Book Review: Unbelievable Gospel by Jonathan Dodson.

Jonathan Dodson says that the Gospel is often unbelievable because:

  • Although the Gospel is good news, many don’t know how the Gospel is good news for them.
  • Christians may be good at telling what the Gospel is, but are poor at saying what the Gospel does.
  • Five common stereotypes of evangelism – preachy, impersonal, intolerant, know-it-all, and shallow evangelism – make Christians reluctant to share the Gospel.

In this short, lively, and practical book, Jonathan shares from his own experience how he has learned to help people know not only what the Gospel is, but how the Gospel is good news for them; and to do so in a way that avoids being preachy, impersonal, intolerant, etc.

What I especially appreciated was the way that Jonathan demonstrated how these “unbelievable” forms of evangelism result from wrong theology. This is not just about better technique; it’s about better theology; and better technique will be the result. I also liked how Jonathan communicated this theology using five vivid biblical metaphors, making it accessible and memorable.

You don’t need to agree with every detail of Jonathan’s cultural engagement to benefit from this book. It’s certainly helped me to get a little further along the road of the what, why, and how of personal evangelism.

Buy Unbelieveable Gospel by Jonathan Dodson. You can follow Jonathan on Twitter or read his articles at Gospel Centered Discipleship.