The Myth of the Non-Christian: Engaging Atheists, Nominal Christians and the Spiritual but not Religious

Luke Cawley is a writer, speaker, trainer and the director of Chrysolis, an organization he helped start in 2012 with a vision to enable organizations and churches to better communicate the Jesus story. Luke has spent most of his adult life founding and developing missional communities on university campuses in Britain and Romania and is a regular speaker at conferences and outreach events around the world. An active writer and blogger, Luke has trained people at churches, parachurch organizations and universities to better engage those around them with the story of Jesus. He enjoys thoughtful engagement with people who wouldn't normally consider Jesus and he often speaks in contexts where God is not typically discussed, such as schools, bars, cafes and theatres. Luke has an master's degree in evangelism and leadership from Wheaton College and a certificate in theological and pastoral studies from Oxford University. He's married to Whitney, a schoolteacher, and they have three children.

The world of real estate is ruled by one word repeated thrice: location, location, location. In the real world of relationships, which is the real estate of life, one word reigns supreme: context, context, context. Luke Cawley has written the new go-to book for contextual apologetics. This book is everywhere thoughtful and judicious; it is wide-ranging and deeply illuminating.
-Leonard Sweet,
E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism, Drew University

I am convinced that we need to rethink evangelism in light of the increasingly missionary situation of the church in our time. This is a top-class book that will help God's people do just that. We might just become a more genuinely good-news people in the process.
-Alan Hirsch,
author and activist

I've been equipped and inspired anew by this book to better understand and connect with the many different kinds of people who don't yet follow Jesus. Ditch the one-size-fits-all approach to being a witness: let this book help you do the things that may actually meet our friends' felt spiritual needs.
-James Choung,
national director of evangelism, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA

I have read many books on helping people to faith in Christ, but this is one of the best. Perceptive, well-read, full of illustrative stories and extremely practical. Buy it and use it!
-Michael Green,
theologian and evangelist

Suppose Christians take seriously the call to spread the gospel, to answer questions about the faith and to give a reason for the hope that they have in Jesus Christ. If we shoulder this crucially important task, shouldn't we seek to engage and speak to actual people rather than our idealized notion of a 'non-Christian'? Absolutely! Luke Cawley shows us why and how. He combines a much-needed diatribe against 'one-size-fits-all' apologetics with some very practical and easily accessible suggestions on how engage in apologetics. I cannot imagine a better book for a community of people who desire to share their hope with a world that desperately needs Christ!
-James Beilby,
professor of systematic and philosophical theology, Bethel University, St. Paul

A riveting back and forth between compelling principles of contextualized apologetics and life story. Luke speaks powerfully and prophetically about what apologetics in our day should look like as he gives the reader a fresh glimpse of what happens when our head and heart come together in our striving with people. Luke has an obvious love for God and for people. He paints a picture of what it looks like to do an apologetic and evangelistic ministry with impact and compassion. Theory, practice, heart, passion and presence - few books bring this level of integration together as The Myth of the Non-Christian!
-R. York Moore,
national evangelist, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA

Luke Cawley's book is a brilliant resource for anyone interested in any form of Christian apologetics - for evangelists, teachers, pastors and indeed for anyone who wants to engage those who don't understand what Christ offers that the culture cannot. The book is full of captivating snippets of conversations you and I have every day. It will make every reader more able to understand those who do not know Christ and more able to present him in ways they can understand. Cawley covers the gamut of unbelievers - skeptics, atheists, the unchurched and the spiritual but not religious. Importantly, Cawley is not afraid to engage the serious topic of spiritual reality. The text is highly accessible without compromising depth and should be read by all who ever want to talk with nonbelievers.
-Mary Poplin,
professor and author

"I recommend The Myth of the Non-Christian to any Christian interested in evangelism and apologetics. As a vocational minister, however, I would especially recommend it to other vocational ministers and church leaders. It will help us understand the challenges in reaching post-Christian Westerners for Christ as well as best practices for doing so."
"Real-life encounters, provocative sidebars, and questions at chapters' end help readers further interact with the book. The New Atheists and approaching nominal Christians are also considered. Recommended to anyone wanting to more effectively share the Gospel."
"Suppose Christians take seriously the call to spread the gospel, to answer questions about the faith and to give a reason for the hope that they have in Jesus Christ. If we shoulder this crucially important task, shouldn't we seek to engage and speak to actual people rather than our idealized notion of a 'non-Christian'? Absolutely! Luke Cawley shows us why and how. He combines a much-needed diatribe against 'one-size-fits-all' apologetics with some very practical and easily accessible suggestions on how engage in apologetics. I cannot imagine a better book for a community of people who desire to share their hope with a world that desperately needs Christ!"