the gospel message, Metzger devotes the next section of the book to recovering a robust understanding of true conversion. Metzger believes that evangelists should not be satisfied with a partial response to the gospel. He makes a distinction between "professing" and truly "possessing" salvation.

If Christians are to rightly understand true conversion, then we must recover the biblical teaching of regeneration. We are not seeking quick conversions, but the Holy Spirit's work in regenerating lost hearts (89).

Metzger believes that a right understanding of conversion will lead to gospel presentations that appeal to the mind, emotions, and will. Too many evangelistic methods focus on only one of these three parts of the human personality. Metzger urges us to hold them in proper balance.

The third section of the book provides a theological foundation for evangelism. Metzger puts forth a Calvinistic understanding of salvation (though he does not use the label). A proper understanding of God's sovereignty in salvation will lead to a proper understanding of grace which, in turn, should embolden our witness for Christ.

He points out three myths that obscure the nature of free and unmerited grace: inalienable rights, human goodness, and free will (121-8). Metzger believes that worship should be the main motivation for personal evangelism. Worship as a response to grace should provide the necessary energy for sustaining our witnessing efforts (157-8).

The final section of Tell the Truth launches into the mechanics of personal witnessing. Metzger eliminates obstacles that stand in the way of evangelism (religious pluralism, lack of apologetic preparation, fear), and he challenges "ordinary Christians" to be faithful to the Great Commission through personal evangelism (159-79).

The last chapter (before the lengthy appendices) focuses on the different ways that gospel presentations can be tailored for different kinds of people (182-6).

Strengths

Overall, Tell the Truth is a valuable book for Christians who desire to be faithful in personal evangelism. One of the strengths of this book is Metzger's ability to make careful distinctions.

For example, Metzger is right to point out the difference between sharing a personal testimony and testifying about Christ (28). He understands the value of a personal testimony, and yet carefully distinguishes between telling "your story" and telling Christ's story.

Metzger is also right to see the call for response as an integral part of the gospel proclamation. While the call to repentance and faith may not necessarily be "gospel" itself, a gospel presentation is surely lacking if it gives no instructions for sinners to respond (77-9). Over against some Calvinists who refrain from calling for a response, Metzger rightly understands the biblical imperative that must be issued to those who hear the gospel.

Another strong point is balance. For example, Metzger combines the truth of Christ's exclusivity with the radically inclusive call to salvation (164), thereby avoiding the trap of fostering an attitude of religious superiority.

Metzger also strikes a good balance between formulaic evangelism and strategic methods and diagrams. He understands the helpfulness of evangelistic tools, yet resists the tendency to rely on only one specific method.

The appendices are likewise very helpful to those who wish to consistently engage in personal evangelism.

Weaknesses

There are a few weaknesses in Tell the Truth, though these in no way detract from the overall value that Metzger's book provides for evangelicals.

The first weakness is one that is common to evangelistic strategies in the evangelical world: the absence of the church. It is unfortunate that in the simplified version of the "Come Home" diagram (54), Metzger does not mention the church at all.

The evangelistic strategy is exclusively vertical in nature, so that the unsaved person hears a message that is only about a personal relationship with God. The horizontal dimension of the good news (God creating a covenant community for his glory and the good of the world) is missing from this picture. To his credit, Metzger does include the invitation into the family of God in a couple of other places (126), but the church is not seen as the primary platform upon which salvation is taking place.

Despite the good emphasis on true regeneration and personal conversion resulting from complete gospel presentations, Metzger's proposal does not go far enough. Because of its absence within the overall structure of the gospel presentation, the church will inevitably seem like a theological afterthought or the practical "fine print" at the bottom of a gospel presentation rather than the integral part of the picture it truly is.

Whereas the Bible's storyline presents us with God as a good Creator determined to redeem his fallen creatures and restore his fallen world, Tell the Truth focuses exclusively on the individual side of this equation. The person who hears this gospel presentation rightly understands his unworthiness before a holy God, but does not hear an explanation of the overarching framework into which his personal story must fit.

There are a few other weak spots in the book.

Because of the exclusive focus on the individual, Metzger sees guilt as the primary problem that Christ came to deal with (67). Guilt is indeed a problem resolved by the cross, but would not "death" be primarily what Christ came to deal with (Rom. 6:23)? Were Metzger to have emphasized the problem of "death" over "guilt," his understanding of the resurrection and the future hope of Christians would have been greatly sharpened.

Another weakness is due to oversimplification in Metzger's description of "me-centered theology." At one point, he basically equates Arminians and Pelagians (109), a move which would surely ruffle the feathers of most Arminians (who would stand side-by-side with Augustine against Pelagius any day).

Also, to illustrate the doctrine of irresistible grace, he tells a story that makes it sound like people come to faith apart from and despite their will (144).

Conclusion

Tell the Truth is one of the best evangelical books on personal witnessing that you will find. It rightly points out the dangers of shrinking the Bible's teaching on salvation and brings us back to the core of the gospel in order to reestablish our passion for evangelism.

Despite a few flaws, Tell the Truth helpfully centers our evangelistic efforts upon God and his glory.

