Questioning Evangelism

I've been reading the book Questioning Evangelism by Randy Newman. The book selection was prompted by the fact that I just recently started the first job I've ever had in which I work with unbelievers. I've never been around so many non-Christians or had so many opportunities for conversation with them. In fact, I was very thankful for an opportunity just a few days ago to have a two-hour conversation with a co-worker regarding Christianity. We talked about a variety of issues such as the problem of evil, the origin of the universe, the apparent difference between the "OT God" and the "NT God," and of course the Gospel itself.

I found in this conversation that Newman's counsel was very practical and helped me carry on a more clear-headed and balanced conversation. When my co-worker started leveling the "How could a good God permit such evil?" I calmly replied, "Let's begin with you explanation of evil; where do you think it came from?" He seemed shocked and certainly didn't have a reasonable response. So before even adressing his question, we explored his own ideas.

I'm thankful for that conversation and pray that there will be more to come. Below is a quote from the early part of Questioning Evangelism that summarizes his advice so far in the book:

"I'm proposing a style of evangelism that is a dialogue more than a sales pitch. I'm pleading for conversations that lead to conversions rather than presentations that lead to preconceptions. I'm encouraging the use of questions more than the use of answers. The apostle Paul found validity in adding 'reasoning, explaining, and proving' to his arsenal of evangelistic weapons. So should we."