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The time for theorizing is long past. I myself know too much theory, and find theology perhaps too fascinating. There was a time when I thought that such knowledge, presented as articles of faith or authoritative statements of Christian dogma, was enough if argued persuasively, to lead a man into the kingdom of God. I had the answer that people needed. My responsibility was simply to tell them about it. But when I did, their response was not one of interest…. They were either patronizing or indifferent, or a bit of both. Pp11


The greatest single barrier to making the Christian gospel intelligible to secular man is the devout obscurantism of orthodox believers who, never having tried themselves, appear to imagine that they alone posses all the answers, that is, all the permitted answers. I am heartily weary of cosy critics who never venture beyond their own position of supposed theological safety, who spend all their time with like-minded believers, who shout a lot about evangelism but know nothing of seeking to present the evangel to ‘outsiders’ as distinct from fringe members of the church, and yet who loudly condemn their brothers in Christ who in wrestling with problems of communication sometime deviate from time-honoured ideas and terminology. 11-12

‘Sound’ = hygienic or life giving. Pp20

God’s ambition for man is his complete independence. Why? Because freedom is essential to maturity. Without it man cannot fulfil his potential, become the person God intended. This means that until man has outgrown his dependence upon God he cannot know God in the ideal way God planned. He can know him as grovelling penitent or impoverished pauper, even as grateful child… 109

God or the ‘hidden Christ;’ or Ultimate Reality is encountered in certain experiences which stir us to the depths of our being and sometimes make a permanent impact upon our thinking and living. The experiences vary considerably, but they have in common the ability to evoke reverence and awe. 137

For too long the church has busied herself with making converts and forgotten that her first concern is with making people... the church's interest is life, not dogma; helping people to live, not stamping them as accredited believers; showing them the way of fulfilment, not pretending that because of their theology Christians alone are fulfilled. 149

The real evangelist today is no longer the man who gives out tracts, speks at open-air meetings ad takes every opportunity of 'speaking a word for Jesus'. Such methods served in the past and still meet the needs of a few people, but for the most part they appear to be inefectual. The CHrisian evangelist with secular society is more likely to be seen at the trade union meeting than the prayer meeting or choir practice 149-150

The spirit of evangelism is dedicated, as we have seen, to making men whole, a different matter entirely from shouting biblical and other hard-worn phrases at reluctant hearers in the name of leading thm to a confession of evangelical faith. 150