Testimony: Talking Ourselves Into Being Christian

by Thomas G. Long

In this groundbreaking book, Thomas G. Long—a theologian and respected authority on preaching—explores how Christians talk when they are not in church. Testimony breaks the stained-glass image of religious language to show how ordinary talking in our everyday lives— talk across the backyard fence, talk with our kids, talk about politics and the events of the day—can be sacred speech. In a world of spin, slick marketing, mindless chatter, and easy deceptions, Testimony shows that the hunger for truthful, meaningful, and compassionate speech is ultimately grounded in truth about God.

Genres: Theology, Nonfiction

179 pages, Hardcover

First published August 29, 2003

Reviews

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Been meaning to get around to this book for a while. Thomas Longs book on preaching (The Witness of Preaching) reflects on the metaphor of being a Witness and its implications for preachers. This book does something similar for regular Christians. Long talks about the practice of Testimony and how regular, ordinary believers can cultivate the practice of speaking about there faith. What is fascinating about this book is that neither Long or those he is writing to have grown up in the Evangelical sub-culture where sharing your faith is expected (and if you don't feel like it, we can guilt you into it). Thus he is attuned to how to get mainline Christians to engage with the practice without being disrespectful of their neighbors.

Not a bad little book.

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Testimony: Talking Ourselves Into Being Christian
by Long, Thomas G.

The title says it all: we do in fact talk ourselves into belief. As in, when we speak what we think we believe, the act of speaking (or writing) reinforces that belief. Educationally, this is the affective domain in action where, through processing out loud, we receive immediate feedback, of which I’m most intrigued by the internal feedback. That is, when I say something out loud, there’s a little piece of me that says, “Yes, that’s well articulated; I like how that came out,” or, “There’s something missing… I don’t think I have it all together.”

Therefore, if it is true that faith is reinforced through processing it beyond ourselves, sharing what we believe in spoken and written words, it is necessary to make space for this to happen. Personal quiet times are good as an initial step, but if this book is true and we never process what we believe out loud, our belief will remain diminished.

[JD Waggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eminently readable (and yet well-researched and noted enough to give some girth to what is being written), Long walks you through a day of talking and how the speech of a Christian should/could sound through each part of it. There are a lot of stories and people illustrations without this getting too folksy, and there are a lot of somewhat obvious things that are gently but insistently pointed out. I got a lot out of this as a layperson in a secular job and really appreciated Long's remonstrance to get our faith into the rest of our lives (i.e., beyond church) without allowing ourselves to be either cowed or cowing. Highly recommended.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have apparently read this book before, but now I have read it with new eyes. Long gives us a new perspective on testimony beyond just telling our faith stories. He talks about taking our Sunday language into the world in a way that is understandable, grace filled and helpful to both those who hear us and ourselves. Well worth the read.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Our testimony is always to increase the love of God and neighbor." It is not to bully, and it is not to coerce. It is not to tear down, threaten, or offend.
Great writing, good examples and an important message. This book has inspired a great deal of reflection on the way that I "testify" to the world.

[Beth Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did not finish

[Phillip Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

very good - more later