Andy Wrasman

34. Storytelling Evangelism

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George interviews Andy about his MA research project, THE USE OF CHINESE LITERATURE AS A CULTURAL STARTING POINT TO PRESENT THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST.

Abstract

Common methods of Christian evangelism present a list of facts about man’s depravity and God’s act of salvation for mankind. These methods are problematic in today’s mostly postmodern world that does not accept absolute truths. These methods also use terminology and concepts unknown outside of the Christian faith, furthering the difficulty of communicating the Gospel. This research project then seeks to find a well-known piece of Chinese literature that Christians can use as a cultural starting point when presenting the Gospel in China, eliminating the problems of a facts-based presentation of the Gospel.

Key List of Words

Chinese folktales, Chinese literature, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, monomyth, and storytelling evangelism.

Show Links

Andy’s MA Research Project

Reconnect Episode 6: Contradict – Campus Evangelism

November 10, 2015November 10, 2015

Andy WrasmanLeave a comment

33. Resurrection or Reincarnation?

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Many religions teach that the soul is eternal and that it passes on from one life to the next, being incarnate in a new body each time. This teaching is called reincarnation. It contradicts the teaching of resurrection that says this life is the only life humans have before a bodily resurrection of all the dead at the final judgment of the Lord.

Mike Shreve of Shreve Ministries shares why he used to believe in reincarnation, how he used to teach others about reincarnation, how the Lord saved him and brought him to embrace the resurrection of Christ and the future bodily resurrection of all the dead, and how he explains that reincarnation isn’t logically consistent.

Show Links:

Shreve Ministries

Free Download of Mike’s Testimony: Encountering God

Website for Mike’s Book, In Search of the True Light: The True Light

November 3, 2015November 3, 2015

Andy Wrasman3 Comments

32. Halloween Special: Christian Paranormal Investigator

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A 2005 Gallup poll revealed that 37% of Americans believe houses can be haunted and 21% believe they can personally communicate with the dead.

In a 2009 Pew Research Center survey, it was discovered that 29% of the American population believes they have been in touch with the dead. Among those who identify as Christians, the percentage was the exact same! 18% of Americans claim to have had a ghostly experience (17% among Christians).

In light of such results, is the Church ready to respond to an increasing population that embraces a paranormal worldview? This is a drastic shift from countering the typical Atheistic naturalism. There is a cultural shift occurring in which the non-religious are open to a reality that exists beyond our natural world. However, are Christians prepared to address the many facets of this growing belief system and fascination with the spirit world?

Daniel Jenkins - Christian Paranormal Investigator — Daniel Jenkins – Christian Paranormal Investigator

In the first Reconnect Halloween Special, Andy interviews Daniel Jenkins, a Christian paranormal investigator. Daniel has been on 1000s of “ghost-hunts” as a member of a Christian paranormal investigation team. As a Christian team interacting with non-Christian investigators and scared home-owners who thought their homes were haunted, Daniel and his team were able to share the hope of the Gospel, give explanations to what was being experienced, and personally pray for those who were scared and in need of God’s love and truth.

Questions Answered:

How did Daniel get involved in the paranormal world?

What makes a Christian paranormal team different from any other team?

What does the typical investigation consists of?

Is there usually a natural explanation found through the investigations?

What has Daniel experienced that couldn’t be explained naturally?

What does the Bible say concerning ghosts? Are they just demons, or could they be the spirits of the dead?

How has Daniel been able to share the Gospel through his involvement in paranormal investigations?

How has Daniel’s paranormal involvement been received by other Christians and his pastors?

Show Links:

Cris Putnam’s site: The Supernatural Worldview

Calico Ghost Tours

Daniel Jenkins’ employer: Lutheran Hour Ministries

Men’s Network from Lutheran Hour Ministries

WhatDoesThisMean.Org: “Ghost Stories” by Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller

A LC-MS pastor’s sermon on Samuel’s ghost and the witch at Endor

Andy Wrasman’s Contradict – They Can’t All Be True

October 27, 2015November 12, 2015

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31. Tattooing and Flying Drones for Jesus

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Jake Wells is a Flesh Pilot. He’s a tattoo artist and a DIY RC POV Helocopter enthusiast.

Tattoos are taboo in most Christian circles. Jake is covered in them and he covers others with them too.

Remote controlled helicopters are a booming hobby, though a controversial one due to the fact that most people call them drones and some pilots fly them in illegal spaces or over private property while filming from them!

Despite the controversy, Jake uses his job as a tattoo artist to share the Gospel and he has been dubbed the “world’s first RC (Remote Control) Christian Minister”.

Andy interviews Jake to find out more about how he became a Christian and how he shares Christ through his work and hobbies in the hope that Jake’s boldness to share the Gospel through his every day endeavors will excite others to do the same in their jobs and recreational pursuits.

Show Links:

Jake’s Ministry Site – Flesh Pilot

Jake’s Tattoo Site – Christian Tattoo Artist

Jake’s Coptor Frames for Sale – Black Arm Workshop

VICE’s Motherboard Article on Jake – “The Born-Again Christian Who Flies a Drone for God”

Nadov Assor’s Documentary with Jake – “Lesson on Leaving Your Body”

Jefferson Bethke’s Video – “Are Tattoos Sinful?”

October 20, 2015May 3, 2016

Andy Wrasman2 Comments

30. Who is Serving in your Service?

Listen to Episode 30 Here – Now!

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We can approach a church service as our opportunity to serve the Lord through what we are doing during our gathering, or we can go to a church service with the expectation that we are going to be served by the Lord. We usually hold one approach as our predominant understanding of what is occurring when we gather. There is a church service order called the Divine Service. This is an order of service typically used within Lutheran traditions. Its name was mentioned in Episode 28, but not much was shared about what actually transpires in a Divine Service. So for this episode, Andy interviews Pastor Jaime Nava of Good Shepherd Lutheran in Yucaipa, CA, to learn more about what the Divine Service is and why Jaime thinks it is the best approach to sharing the Gospel during our church services.