In 'The Mind Changers', Em Griffin brings the lessons he learned from being on the staff of Young Life U.S.A., lessons learned from years of “earning the right to be heard” by hundreds of uninterested, cynical, pagan, American teenagers, the right to proclaim the good news of Christ. Using humor, Griffin offers Christian apologists some great points to consider. 'The Art of Christian Persuasion' is the subtitle to the book. This is the sentiment of his whole approach. One cannot force anyone to believe anything, whether through clever argument or violence. The best one can do is learn the art of loving people and the art of loving the message of Jesus Christ, and bring those two loves together in introducing friends to the friendly God. This is perceived as authentic pathos in this generation.
A helpful picture of Spiritual formation that Griffin uses throughout the book is that of candle making. In candle making, one takes the wax through the stages of becoming a candle. One must melt the wax, mold it, and wait for it to harden. Here are the steps to the art of authentic Spiritual formation, especially in the postmodern context. One must melt the hearts of those one wishes to reach, through building trust-filled relationships of love and friendship. Next, one must mold the ideas of the pre-Christian through gentle persuasion, transparent modeling of the normal Christian life, and clear presentation of the historic, biblical message. Finally, one must harden (solidify) the commitment to the new life in Christ through an ongoing discipleship relationship with the pre- and new believer. This is a very helpful book for all believers to use to grow in confidence and interest in communicating and demonstrating the good news of the Christian hope.
