Telling the Story, Part 8: Bridge the Gap

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Once you’ve told your story you can talk about faith in a way that bridges the gap between Christians and secularists. Our faith teaches practical lessons that make sense - even to skeptics – and we can connect by using them.

We all see the decline in social values and the economic costs we bear because of it.  It’s happened because of a fraying work ethic, lessening of personal responsibility and trashing of the concepts of family and discipline.  Anyone with common sense sees this.  But people often don’t understand that dysfunctional behaviors violate Christian teaching or that Christianity’s standards once provided cohesiveness and self-discipline that helped prevent destructive behaviors.

Christianity is attacked so routinely that people reflexively reject our faith, don’t understand it and don’t see the importance of its values.  We should tackle this and make the connection between the diminishment of faith and our dysfunctional society.  Believe in God or not, we’ve seen what happens when secularists ignore Christian teachings and make up the rules. Their failure gives our faith street cred.

Everyone needs hope, and we can offer it.   In 2008 the presidency was won partly on the promise of hope.  But hope for what, exactly?  It was never defined, leaving everyone to plug in whatever they wished for.  In most cases it was probably for “things” like a better job, cheaper rent or the end of war.  As important as these are, they pale compared to the promise of Christ. Our hope is bigger.  It’s for an eternal life that transcends our problems and gives us a perspective that mitigates despair.  We should explain how this affects our lives. 

Many people don’t believe eternal life is possible, but we can’t be shy about presenting it.  When I understood this promise, even though I thought it was farfetched, I asked myself, “What if this is true?” and decided to find out.  It was the hook that inspired curiosity.

Sometimes we can tie into what the other person already believes.  One guy’s outlook changed because a pop author suggested an “attitude of gratitude.”  But it’s just a shallow knockoff of Christian belief. We’re thankful to a God who made everything, watches over us, and gives us eternal life. Non-spiritual gratitude is limited and lacks the depth and promise of Christian belief.

The Big Bang Theory and the Theory of Evolution can be bridges.  Without disputing them, mention that the questions neither can answer are exactly the things faith explains. Science can’t credibly explain where life comes from or what created the universe, so skeptics are left with implausible answers that enable them to ignore God.  We should explain that faith completes our view of the universe by providing the missing answers.

Our job is to get people to think.  Get them to say “Really?” “No kidding!”  “I never knew that.”  “I never thought about it that way.”  The idea is to have them ask themselves “What if this is true?”  If you bring an unbeliever to this point, you’ve done a stellar job.

Next Christian Standpoint article:  Continuing the Conversation

Telling the Story, Part 7: Sharing Your Story

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Once you’ve listened and learned about the other person you can transition to sharing your story.  Remember, this is still a conversation - not an opportunity for you to ascend your soapbox and impose your faith on the listener.  If you do they’ll probably head for the hills.

If you speak in a conversational, genuine and heartfelt way they should be willing to listen. This is the first step in opening minds that may have snapped closed to faith long ago.

Tie your story to what you’ve learned about them.  If they think the very idea of God is bunk, you might reply “I used to think that too, and it took me a long time to get past it.”   Or, “I’ve never been in that position because I’ve always had faith.  I know He’s there because of the peace and strength I have that I can’t explain otherwise.”  Or, “I’ve believed my whole life but I’ve had the same questions as you.  I found the evidence supported faith.”

Then ask, “Is it OK if I tell you my story?”  Here’s mine:

I was raised as a church going Methodist.  Then I went to college, lost my faith and was an atheist for many years.  As time went on, I became even more convinced I was right because everything around me seemed to confirm it: news stories, commentaries, movies, world problems, injustice, and the general culture all conspired to denigrate the idea of God and Christianity. 

Even so, I still believed in the value of a Christian upbringing for my kids and when the time came my wife and I looked for a church, but I wasn't looking forward to feigning belief for the next twenty years.  Then things started happening:  questions I had about God were addressed in magazine articles, radio programs and other places. I asked a respected business associate what he thought about God and found he was a strong Christian who talked convincingly about his faith.  These things continued to happen and I found myself questioning my unbelief. 

One night I entered my son’s room to read him a bedtime story.  Out of the blue, I mentally said “God, if Jon wants to read the Little Golden Book About God - which we had never read before - instead of PJ Funnybunny, then I’ll believe.”  Jon had PJ in his hands, put it down, pulled the “God” book off the bookshelf and said “I want to read this tonight.”  I’ve believed ever since.

Although I was still skeptical about Jesus, over years of seeking answers I found He’s real, too.  I now have faith and find it continually strengthened because I look at things from a Christian perspective and see God everywhere.

Here’s an old question.  “Which man is truly crazy, the one who hears thunder and thinks it’s the voice of God, or the one who hears the voice of God and thinks it only thunder?”  Christian faith lets me hear the voice of God.

Next Christian Standpoint article:  Sharing Your Faith