“WHAT I’m saying is evangelism looks different for different people. And God uses people differently too.” Preston Perry makes this point 176 pages into his book, which seeks to debunk the purpose and methods that many use in seeking to spread the Christian faith.
Perry is a performance poet, mainly on the church circuit in the United States. He and his wife, Jackie Hill Perry, have thousands of followers for their various social-media and YouTube platforms, including With The Perrys, Apologetics, and poetry. This book, no doubt, builds and draws on Perry’s talks and discussions, but it purports to have one overarching theme: people are won over to Christ not by argument, but by the heart. At times, it feels like Evangelism 101 in the University of the Bleeding Obvious, with modules on Meeting People and Hearing Their Stories before trying to witness to them.
A potential problem — not just for Perry, but for all those seeking to offer the way of life to others — is the repeated use of the word “truth”. In our current post-truth times, this could well be a flashpoint of possible friction.
A substantial part of the narrative is Perry’s encounters with John, a Jehovah’s Witness, and their fruitless exchanges of proof texts and trying to catch each other out. Perry is eventually advised by a mentor to ask about John’s life: he realises that he knows nothing about him other than his faith.
Perry’s personal journey is a compelling one. The earlier part of the book relates this. Brought up by religious black elders in a rough part of Chicago where there is gun crime, he turned his back on faith. He relates the shock of watching his friend Chris bleed on the street after being shot. Chris dies in the ambulance on the way to hospital. A family member puts him touch with Gary, one of two mentors mentioned.
Perry is an extrovert, confident in starting conversations with strangers. His cultural background informs the language at times — hood, bro, feel, sista, homies, like a G — and his suspicion of a white dude who seeks to disciple him.
This book is intended for use in a wider context than Perry’s, but there is no doubt that his sincerity and experience give the reader an insight into a part of society which both needs and reflects God’s love.
The Revd Kevin Scully is a poet and retired priest.
How to Tell the Truth: The story of how God saved me to win hearts, not just arguments
Preston Perry
Hodder & Stoughton £14.99
(978-1-3998-1902-2)
Church Times Bookshop £13.49