Jim Henderson: The Recovering Evangelist

 About five years ago I protested what I thought were overpriced tickets for a Christian conference put on by an outfit called Off the Map. I wrote an email criticizing OTM and asked to be removed from their online newsletter mailer. Instead of that just being that, I was instead listened to and engaged with...and then comped to the overpriced ticketed event. (for a fun read about the relationship that then developed between me and OTM click here)

Jim Henderson is the guy who chose to engage with this critic rather than simply hit the delete button. I've since become friends with Jim and have learned that this is pretty much his standard MO. If someone is respectful and willing to dialog, then he'll give as much room and ear space to hear them out as he can. That, my friends, is effin' refreshing in this day and age of polarizing debate.

Jim just got a write up in USA Today by Portland based religion journalist, Tom Krattenmaker. Here's an excerpt:

Jim Henderson is a recovering evangelist. Back in his soul-chasing, church-starting days, he began hearing a grating dissonance between his faith in Jesus and the way he went about winning new converts. Henderson realized he was doing unto others what he would never want done unto him. He was manipulating conversations to set up a pitch. Viewing people as potential notches on his evangelism belt rather than fellow sojourners and prospective friends. Listening only to the extent it could reveal an argumentative opening. He realized he hated the whole enterprise.  (click HERE for the entirety of the article)

In an email earlier today to alert his friends and associates of the publication of this story, Jim said that Krattenmaker has provided the most accurate reporting he's seen to date of what Jim does and why he does it.

So check it out. Great article about Jim and also some ideas of atheists and Christians playing nice together in the sandbox. For real.