Concentric Circles of Concern 1

Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary A Critical Review of Concentric Circles of Concern A Paper Submitted to Mr. Mark Traeger In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Course Personal Evangelism EVAN 565 By Robert C. Stilwell, Jr. Feb. 7, 2010 Bibliographical Entry Author Information Oscar Thompson, the original author of Concentric Circles of Concern, was a pastor for twenty years before teaching personal evangelism at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also served as the president of the Oscar Thompson Evangelical Association. After being diagnosed with cancer, Thompson served as pastoral consultant of the Cancer Counseling and Research Foundation, as well as pastoral consultant and board member of the Trinity Valley Hospice Association, while ministering to those facing terminal illness. Upon his death in 1980, his wife, Carolyn, compiled the manuscript of the first edition of Concentric Circles. Thompson’s outstanding work in the area of evangelism continues to be recognized in the W. Oscar Thompson, Jr. Memorial Award in Evangelism, which is presented to an exceptional student in the School of Theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Claude King revised and updated Thompson’s original work by adding further discussion on seven stages of evangelism which Thompson taught in the original edition, as well as sections on personalizing each chapter and small group study activities. King, a discipleship training leader, has developed and written several curriculum resources for lay discipleship, co-authored Experiencing God, and serves as a consultant in the Office of Prayer and Spiritual Awakening for the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. Content Summary In this revised edition of W. Oscar Thompson's classic book on evangelism, Thompson demonstrates the importance of using personal relationships to share the gospel of Christ, as well as the necessity of repairing and building