The Lazy Approach to Evangelism: A Simple Guide for Conversing with Nonbelievers
By Eric Hernandez (GC2 Press)
Don’t let the title fool you. A lazy person will have a hard time getting through this 348-page book on apologetics. However, the lazy approach to The Lazy Approach is to start on p. 127, “Chapter 11: The Lazy Approach.”
But first, Hernandez argues for the necessity of apologetics from the vantage point of spiritual warfare. He uses the word “stronghold” from 2 Corinthians 10:4, defining the term with verse 5: “arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God.”
He then examines atheism, agnosticism and skepticism, postmodernism, scientism and naturalism, identifying the latter three as the more prominent strongholds in American culture that exert influence even in the church.
Knowing where a person is situated among these six “isms” gives clues to where a conversation with that person is likely to go.
The so-called “lazy approach” is Socratic—based on asking questions that allow one’s conversation partner to identify his or her own position. These questions are few and fairly simple, and they do not require a person to be a subject-matter expert on all things. Once a person’s position is known, the questioner can engage the other person through further questions.
Hernandez is keenly interested in the strategy of evangelism, likening it to chess. Along this line, he explains how to “maneuver a conversation” and offers five “tactical tools” to that end. Following the chapter describing “the lazy approach,” Hernandez uses the tactical questions to respond to skepticism, postmodernism, scientism and naturalism.
The remainder of The Lazy Approach is typical of other apologetics books by examining a standard set of arguments for the existence of God and the resurrection of Jesus.
One benefit of the book is Hernandez’s inclusion of sample conversations. He doesn’t just describe the approach, but he also shows how he uses it.
Eric Black, executive director/publisher/editor
Baptist Standard
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