3 More Cultural Engagement Tips
Today, we’re moving on in my new series of posts called, “7 Tips on Engaging Skeptics Like Paul Did in Athens.” In part one, we took a brief look at some historical background and focused on two simple lessons from Paul’s encounter in Acts 17:
In this article, I’ll share 3 more cultural engagement tips we can learn from Acts 17.
The Apostle Paul in Athens – Lessons
Here are 3 more life lessons from Paul’s time in Athens.
3. Find a Point of Contact
Paul kept his eyes open for a point of contact with the culture. He knew people in Athens worried about accidentally disrespecting some god they didn’t know about—a god who might bring some bad stuff down on their city. I really like how he started off with a tactful observation that was generally positive and inviting:
“Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious in all respects” (22).
This probably surprised a few people who knew where he was coming from. But Instead of shutting down potential dialogue by saying their deeply held religious beliefs were all wrong right off the bat, he started off with their interest in gods and ideas:
“As I went around and observed closely your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: To an unknown god” (23).
Here’s the point: Be observant. Some of your friends just like to talk—even if it’s just about whatever you’re interested in. You know who they are! But other people like talking about interesting ideas, kind of like the people in Athens. If that’s where they’re at, look for ways to connect with ideas that are interesting to them.
4. Help Them Connect the Dots
Paul was talking to Greco-Romans who worshiped a whole bunch of pagan deities. But he also had Epicureans there—people who were skeptical of organized religion and didn’t believe in hell; Not too different from a lot of people I’ve met while teaching a World Religion course at a secular university—except that the Epicureans actually worshipped a bunch of different gods (I might have had a polytheist or two in class before).
But Paul also had Stoics who believed in Zeus and thought the Epicureans had it all wrong. Maybe you’ve been there before–talking to a group of people from a whole bunch of different religious backgrounds. How do you connect the dots in a conversation like this?
After getting everyone’s attention, Paul approached the conversation this way:
“What you worship without knowing it, this I proclaim to you” (23).
One of the cool things about Paul’s encounter is the way he challenges people. It’s clear he respects their quest for spirituality, but then he clarifies what they’re looking for. In fact, he defines it. Paul knew where they were at, spiritually, and where they needed to go in order to find a real relationship with God—the one thing which actually brings lasting fulfillment.
Here’s the point: Challenge people in a way that respects their quest for truth or spirituality. Let your friends know you get where they’re at in all of this, even as your gently turn the conversation towards the hope you have in Jesus.
5. Recognize the Potential for Truth in Culture
Paul was up on the culture of the day. In fact, he readily used popular poems that were actually consistent with Scripture in this conversation. For example, he quoted a Cretan poet named Epimenides who wrote, “For in you we live and move and have our being.” Another guy he alluded to was a Cilician poet named Aratus, who wrote, “We are also his offspring” (28).
And I love the way he makes use of their culture’s own ideas to help build a bridge to his message—kind of saying, “I get where you’re at. Here’s where your quest can go,” and “Here’s where you really should go with all this.”
This is one reason I like to use stories and illustrations from TV, movies, songs, and popular Web sites. It gets people nodding in agreement, like “Yeah, this guy gets where we’re at.” So watch some TV or go see a movie. It might just help you as a Christian case-maker.
Here’s the point: Show people you get where they’re at by recognizing the potential for truth in the culture. Is there a way you can use pop culture—something that expresses our universal longings—to better understand your skeptical friends and build a bridge to the Christian message?
Next Time
That’s all for now. Next time, we’ll finish up the series with 2 final, cultural engagement tips from Acts 17. Stay tuned for the next installment of this series on engaging skeptics like Paul did in Athens. And if you found this post helpful, please share it on Facebook or Twitter. Thanks!
Steven Carr says
You have to remember that when Paul talked to sceptics, he met people who scoffed at the idea of a resurrection.
