The Mystic Way of Evangelism, 2nd edition: A Contemplative Vision for Christian Outreach

Many have noted a decline in many aspects of the American church. Elaine Heath, in The Mystic Way of Evangelism, brings a fresh perspective to the theory and practice of evangelism by approaching it through contemplative spirituality, offering a corrective to the contemporary American trend of programmatic and consumeristic forms of evangelism.  By appealing to Christians' desire for holiness, Heath advocates an ancient three-fold way of purgation, illumination, and union in returning to the church's mission. Heath looks at contemplative spirituality as the way out of the church's predicament, not actively engaging others in witness but rather attempting to bring the church back to outreach by looking inward. Less a manual about how to evangelize and more a crazy quilt of mystic biographies, a diagnosis of the church, and a memoir concerning a friend's religious journey, this book discards traditional evangelistic techniques for a focus on a contemplative vision for evangelism. This thoroughly revised second edition also includes a new study guide.