In recent columns I’ve been enthusing about Pascalian evangelism. The 17th-century thinker, Blaise Pascal, recommended a three-stage strategy with those who ‘despise religion’. First, show them Christianity’s respectability, then its desirability, then its truth.
Over the next three columns, I’ll apply the strategy to three commonly raised questions in evangelism: judgement; sex; and freedom. This month, let’s address the subject of judgement:
‘I can’t believe a faith that preaches “fire and brimstone”. Who can stomach the idea of judgement beyond the grave? It seems so primitive.’
The elderly and bereaved: a growing gospel need
“Let me put it this way. I don’t expect there to be many people at my funeral.”My new friend …