"James has found a simple way to convey to both Christians and non-Christians that the good news is cosmically good--a diagram that does the best job I've encountered yet of placing our personal stories in the context of God's bigger story." (Andy Crouch, Editorial Director, Christian Vision Project )
"The book is amply 'storified' and is a huge, huge step forward in evangelism. Pastors and parents need this book; youth ministers and college ministers need this book." (Scot McKnight, on JesusCreed.org )
"The unchanging call for Christians to be salt and light, to be witnesses with an apt answer, is a great challenge in today's rapidly changing world. James Choung's winsome narrative,
True Story: A Christianity Worth Believing In, grapples with many questions of faith that seekers and also Christians wrestle with in this postmodern world. Choung demonstrates how as Christians we do not need a formula to be an effective witness for Christ, rather we need to honestly seek and engage the truth of the gospel in our own lives, and engage our friends with their questions, pointing them to the light and freedom of the gospel. Over the last three years as chair of the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, I have found no part of the world untouched by the questions of life and death, faith in the midst of the problem of sin and evil in the world. And I have also found no part of the world that is not in need of the whole church to witness the power, the hope and the life of the whole gospel to the whole world--starting with the people closest to us." (Doug Birdsall, executive chair, Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization )
"For a growing number of us Christians, the standard way we were taught to understand and share the good news message has felt inadequate. Choung's rethinking and recrafting of Christ's timeless call is exactly what we need today to present the gospel to a new generation of unconvinced people. His use of an engaging story to underscore the need for this fresh approach will motivate many Christians to learn this new approach." (Ken Fong, senior pastor, Evergreen Baptist Church of Los Angeles )
"One of the most important theological conversations going on these days is about the shape of the biblical narrative. Not surprisingly, many leaders in this conversation are those working in the intellectual ferment of the college campus and at the intersection of church and the emerging culture. James Choung is one of these important voices, and this book opens up important new vistas regarding the story we find ourselves in." (Brian McLaren, author/activist (brianmclaren.net) )
"Choung's 'napkin theology' and its 'four-worlds' diagram promise to be for evangelism in the twenty-first century what the 'Four Spiritual Laws' were for the twentieth century." (Leonard Sweet, author of The Church of the Perfect Storm;; podcaster of the weekly "Napkin Scribbles" podcast )
"Is
True Story a real-life drama or a simple diagram? I don't know, but I love it! James Choung has given us a gift that I suspect will greatly reduce the number of fidgety Christians and yawning skeptics out there.
True Story reminds us that our news really is good, and helps us communicate that message simply and comprehensively using four simple circles. I love those circles and am already starting to use them regularly in conversations." (Don Everts, author of Jesus with Dirty Feet and (with Doug Schaupp) I Once Was Lost: What Postmodern Skeptics Taught Us About Their Path to Jesus )
"James understands today's seekers and skeptics. He accurately describes their objections to Christianity and clearly addresses these objections in the Big Story. His invitation to join Jesus' missional community is both compelling and good news to all who hear it." (Terry Erickson, national director of evangelism, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship )
"
True Story invites us into the great narrative of the Scriptures. Grappling with the tough questions, James Choung provides a blueprint that will challenge the unbeliever, the new believer and the longtime church member to discover the fresh and healing message of the gospel. This book calls us to a relevant and real faith that properly redefines the call to evangelism as an ongoing journey toward shalom." (Soong-Chan Rah, Milton B. Engebretson Assistant Professor of Church Growth and Evangelism, North Park Theological Seminary )
"Amid the clutter of domesticated Christianity, Choung's book creatively reminds us all--academics, pastors, activists and grandmas--of the true revolution from which we come. Much of pop-Christianity is obsessed with the self-centered goal of finding our life, forgetting that Christ's call is to lose our life for others in order to find it. This book is an urgent cry not to settle for the dream of America over the dream of God, nor to allow cynicism to suffocate the hope that another world is possible. May
True Story inspire us to continue to shout the Story with our lives--even in the most abandoned corners of the empire." (Shane Claiborne, lover, author, recovering sinner, founding partner of The Simple Way, author of The Irresistible Revolution )
"Some conversations consist of shared ignorance or are simply surface exchanges. The conversation narrated by James Choung is neither. It is thoughtful, honest and authentic. It does not gloss over sincere and profound questions concerning the content of the gospel and the way it is lived out, but grapples with many issues that arise in the give-and-take of a discussion between friends. Here is to be found good news that relates to the here and now as well as to eternity." (Eddie Gibbs, senior professor, School of Intercultural Studies, Fuller Theological Seminary, author of ChurchNext and LeadershipNext )
"It's the task of every generation to articulate and create languages and forms that connect with their generation. James Choung does this beautifully in his book,
True Story. I highly recommend this book as a fresh articulation and narrative of what is truly the
good news! This good news is not just what we're saved from but what we are called to! It's more than a fire escape . . . it's a revolution of justice, advocacy and radical compassion. I'm in!" (Dave Gibbons, founder and lead pastor, NewSong Church, and CVO, Xealot Inc. )
"This insightful book offers a way of presenting the good news that fully engages with today's complex postmodern issues and questions simply by refocusing on the original message of the gospel of Jesus our Savior." (Peter T. Cha, associate professor of pastoral theology, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School )
"In
True Story, James Choung has recaptured the world-saving, life-transforming message of the gospel. In a way that takes seriously both the biblical message and the reality of our contemporary world,
True Story takes you on a true-to-life journey of rediscovering the hope of Jesus that answers the most vexing issues of our world. While holding to an evangelical's commitment to holy Scripture, James challenges and dismantles evangelicalism's restrictive lenses through which we understand the gospel. And the result is a refreshing, relevant and compelling presentation of the good news of Jesus for our needy world." (Allen Mitsuo Wakabayashi, author of Kingdom Come: How Jesus Wants to Change the World and campus staff for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship )
"Brilliant. . . . Tools like this can change the world." (Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life )
"Another book on Christianity . . . but quite different--written as simply as possible, never losing sight of the big story that Jesus Christ is the ultimate. This is a book for today's generation, seeking truth, satisfaction and fulfillment. It is an ideal textbook for student ministry and youth pastors." (Manfred W. Kohl, vice president, Overseas Council International )
"
True Story is for anyone serious about communicating the good news of Jesus in a thoughtful, biblical way which leans into--instead of running from--the pressing issues all around us in the secularized, post-Christian culture of the Western world." (Sam Metcalf, president, Church Resource Ministries--U.S. )
"Christianity can become so obsessed with conversion that it loses the art, commitment and passion for conversation. They must go hand-in-hand. Choung does a fantastic job in engaging the skeptic and cynic to consider the invitation of the amazing narrative story and life of the triune God. Similarly, the call for the body of Christ to shed Christianity as a self-help, therapeutic religion and instead see it as a life of partnership and participation in the kingdom of God is another refreshing message. Honestly, I've never been a fan of diagrams, but Choung shares some incredible simple but profound illustrations that help elucidate the good news in a biblically faithful and culturally relevant manner." (Eugene Cho, lead pastor, Quest Church, Seattle, eugenecho.com )
