The Myth of the Non-Christian: Engaging Atheists, Nominal Christians and the Spiritual But Not Religious

by Luke Cawley

Publisher:

IVP

, 2016

Overview

There’s no such thing as a non-Christian.

Somebody might self-identify as spiritual but not religious. Or they might be a practicing Hindu, Buddhist or Muslim. Or they might call themselves an atheist, freethinker or agnostic. But the one thing that people never describe themselves as is a “non-Christian.” So Christians who want to “reach non-Christians” need to realize that they’re not all the same. Evangelism is not one-size-fits-all.

Luke Cawley shows how Christians can contextualize the gospel in different ways to connect with different kinds of people. Here he unpacks the religious identities of three key demographics: the spiritual but not religious, committed atheists and nominal Christians. Each group has particular characteristics and requires specific approaches and practices to make the Christian faith plausible, desirable and tangible to them.

Filled with real-life stories of changed lives, this book is a practical and hopeful resource for helping people to encounter God.

Key Features

• Shows how Christians can contextualize the gospel in different ways.
• Paints a picture of doing apologetic and evangelistic ministry with impact and compassion.
• Combines accessible suggestions on how engage in apologetics.

Praise for the Print Edition

The world of real estate is ruled by one word repeated thrice: location, location, location. In the real world of relationships, which is the real estate of life, one word reigns supreme: context, context, context. Luke Cawley has written the new go-to book for contextual apologetics. This book is everywhere thoughtful and judicious; it is wide-ranging and deeply illuminating.

--Leonard Sweet, E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism, Drew University, bestselling author of From Tablet to Table, creator of preachthestory.com

I am convinced that we need to rethink evangelism in light of the increasingly missionary situation of the church in our time. This is a top-class book that will help God’s people do just that. We might just become a more genuinely good-news people in the process.

--Alan Hirsch, author and activist

Suppose Christians take seriously the call to spread the gospel, to answer questions about the faith and to give a reason for the hope that they have in Jesus Christ. If we shoulder this crucially important task, shouldn’t we seek to engage and speak to actual people rather than our idealized notion of a ‘non-Christian’? Absolutely! Luke Cawley shows us why and how. He combines a much-needed diatribe against ‘one-size-fits-all’ apologetics with some very practical and easily accessible suggestions on how engage in apologetics. I cannot imagine a better book for a community of people who desire to share their hope with a world that desperately needs Christ!

--James Beilby, professor of systematic and philosophical theology, Bethel University, St. Paul, author of Thinking About Christian Apologetics

Product Details

• Title: The Myth of the Non-Christian: Engaging Atheists, Nominal Christians and the Spiritual but Not Religious
• Author: Luke Cawley
• Publisher: IVP
• Print Publication Date: 2016
• Logos Release Date: 2023
• Pages: 237
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• Subjects: Evangelistic work; Witness bearing (Christianity); Christianity and atheism
• ISBNs: 9780830899685, 9780830844500, 0830899685, 0830844503
• Resource ID: LLS:9780830899685
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-06T20:52:38Z

About Luke Cawley

Luke Cawley is the author of The Myth of the Non-Christian and Campus Lights. He also coedited and contributed to Healthy Faith and the Coronavirus Crisis. What he writes flows from his work as director of Chrysolis, a small non-profit organization he helped start in 2012 with the aim of engaging a diverse range of people in conversation about the story of Jesus and his possible relevance for today.