Review: The Outsider Interviews

The Outsider Interviews
Jim Henderson, Tom Hunter, and Craig Spinks

Christians often spend time trying to understand the perspective of those outside the church.  Or, rather, they should.  Too often, we simply assume. Our unchurched neighbours might as well belong to a distant tribe on the far side of the planet, for all we really know of their lives.  The Outsider Interviews  sets out to ask a mix of churched and unchurched people - mainly from the so-called Buster generation - about how they perceive Christians and the church.  An early discourse explains why "Outsider": Evangelicals tend to talk of "the lost" to describe those outside the church - but not to their faces.  The authors want a more useful descriptive term with less of  a pejorative overtone.

The perspective is entirely a USA-centric view.  The authors visited Kansas City, Phoenix, Denver, and Seattle. In each place, they interviewed two Christians and two outsiders, in front of a live audience, and also filmed additional backstage material.   There is nothing earth-shattering in the answers (depending on your starting point) but there is much to learn, much to be reinforced by the way that these articulate young people express themselves.  Very often they have missed the point of what the gospel message is all about - without apportioning blame, we may readily say that evangelism has failed!

This is a DVB - a DVD/Book.  The DVD and the book have distinct content.  You're supposed to consume both.  I first bought it as a Kindle book, saving 50p: but it didn't come with the DVD content - so I sent it back for a refund! [the Kindle edition no longer seems to be available.] The DVD contains the actual interviews; the book gives the back-story and some commentary.  The DVD has high production values and is well-produced.  You could use its segments in many contexts - as discussion-starters or jumping-off points for talks.  The book is more self-indulgent, in a way.  It tells us the interviewers' perspective on the topics, and their reaction to the Outsiders' comments.  Several chapters are reconstructions of their discussion over dinner, after the interviews - with perhaps more contextual information than is really needed.  The background is useful, but doesn't really add as much to the videos as I might have hoped.

The book has a good website, where you can see excerpts of the text and video content, as well as extras.  For example, there is a small group study guide, and suggestions on how to run interviews in your own church - an interesting fresh spin on approaches to evangelism.

I said that there is nothing too surprising in the answers: that is not to say that they are pedestrian.  Complex situations arise: one story is told of a Christian whose friend contemplates an abortion.  She tells her that she dislikes that option, but will stick by her - even going to the clinic with her - no matter what her decision.  This turned out to be a powerful witness to the love of Christ.  Other hot button issues for the American church - such as the gay rights agenda - also get a good airing.  It is always salutary to see ourselves as others see us.

That, I think, is the value here.  If we don't listen, we don't really have the right to speak. The topics that come up in conversation should help to define how we describe the love of God.  Craig Spinks' rather wonderful Recycle your Faith site explores them further.