The Unexpected Journey

a review by Kevin Binkley

Following Jesus is a journey none of the people in this book ever expected to take. Why did they? What difference did it make?

Thom S. Rainer's book "The Unexpected Journey: Conversations with People Who Turned from Other Beliefs to Jesus" serves to rebuild the confidence of would be evangelists. Christian evangelistic efforts today are often crippled by a fear of failure, or rejection, or incompetence. Consequently, rather than struggle with weak unclear efforts, often, there are none.

Rainer almost accidentally reminds the reader that God still uses ordinary means to get the attention of sinners who need a relationship with Christ. Evangelistic programs, special outreaches, and orchestrated church campaigns are not the engines driving the unconverted to seek Christ.

So what is? Thom Rainer and his wife, Nellie Jo, personally interviewed Christians who once followed the paths of Mormonism, Judaism, Hinduism, atheism, Jehovah's Witnesses, Wicca, agnosticism, Buddhism, Islam, Unitarianism, New Ageism, and even Satanism. The Unexpected Journey uses a flowing, conversational format to tell twelve fascinating conversion stories. Speaking in the first person, the interviewees share the struggles, hurdles, and open doors God used to bring them from other faiths to Christianity. With respectful honesty, they share both their good and bad experiences with Christians and churches and how those encounters influenced their journey to faith. Each chapter includes not only the individual's story, but also a section highlighting and explaining their former non-Christian belief system.

Paul, a former Jehovah's Witness said, "I had knocked on doors for twenty-eight years. I have been in thousands of homes of Christians, including pastors. I have had doors slammed in my face, dogs sicked on me, and water thrown on me. But I never, never, never had anyone share the gospel with me. No one, that is, except a clerk in a Christian bookstore." The bookstore clerk in this story didn't even have to disassemble the JW's teaching.

Thom uses classic Rainer analysis to tell a dozen stories of conversions to Christ. The book encourages readers to stay in the lives of others to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. The normal guilt laden sermons driven to force people out of their comfort zones are absent from the book. No special program, no magic words, no unrealistic fears, just faithful learning, living, showing, and sharing the love of God and the good news of Jesus Christ to those who do not know him.

The Unexpected Journey is a must read for every Christian in every Church. Too simple to be true? Maybe, but still simple, and still true... still.