Nudging Conversions: A Practical Guide to Bringing Those You Love Back to the Church - Hardcover

Carrie Gress

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1942611234 ISBN 13: 9781942611233

Publisher: Wellspring, 2015

Synopsis

We all know someone—a parent, sibling, aunt or uncle, coworker, grandparent, child, neighbor, or friend who has either left the Church or never discovered it. We want them to know the joy and peace we've discovered, but the last thing we want to do is to force our faith on them. So how can we bring our loved ones back to the Church?

Jesus was the first and greatest evangelizer. As his disciples, we're called to share in his mission to spread his message to others. But going outside your comfort zone to engage the disengaged in meaningful conversations about Catholicism can be overwhelming. Fortunately, there are common patterns that are easy to follow once you recognize them.

In Nudging Conversions, Carrie Gress unveils those common patterns and offers a practical roadmap for reaching out to friends and family. You'll learn the art of asking questions, when to speak and when to keep quiet, basic tools for talking to others about Jesus, how to answer questions about the faith, and more.

Conversion doesn't happen overnight, sometimes all it takes is a little nudge.

About this title

About the Author

Carrie Gress has a doctorate in philosophy from the Catholic University of America and was the Rome bureau chief of Zenit's English edition. She is the co-author with George Weigel of City of Saints: A Pilgrimage to John Paul II's Krakow (Image Books, 2015). A mother of four, she and her family live in Virginia.

Review

The splendor, beauty, and freedom of the Catholic faith is something our culture longs for. Joy and truth go a long way in a world that has tried everything yet feels empty. Carrie Gress shows us that the beauty of Catholicism often only needs to be nudged for those searching. God works through small and simple things and he wants to work through you to bring others closer to Him. Nudging Conversions is a must read for anyone who wants to joyfully share their Catholic faith in a culture seeking love in all the wrong places. --Shawn Carney: Co-Founder of 40 Days for Life, and Co-Author of 40 Days for Life: Discover What God Has Done...Imagine What He Can Do

Dr. Gress urges us to realize that evangelization (bringing others to the love of Jesus Christ) doesn't happen in a vacuum. It takes real people of real faith to reach out to that hurting person in the coffee shop, that disenfranchised teenager in our own family. Recognizing the challenges we face today in putting our faith into action, Gress offers a real roadmap to take the reader from inspiration to practical application of the deposit of faith. Nudging Conversions offers suggestions which can make a tangible difference not only for the hopeful evangelist but for those engaged actively in ministry today. --Dr. Christine A. Mugridge: Author of Called by Name, contributor to Relevant Radio, Immaculate Heart Radio/EWTN, research specialist on St. John Paul II s theology of communication.

Carrie Gress has written a marvelous book, a book full of practical assistance, of wisdom, of love. No Christian is ever fully fulfilled until she brings others around her back into the arms of Christ. Bringing the gospel to others, especially those near us, is our vocation.... Millions of Catholics at Mass ache with passionate prayers that children, uncles, and close friends of theirs come 'back home' to a loving Father. Prayers storm heaven every day pleading for that to happen. But for God to act, WE have to be his gentle hand upon the back, speaking tongue, embracing arm. We have to give our dear ones a nudge.  If each of the 45 million Catholic adults during their allotted years of life nudge even two of their dearest ones back to our Father, that would mean an immense increase in those rejoicing together again in the deepest of all loves. Carrie gives scores of practical tips on how to let the Lord give that nudge through you. --Michael Novak: Author, philosopher, theologian, diplomat

Edition details

• Publisher: Wellspring
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1942611234
• ISBN 13: 9781942611233
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 112