Book nook: Quick to Listen: Understanding Viewpoints that Challenge Your Faith

The very first sentence of the forward perfectly prepares the reader for this book: “This is not an easy book. You, dear reader, should know what you’ve gotten yourself in to. 

Reading Quick to Listen: Understanding Viewpoints that Challenge Your Faith demands your ability to momentarily put aside your faith lens and to see the world through the eyes of others. This is not an easy task. While reading the book, you will often feel the knee-jerk reaction that we, as Christians, have when someone questions our faith. However, if you can get past that reaction, you will find that the ability to listen first and to seek understanding is an essential practice that followers of Christ need to learn if we will ever create meaningful relationships and share the truth with those outside our faith family. 

Throughout the book, you hear the words of people who take various viewpoints contrary to what WELS believes. The book then offers a view into the thoughts behind their beliefs. It’s not a textbook of what to say in response, but an encouragement for all of us to really listen to our neighbors and to understand them before we begin to share our faith. Besides creating clear pictures of what the participants believe, the writers provide the Scripture that supports what we have been taught in our church body. In reading the book, I enjoyed the challenge of trying on another perspective, holding it opposite to my thoughts, and carefully examining the two.  

The authors illustrate wonderful examples of Christian love and patience as they model through their questions and writing how we can understand and listen in love. It challenges us to show Christ’s love through our ability to connect with others by being quick to listen. This is an excellent book for readers who are strong in their faith and looking to expand their knowledge of how to reach others with varying faith backgrounds and viewpoints. 

Leah Adams
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 


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Author: Leah Adams
Volume 106, Number 4
Issue: April 2019

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