Firstly, he is concerned with the content of the Gospel message. He discusses the definition of witnessing, how we as human beings distort the Gospel message, and what a true Gospel message includes. In this section he lists five primary points of the Gospel. The five points he mentions are: God, the law and love, being separated or holy, the provision in Jesus Christ, and our response. He says that in our witnessing we must define God and understand who our audience is. He explains how the Scripture carries a double message of both law and love, and further how they are to interact. He writes about the conviction of sin and how the grace of God is apprehended in Christ Jesus. Finally he concludes his five primary points by explaining what is necessary in a call to respond. He also includes what he says is the controlling element in evangelism and the goal of evangelism. One of the memorable quotes in this part one section is: "Well-meaning Christians dilute the Gospel into a bandage for surface wounds and medicine for selfish wishes. The deeper need of reconciliation with their Maker on his terms of unconditional surrender is omitted" (24). The author wants to make clear that witnessing involves persuading people to turn to God, yet the actual results are not ours. Metzger includes graphs that illustrate the difference between me-centered and God-centered gospel content.
Secondly, the author is concerned with the conversion of the whole person. In this part he explains how some seem to heavily change in one area knowledge, emotions, or will, at the time of conversion. Yet, the author points out is it is important that we emphasize not only an objective understanding of gospel content, but also the emotional effect of that content. Metzger says that the me-centered approach to evangelism helps perpetuate this effect of not reaching the whole person. To illustrate this point Metzger quotes James Denny's The Death of Christ: A man is sitting on a pier fishing on the calm summer day. Suddenly another man comes running down the pier, dives into the water, and drowns. Having witnessed this, I explained to the fisherman, "This man died for you!" The fisherman, however, has great trouble understanding why the man needed to die for him. After all, he was in no danger that he could see. .... Denny says that the parable of the fishermen unaware of his peril reflects the way modern day evangelists often present the gospel. They minimize human depravity, and so the preaching of the cross loses its power (111).
Thirdly, the author asserts that grace is the foundation for evangelism. He discusses the meaning of grace, why grace make salvation possible, and some of the things that distort grace. The author says that we have a compulsion to earn salvation and again promotes the idea that we have to be God-centered instead of me-centered. An interesting point is that the author argues that the image of God in human beings was defaced but not erased, which is often a point of argument for Arminians to say that sinful beings still have choice. Yet, he goes on to say that our wills are captive to our natural desires, which would indicate that we are not free to choose what is good and right. It is his belief that if we must become God-centered. Some of the myths that distort grace are relying upon our `inalienable' rights, or human goodness, and reliance upon our `free will.' Metzger refers his readers to Jonathan Edwards as recommended reading concerning decision-making according to our own motives and desires. In describing God's grace, the author attempts to explain, mostly in theological terms; the questions that man brings up concerning his part in salvation. For instance: "The doctrine of God's sovereignty is that God selects those on whom his favor will rest. God is self-determined. He has supreme independence; he is autonomous - a law unto himself. As each goes to their appointed destination in the afterlife, no one will shake their fist at God, saying, "I didn't get what I deserved." except, of course, for the person in heaven" (141)!
Finally in this section, Metzger discusses the response to the whole gospel. He says that worship is both the passion and purpose of evangelism. The author believes that evangelism comes second to worship, that worship focuses us towards a Redeemer who saves us, and that worship (like evangelism) engages the whole person.
Fourthly, Metzger's final part involves who the Gospel is offered by. He asserts that ordinary Christians can make an effective gospel presentation. This includes fears about witnessing, reasoning with people, and simple conversation. Metzger explains how our society has developed concerning pluralism and relativism, and how people have unconscious beliefs about the world. When relating the gospel personally, the writer says that we must be careful not to shift the focus to our personality and experience, but include essential elements of the Gospel message. He concludes the textual section of the book by describing some practical effects of grace-centered evangelism with a goal leading to discipleship. True conversion leads to sincere obedience, a love for the brethren, and a life of service.
Appendix A consists of training materials for learning God-Centered evangelism, which includes preparing a testimony and answering questions. Appendix B includes a diagram that assists a person in presenting the gospel. Appendix C is a twelve session study of the whole book. Appendix D is an essay on why "doctrine is not an obscene word."
I appreciate the authors' attempts to provide a whole or holistic view concerning evangelism and the book provided a catalyst to think more about my views concerning the topic, yet I did find some theological difficulties that I continue to struggle with. For instance, the author says, "This book is about the scandal of sovereign salvation. In it, I blame God for salvation, in the sense that he is totally responsible. .... It's all God's fault - a grace that gives response-ability to the spiritually dead" (13). But then, of the uses some relatively weak words to say that actually this totally responsible God only "woos" us from death to life. Certainly, this is the age old theological debate; but I believe that it is worth mentioning. I can appreciate and even agree with Metzger's seemingly strong Calvinistic views, but in approaching a more holistic view of evangelism these problems will become apparent. Metzger says, "All my questions can be boiled down to one: what was the way to witness that would be shaped by a high view of a Creator-Redeemer God who does not merely make salvation available but actually empowers a person to respond by repenting and receiving" (18)? He also titles a section of the book: Not Free Will But A Freed Will, which implies that free will without God's grace is really not free will at all. But essentially, I do agree that the author does a good job of a holistic view concerning a presentation of the Gospel. It does include what the Gospel is, who presents the Gospel, and what some of the questions concerning those two elements. I found work to be somewhat extensive in its topics and helpful in explaining the situation we find ourselves in today as we attempt to be God's messengers, bringing a message, to those who do not realize that they need to hear it.