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Evangelism in an Age of Despair

Oct 17, 2025 | 2025 - Winter - Free, Book Reviews

Evangelism in an Age of Despair

Author Andrew Root
Publisher Baker Academic £22.99
Format pbk
ISBN 978154096875

Andrew Root is based at Luther Seminary, USA. This book is an attempt to re-think evangelism, contextualising it in our late modern times where ‘anxious, stressed, angry people’ live ‘sad’ lives, over-committed to striving for happiness instead of seeking a consolation that feeds soul rather than self, rooted in the theology of the cross. There are two distinct strands to the book: firstly, the moving story of a fictional church that shows us how an evangelism of consolation might work in practice. Secondly, extensive discussion of philosophical and theological thought through past ages, centred around figures such as Montaigne, Pascal, Gregory of Nyssa, Jean Gerson, Johann von Staupitz and Martin Luther. This is a complex book and is most suitable for academics and theologians, yet its central argument is something I can endorse from my own journey – that people often connect (and evangelise) best through sharing and owning times of loss and struggle, ultimately finding meaning and hope in a God who suffers with and for us.

Reviewed by APRIL McINTYRE

Evangelism

 

Yearning for the Vast and Endless Sea

Sep 11, 2024 | 2024 - Autumn - Free, Book Reviews

Yearning for the Vast and Endless Sea

Author Chris Russell
Publisher Canterbury £16.99
Format pbk
ISBN 9781786225177

This book will revitalise your enthusiasm for sharing the good news. We are taken through the What, How, Who, When, Where and Why of evangelism as the author shares his passion for sharing God’s love. He explains the difference between a witness, as all Christians should be, and an evangelist who equips the saints for the work of ministry. Using modern cultural references (e.g., La La Land) while quoting academic theologians (Brueggemann, Newbiggin, Volf), Russell offers an invigorating challenge to all who minister. He takes us from the word of creation in Genesis to Jesus knocking on the door in Revelation. This is not a ‘how-to’ manual but rather a reminder of what we could be doing and why. I am sure it will be included as recommended reading for those in training where it may be swamped by equally good material. But this book is for all of us to refresh our understanding and excite us with the possibilities – a must for continuing ministerial development. We evangelise because we know that God’s love makes all the difference.

Reviewed by RONA ORME

Evangelism

 

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