DESCRIPTION
What does evangelism look like at its best?
Evangelism can hurt sometimes. Well-meaning Christians who welcome immigrants and refugees and share the gospel with them will often alienate the very people they are trying to serve through cultural misconceptions or insensitivity to their life experiences. In No Longer Strangers, diverse voices lay out a vision for a healthier evangelism that can honor the most vulnerable—many of whom have lived through trauma, oppression, persecution, and the effects of colonialism—while foregrounding the message of the gospel.
With perspectives from immigrants and refugees, and pastors and theologians (some of whom are immigrants themselves), this book offers guidance for every church, missional institution, and individual Christian in navigating the power dynamics embedded in differences of culture, race, and language. Every contributor wholeheartedly affirms the goodness and importance of evangelism as part of Christian discipleship while guiding the reader away from the kind of evangelism that hurts, toward the kind of evangelism that heals.
Table of Contents
Foreword by Ann Voskamp
Introduction, Eugene Cho and Samira Izadi Page
1. Evangelism and the Way of the Cross, Andrew F. Bush
2. Evangelizing the Hurt and Trauma, Issam Smeir
3. Doing Evangelism as a Church, Laurie Beshore
4. Beyond Welcoming, Sandra Maria Van Opstal
5. Public Witness and Advocacy, Jenny Yang
6. Evangelism That Reconciles, Torli H. Krua
7. The Great Concern + the Great Commandment = the Great Commission, K. J. Hill
8. Evangelism That Heals, Samira Izadi Page
REVIEWS
“The issue of refugees and immigrants exposes the division in America today. It also brings to light how many Christians see the issues more as a political football than as being about people for whom Jesus died. In No Longer Strangers, a remarkable group of contributors with deep and diverse experience in ministry to the marginalized show how to be incarnational in our evangelism. God is bringing the nations to us; may we be faithful to Jesus as we seek justice, show mercy, and tell the good news.”
— Ed Stetzer
dean of the School of Mission, Ministry, and Leadership at Wheaton College
“No Longer Strangers makes a significant and insightful contribution to the ongoing discussion about Christianity and immigration. The authors understand that each person who wishes to immigrate is created in the image and likeness of God and should be treated as such, including in how the gospel is brought to them. This book provides a vision of what that looks like for the church. It is not the first word or the last word on the topic, but it is an important word for all church leaders and Christians doing evangelism with immigrant communities. The authors raise good questions—as you wrestle with both the problems and proposed solutions—you will be inspired to think about ministry in your context. You’ll be grateful you read this book—you’ll be more self-aware as a Christian and better able to equip your church for Christlike engagement with your immigrant neighbors.”
— J. D. Greear
pastor of The Summit Church and 62nd president of the Southern Baptist Convention
“We have forgotten as an American church what it means to engage in a healthy, holistic, and effective evangelism. We have been operating a sports car with eight cylinders on only two cylinders. Eugene Cho and Samira Izadi Page have edited an important volume that engages the significance of evangelism while recognizing the power of the gospel at work in the marginalized communities. This book calls us to rediscover an expression of biblical Christian faith that does not ignore those who will form the spiritual backbone of the next evangelicalism.”
— Soong-Chan Rah
author of The Next Evangelicalism: Freeing the Church from Western Cultural Captivity
“God is up to something dramatic. The mass migration that now brings us into contact with people from every tribe, tongue, and nation is both a profound privilege and a daunting responsibility. This book is a deeply important and much-needed guide to how we can live out the gospel in its fullness to the treasured ‘strangers among us.’ It will inspire and challenge in equal measure—and will stir your spiritual imagination to new expressions of a worthy witness.”
— Scott Arbeiter
president of World Relief
Publishers Weekly
“Insightful. . . . The editors make an argument for viewing the current inrush of immigrants and refugees to the United States as a ‘work of the Spirit’ and argue this is a critical moment for believers. . . . In the most affecting piece, missionary Andrew Bush reflects on his encounter with two young missionaries in New York City in 1972 (which led to his personal conversion), considers intersections between imperialism and evangelism, and suggests how Christian evangelicals might be able to provide ‘witness’ for their religion while still doing valuable relief work with non-Christian communities. These practical, theologically grounded examples effectively depict the strategies, pitfalls, and opportunities of Christian evangelism.”
Booklist
“This is a necessary book for pastors and church evangelism teams.”