Worldwide wisdom

UTTER WISDOM
By Daniel Whethan, Rachel Thake,
Jonathan Norgate
2:19 Teach to Reach. 86 pages. £25
ISBN 978 1 999 593 445

Many churches are reaching out to different ethnic groups, especially those that have recently arrived in Britain.

One of the ways that people gain access to education and the labour market is to learn English. This resource for teaching English as a second language is a beautifully produced and brilliant educational and evangelistic tool. The format and content are well-conceived and attractively presented.

The first section of the book shows how, with a dash of creativity, teaching English can be used evangelistically.

The second section has 60 short exercises, each based on an individual ‘bridge’ proverb gathered from 40 nations. They are described as bridge proverbs because they are suitable for developing deeper discussions. Each proverb is given in its original language and in translation, then teased out using inventive questions and fun exercises. This is a creative way to teach English, one that honours the rich insights of other cultures while raising thought-provoking issues for discussion.

The third section introduces the five magnetic points proposed by the missiologist, J.H. Bavinck, that have been popularised by Dan Strange in his recent book, Making Faith Magnetic.

Totality – a way to connect?
Norm – a way to live?
Deliverance – a way out?
Destiny – a way we control?
Higher power – a way beyond?

These five magnetic points build a bridge between the common longings of every human being to the gospel realities to which they point.

The fourth section brings the book decisively to Jesus as it explores the links between the five magnetic points and five of the ‘I am’ sayings from John’s Gospel.

The value in leaving this more direct and intentional section to the end is that the more indirect journey taken by the rest of the book prepares the way for joining the dots and finding that the answer is Jesus.

£25 for 86 pages may seem expensive, but the book comes with permission to photocopy its contents, so one copy would be all that was needed to use this resource with one-to-one contacts, in your church or mission.