NOT SO SECRET
By Graham Orr
IVP. 156 pages. £8.99
ISBN 978 1 844 745 913
This book by Graham Orr, a former missionary and pastor in Japan, tells the story of his development as a missionary evangelist, drawing on the Scriptures and his experiences in understanding and engaging with the very different culture within which he and his family had settled.
His progress — and the impact of his life and words — frequently surprised him. He learned to observe and to listen, to ask occasional questions — and to learn from regular confusion. He provides a fascinating insight into the way that God uses our whole life — personalities, habits, deeds and instinctive reactions, as well as our spontaneous words – as a powerful means of opening up other people to the gospel.
Crossing boundaries
As such, it is a valuable introduction to evangelising not only Japanese people but also those of any other background different to our own. But the book has a relevance much closer to home, too. For the key to effective personal evangelism — by individuals and churches — lies in recognising that, in today’s UK, all evangelism is ‘cross-cultural’. It offers not a technique but a demonstration of a ‘natural’ and truly human approach to personal evangelism. Our society finds the Christian message and Christian lifestyle increasingly alien and meaningless. But Graham Orr shows that, by God’s grace, and by serious and humble thoughtfulness on the part of Christians and churches, a meaningful connection can be established in which every detail of our lives can be a powerful implement for the spread of the gospel. We can all become, in the author’s words, ‘contemporary agents for mission’. Well worth a careful reading!
