- Christianity Today's 2018 Book of the Year Award of Merit - Apologetics/Evangelism

How are Christians viewed in the broader culture?We blush at the possibilities. Brainwashed fanatics? Out-of-touch dogmatists? Buffoons?The task of bearing faithful witness to Jesus is complicated by persistent—and not altogether baseless—cultural stereotypes. In our post-Christian society, thoughtful Christians are considering again how to engage thedominant culture as a minority, a counterpublic, amid varying perceptions and misperceptions.In this timely book, Timothy Muehlhoff and Rick Langer ask what our interactions with the dominant cultural ethos should look like. How might we be persuasive and civil at the same time? How should we respond to those who ridicule and caricature us? How can we challenge the beliefs of other communities with love and respect?Muehlhoff and Langer present a model for cultural engagement that integrates communication theory, theology, and Scripture. Penetrating, wise, and relentlessly practical, it includes test cases and examples from history, such as William Wilberforce and Harriet Beecher Stowe.Now more than ever, Christians need what Winsome Persuasion offers: a compelling vision of public engagement that is both shrewd and gracious.



Tim Muehlhoff (PhD, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) is professor of communication at Biola University in La Mirada, California, where he teaches classes in family communication, interpersonal communication, persuasion, and gender. Tim is senior director of the Winsome Conviction Project. His books include I Beg to Differ, Eyes to See, and Winsome Persuasion.







Richard Langer (PhD, University of California, Riverside) is professor of biblical and theological studies at Talbot School of Theology and director of the Office for the Integration of Faith and Learning at Biola University.Together with Tim Muehlhoff, he is the coauthor of Winsome Persuasion, which received a 2018 Christianity Today book award in apologetics/evangelism. In addition to teaching and writing, they are codirectors of The Winsome Conviction Project, which seeksto introduce civility and compassion into our discussion of differences.







Quentin J. Schultze is the author of over a dozen books on the relationship between faith and communications. He serves as executive director of the Gainey Institute for Faith and Communication and as Arthur H. DeKruyter Chair in Faith and Communication at Calvin College.



Foreword by Quentin J. Schultze

Introduction



Part I: Laying a Theoretical Foundation

1. What Is a Counterpublic?

2. What Is a Christian Counterpublic

Historical Sketch 1: Saint Patrick and Irish Civilization

3. Counterpublics in the Argument Culture

4. Credibility of a Counterpublic

Historical Sketch 2: Jean Vanier and L'Arche



Part II: Engaging Others

5. Crafting Your Message

6. Delivering Your Message

Historical Sketch 3: Harriet Beecher Stowe and Uncle Tom's Cabin

7. Forming Loose Connections

Historical Sketch 4: William Wilberforce and Parliament



Part III: Pressing Questions for Christian Counterpublics

8. How Should We Respond to the Supreme Court Decision on Same-Sex Marriage? Tim Muehlhoff

9. How Should We Respond to the Supreme Court Decision on Same-Sex Marriage? Richard Langer

10. Engaging Each Other: A Guided Conversation



Conclusion

Subject Index