Book Review by Randy Siever

Contagious But Not Quarantined, An Adventure in Telling Others About Jesus
by Timothy W. Fisher
OutskirtsPress.com
http://www.betterworldbooks.com/book-id-1432749277.aspx

Can I recommend a book to you? Pastor Tim Fisher has put together a very thin (97 pages) nearly book-let that gives permission to be engaged with God in connecting others to him…without having to become an evangelist. Here’s his own intention for the book, stated at the end of chapter one:

“This book is written to those who desire to share their faith in a way that is beneficial and practical. I know what it’s like to be an evangelistic jerk, and I know what it’s like to share the good news in participation with what God is already doing in people’s lives. The principles contained in this little book will be so practical and downright normal that some may question whether they really count as evangelism. Maybe it’s time we lay that question aside once-for-all, and instead relate to people as Jesus did. My hope is that by applying these simple principles you will forget to “do evangelism” and sharing your faith will become a regular and exciting part of walking with Christ.”

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Tim has taken the basics of what we call Doable Evangelism and brought them alive by way of personal stories, biblical stories, and a few acronyms (apparently he has not been healed of this particularly Christian disorder yet). When he asked me to read the manuscript, I was initially reluctant…but he had me at the title of the first chapter (“Confessions of an Evangelistic Jerk”). A former evangelistic jerk, I found great comfort in knowing I am part of a new recovery movement in the church: “Hello, my name is Randy. I’m a recovering evangelist.”

Tim is a pretty good story teller, and he did a wonderful job of being vulnerable about himself and gentle with the rest of us. The primary pressure in this book is to be who you already are. To interact with those all around you. To pay attention to what God is doing in the lives of others. No guilt, no shame tactics, and not much to memorize. Unless you want to memorize the “PINCH” acronym (as in “a pinch of salt”), which goes like this:

Prayer
Interest
Noticing
Conversation
Help

To be honest, I had to go look them up again. Not a big fan of acronyms. I always seem to forget what they are supposed to help me remember. But as you can see, these five themes are all about doing stuff that is doable…which I kind of like, naturally.  And there is NO PRESSURE TO CLOSE THE DEAL WITH ANYONE.  This is refreshing as well.

So, if you are a pastor looking for a good teaching series on evangelism (you know…the DOABLE kind), this book is your ticket home. Tim gives you six or seven chapters that focus on stories from the life of Jesus that would be wonderful sermons in a series (I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that’s what they were before they ended up in the book!). Most of these would be great Young Life club talks, too…if there’s anyone out there in Young Life land looking for new material.

If you’re in a small group that wants to explore new ways of thinking about evangelism, there are questions at the end of each chapter that can guide your group through meaningful discussion about what has been a rather taboo subject in recent years.

If you’re among the majority of Christians who have given up on evangelism, who cringe at the word, and who bear a fair amount of guilt and shame regarding your non-participation…this book is for you. Read it and be encouraged. You will get some really doable, normal ideas for ways to connect with what God is doing in the people all around you in your ordinary routines of life. This will be really good news for you.

And finally, if you’re another recovering evangelist like Tim and me, read the book and join us in helping Christians talk about their faith without being jerks. You are not alone. And you are not crazy. You’re just recovering, like us. We have a new mission together…to change the way the Church thinks about evangelism. Will you join us?

It’s really quite encouraging to see this new paradigm shift for evangelism be expressed in lots of ways by a lot of different voices. Tim Fisher has added to the chorus, and I for one am very thankful to have another book to recommend to our readers. Thanks, Tim.