And, judging by 1 Corinthians (and possibly also Thessalonians), they were quite likely to convert to Christianity, while still, of course, openly mocking the idea that their god would choose to raise corpses.
So it is often the most hardened sceptics who convert to Christianity.
Lothars Sohn says
Do you have an advice as to how one has to deal with bullying antitheists?
They don’t seem to be interested in any kind of serious conversation, but just to shout their hatred against Christianity and “Religion”:
Lothars Sohn – Lothar’s son
http://lotharlorraine.wordpress.com
paul says
Do you mean bullying atheists or do you mean people who don’t happen to share your beliefs and are sick and tired of the way you christians try to force your beliefs down our throats?
Lothar Lorraine says
I like respectful intellectual defenders of atheism such as Jeffrey Jay Lowder.
You are over-generalizing, do progressive Christians force their beliefs down your throats?
paul says
Lothar
I think that to generalise is a bad mistake but I have noticed 3 trends which concern me:
1. As our gay-related laws become more liberalised and homosexuality becomes more open, the level of homophobia being displayed by christians is increasing. This was highlighted in a recent program hosted by Stephen Fry. Clearly, this is wrong. I am not gay, but, people have basic human rights and it is not for christians, or anyone else for that matter, to question anyone’s sexuality.
2. Great strides are being made in science – especially in the field of particle physics. Such is the progress that God now hangs by his finger nails. The more God’s existence is brought into question by scientists, the greater is the response from christians. It’s difficult now to comment on a forum that contains religious articles without being swamped by christians objecting to anyone who doesn’t share their beliefs.
3. I see more and more comments on forums disputing Darwin’s theory of evolution. Christians even want to see creationism taught in schools which is total and utter nonsense. If you are a christian and want to believe creationism, so be it. However, if a child is not a christian, it makes no sense.
Lothar Lorraine says
Hello Paul thanks for your answer.
I adress 1) here http://lotharlorraine.wordpress.com/2013/08/26/on-the-sinfulness-of-homsexuality-von-der-sundigkeit-der-homosexualitat-deutschunten/
and 3) here http://lotharlorraine.wordpress.com/2013/10/08/evangelicalism-intellectual-honesty-and-academic-freedom/
I completely disagree with 2). At the very least, such astounding progresses do nothing to call into question God’s existence.
Please, feel welcome at any time to comment or challenge me on my blog or wherever you wish.
My email is lotharlorraine@gmail.com
Friendly greetings from Europe.
2013/10/18 Disqus
paul says
Lothar
Regarding item 2 – you have to be kidding me, right?
I am not that familiar with the bible but doesn’t it say in Genesis – in the beginning was the word and the word was God and doesn’t it go on to say that God created the world in 6 days … yada yada whatever?
Recent progress in science has shown that once everything is removed from a vessel and the resulting ‘nothingness’ observed, particle/antiparticle pairs spontaneously come into being. This does not violate any physical laws due to the fact that a particle/antiparticle pair are created. It appears that this ‘nothingness’ is an unstable state. The particle/antiparticle pair left to their own devices annihilate each other leaving the ‘nothingness’ once again until another particle/antiparticle pair come into being. Now, suppose that two particle/antiparticle pairs come into being at the same time and suppose that two particles combine. That will prevent the two particle/antiparticle pairs from annihilating each other. If this continues, we now have the possibility that a universe will spontaneously be created. That eliminates the need for God in the creation of the universe.
This, to some people, may sound ridiculous. I’ve chatted with more than one christian who has said as much. But the fact remains that when all matter is removed from a vessel, matter is spontaneously created. However, studies have shown that religious folk are less intelligent than atheists so no surprise there. Besides, the idea is no more ridiculous than believing in God.
paul says
Lothar
I also applaud your responses to items 1 and 3. It’s a great pity that too many christians think otherwise.
As Stephen Fry said, many species on the planet are homosexual – but only one is homophobic.
Mark McGee says
Excellent advice, Mike! Helpful to all of us.