Preston Perry: ‘I used to try and win the argument. Now I try and win the heart’

The apologist and spoken word poet on growing up in gangs, finding Christ – and how God convicted him about his old approach to evangelism

Preston Perry is a walking lesson in the power of personal investment. 

Growing up, it was a teacher who first spotted his way with words. And despite not growing up in a Christian home, his grandma modelled Jesus through her faithful love and prayers. Then when Perry finally found himself drawn towards the God who had known him all along, it was a cool older dude from a similar background who came alongside him. This man’s emphasis on whole-life discipleship showed Perry that “Christianity was attainable for…a young, black male from the south side of Chicago” whose previous hobbies included selling drugs, “fornicating” and running around with gangs.