September 24th, 2010 
davidguide 
Product Description
In a world of designer spirituality, how do you talk to people about Jesus without offending them? Coffee Shop Conversations, by Dale and Jonalyn Fincher, will provide you with the tools you need to have meaningful, tolerant, and respectful conversations about your faith with those who don’t share your views…. More >>
Coffee Shop Conversations: Making the Most of Spiritual Small Talk
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The subtitle of this book is Making the Most of Spiritual Small Talk, and in that respect, it is adequately named. COFFEE SHOP CONVERSATIONS is not for the sidewalk preacher, the zealous missionary, or even for you if you are brave about presenting Christ to an unsaved world. Instead, COFFEE SHOP CONVERSATIONS is for the timid to present the gospel in a non-confrontational way.
On page 14, the authors say “… We also believe the biblical idea that all humans, be they Christians, Buddhists, Mormons, atheists … reflect God in varying degrees of clarity.” I was a bit uncomfortable with that statement, feeling that it has quite a bit of the “New Age I’m okay, you’re okay, lets just love one another” attitude in it.
On the other hand, this book will provide you with ideas about how to present the gospel in ways that will make the listener think, at least a little, about what you are saying, by gently working Christ into a conversation.
On the back cover of the book, it says, that you’ll discover how to:
> Gently invite others to share
> Cultivate an appropriate attitude of tolerance.
> Avoid the buzzwords that will stop a conversation cold
> Talk about Jesus as a unique spiritual leader.
If you are looking for a way to gently bring out the gospel, then COFFEE HOUSE CONVERSATION is a book to consider. I think of the parable of Jesus told where some seeds land on the path for the birds to eat. But others take root. Since you don’t know which seeds are landing where, this book may be the perfect one to help someone begin to think about the gospel.
Rating: 3 / 5
“Coffee Shop Conversations” by Dale & Jonalyn Fincher is a 219 page book about how to have meaningful and respectful discussions about your faith with those who don’t share and have differing views.
Written in a casual tone, peppered with personal ancedotes, “Coffee Shop Conversations” looks at a way to have discussions in both difficult to everyday casual situations, particularly in an everchanging world.
There is some food of thought to be shared in the reading though there were spots that left me questioning the direction of the writing; Perhaps it was the way the wording was, but although this is makes great reading, this is a book best suited for those who are a little more grounded in their understanding of Scripture then for those who are new to the faith.
Rating: 3 / 5
Coffee Shop Conversations takes us into a light trip into tolerance-based evangelism. They call this, “making the most of spiritual small talk”.
With a number of personal experiences in failing to share their faith, husband and wife – Dale and Jonalyn, show how building relationships first is a key in introducing Jesus to your friends.
One negative thing that stood out to me was when they told us how bad it was to read books about other religions and apply that stereotype to anyone we meet who follows that religion. Following this insight, they proceed to give us a whole section on what people following those religions are like and how to speak to them.
A little double-talk in that section.
With that being said, this book is a good read to understand how “churchy” Christians can seem whenever they talk about Jesus and the Church.
They point out, with regards to the Bible, how important it is to understand genre and context when reading and studying verses.
The people who enjoy handing out tracts will not enjoy this book.
This book was provided for review by Zondervan.
Rating: 4 / 5
I was continually impressed, page after page, by how much critical and relevant information is to be found in “Coffee Shop Conversations.” It is good to see someone talking about how followers of Jesus (Yeshua) can be themselves, including talking about their faith, in a way that is both fully human and respectful to other people, no matter how different their beliefs may be. There is no lack of “evangelism” books out there, but I don’t know of any that incorporates the reality of human experience (i.e. my personal experience of living in the world in a broken state– and how I go about finding God in my brokenness –namely, being a real and growing person) with insight on how to talk about one’s faith humanly, as one soul to another.
It is a brilliant piece of work–yet utterly easy to understand. The authors’ individual strengths are melded beautifully. Jonalyn’s wonderful stories give living examples for the reader, while Dale’s unique talent for interpreting important philosophical (logical) ideas in an easily accessible way clarifies so many difficult situations we find ourselves in. The sections on tolerance and the difference between religions are excellent and very useful, as is so much of the book.
It is very clear how much “heart” was put into this book. It is not a book with easy answers or formulas. It really touches where we live. Though there are a couple of details I would have presented differently, these minor points do not detract from the importance and value of the book.
Rating: 5 / 5
I was interested in reading and reviewing Coffee Shop Conversations because I desire to make my conversations count for eternity. I have many unsaved relatives and want to be a light to them and share the gospel, but I didn’t know how to guide the conversation towards spiritual matters other than relative faith. The authors, Dale and Jonalyn Fincher, have a heart for conversational evangelism in which we gain a hearing to share how God is working in our lives or teaching us things through genuine care and concern for those God places in our lives as we go about our daily activities while at the same not compromising on foundational doctrines and truth. They reside in Steamboat Springs, Colorado and together speak and write nationally for the organization they founded called Soulation ([...] ).
I enjoyed this book even though having only read it once I feel as if I have simply caught a glimpse of the message which they desire to teach through this writing. And though I see value in other means of evangelism as well, I think that conversational evangelism is something that we believers are afraid to encounter as it includes building relationships that are a costly, though worthwhile, investment into the lives of others. We fear being shut out or mocked for our beliefs, and perhaps often, we aren’t really sure what it IS that we believe. So, I view this book as a tool for us believers to read, prayerfully consider, and then incorporate into our own lives – from learning to truly read and study the Bible, to rightly applying it to our life, to avoiding cliché terms and using words which portray biblical concepts and truths accurately, to learning to listen compassionately and be non-judgmental (not saying here that we have to agree or seek to discover common ground), to wisely disengaging from unprofitable rabbit-trails to the issues that really matter, etc. I found the content engaging and was interested that, according to the recommendations found in the beginning pages, the associate professor of Evangelism and Leadership at Wheaton College is planning to incorporate this book into his evangelism courses.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Zondervan Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Rating: 3 / 5