Dare 2 Share: A Field Guide to Sharing Your Faith.by Greg Stier. Carol Stream: Tyndale, 2006. 274 pp. Paper. $12.99.

Every pastor, youth pastor, and parent who works or interacts with teenagers must buy this book for their teenager, but read it themselves first. As the subtitle indicates, this book has practical tips and insights on how people (especially teenagers) can share their faith with others.

Greg Stier is the founder and president of Dare 2 Share Ministries and has spoken to hundreds of thousands of teenagers across the country. This book is a distillation of what he teaches, and has been included among the books distributed by Focus on the Family. The book focuses on the Dare 2 Share trademark GOSPEL acronym:

God created us to be with Him (chap 9)
Our sins separate us from God (chap 10)
Sins cannot be removed by good deeds (chap 11)
Paying for the Price for sin, Jesus died and rose again (chap 12)
Everyone who trusts in Him has eternal life (chap 13)
Life that’s eternal means we will be with Jesus forever (chap 14)

In explaining how students can use this acronym to witness to their friends, Greg makes it clear that different styles and methods can be used (chap 6), but the message must not change, and the purpose of presenting the gospel is to bring a person to believe in Jesus for everlasting life. Chapters 13 and 14 were very clear that the condition for eternal life is faith alone in Christ alone, and that eternal life cannot be lost. Frankly, I was a little surprised that Greg was able to state this position so strongly in a book sponsored by Focus on the Family since James Dobson is elsewhere on record for speaking against eternal security.

I was also impressed by chapter 17, which lists four common evangelistic phrases which must be avoided because they are misleading and unbiblical. These four statements are: “Are you saved?” “Let Jesus into your heart,” “Turn from all your sin,” and “Just Say this prayer…” (pp. 129-31).

The book was also incredibly practical in that it described how to turn normal, every day conversations into spiritual conversations (chap 7) and the importance of helping new believers grow in their relationship with Jesus (chap 22). The book closes with fifteen short chapters on how to witness to people of different religions and worldviews, which I found to be very helpful.

There were a few things that some readers might be slightly uncomfortable with, such as the repeated use of “trust” instead of “believe” throughout the book, his recommendation of the “chair illustration” for how people trust in Jesus (p. 123), and his belief that the numerous references to the “weeping and gnashing of teeth” and the “outer darkness” refer to hell, not to judgment at the inauguration of the kingdom (p. 15). But these are minor issues in Free Grace circles.

I recommend that churches and pastors looking to train their people on how to evangelize use Greg Stier’s book as part of their curriculum. Though written for teenagers, most adults will find it helpful as well.

Jeremy Myers
Associate Editor
Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society
Irving, TX