by: Andrew Root

• Format

  Paperback

  ISBN

  9781540968715

  Dimensions

  6 x 9

  Pub. Date

  Mar 2025

  SRP

  $29.99

  Carton Quantity

  36

  Number of pages

  320

  Buy

About

"Evangelism" is a contested, even conflicted word. But churches are declining in numbers and resources. What if we aren't thinking about evangelism in the right way, culturally or theologically? This book proposes a conversation that contextualizes evangelism in our late modern times and reimagines what the call to outreach means in today's world.

Our sad times are made sadder by the realization that our all-out pursuit of happiness has made us stressed, anxious, lonely, and depressed, says leading practical theologian Andrew Root. The French thinker Michel de Montaigne taught us to focus on making ourselves happy, but Blaise Pascal pointed out that we are creatures of soul as much as self--so happiness does not satisfy. Root offers a vision for how a theology of consolation can shape a hopeful approach to evangelism. We all need consolation, others to care for us in our sadness; if we can find such a minister and lean into our sorrow, we will find the presence of Jesus Christ.

Root uses a fictional church to show rather than tell us how consolation evangelism works. For support he looks to the ministries of Gregory of Nyssa and his sister Macrina, Jean Gerson, Johann von Staupitz, and Martin Luther, who all contend that consolation is central to our transformation into the life of God.

Endorsements

"Evangelism is an area of theological inquiry that many avoid in the church and seminaries today. Andrew Root invites us to explore evangelism anew through the lens of consolation, addressing the sorrow of this age with witness to, and participation in, the living God we know in Jesus Christ. Root's reimagining of evangelism, attending to the sacramental shape of divine-human encounter, will bless and challenge those who long for a deeper, more wholistic understanding of how best to share our Christian faith with others."

Ross Lockhart, dean of St. Andrew's Hall and professor of mission studies, Vancouver School of Theology