Dr Peter Saunders

Speaker and Author

Profile

Conference Topics

Outline

PDF

Audio Download

Answering Other Faiths

Approaching other faiths

All other faiths have beliefs in common with and distinct from Christianity. Given these similarities and differences, what evangelistic approach should we adopt? Should we ‘build bridges’ or attack false teaching? Should we contextualise or confront? Confrontation alone alienates unbelievers. Those of other faiths must be gently coaxed. On the other hand contextualisation alone dilutes the gospel. False teaching must be exposed.

The Apostle Paul both contextualised and confronted. Whether talking to Jews, Greeks or Romans, to intellectuals or idolaters, he first identified with the truth his hearers already knew to establish rapport. But then he confronted, argued, and prosecuted false belief. Paul, of course, did more than just identify and prosecute. He also preached the gospel: Christ’s death, resurrection and the reality of judgment. We are wise to follow his example.

The Course

Answering other faiths is an evangelism-training course originally developed by the UK Christian Medical Fellowship to train doctors and medical students. It is based on the apostles’ own strategy of identify, prosecute and preach.

The course is interactive and is usually run in day-conference format with about 20-50 participants who become more and more involved as the day goes on. Teaching modules include: God’s Big Plan, The unfinished task, The Bible and other faiths, Pluralism and Relativism, Making a Worldview diagnosis, What makes Christianity distinct, the Apostles strategy – the Identify, Prosecute, Preach model, Overview of other faiths.

Answering other faiths is ideal ‘entry-level’ preparation for Christians in dialogue evangelism for those of other faiths. It does not assume detailed knowledge of other faiths but helps people to get started where they are. It can be easily adapted for student groups, professional groups and churches.

Since 1990 CMF UK has held over 20 Answering other faiths weekend and day conferences, with over 1,000 participants, mainly targeted at reaching Muslims.

1.0 God’s Big Plan

1.1 God’s Big Plan

Biblical history is linear - it has a beginning, middle and end

The Bible begins in a garden with God and man in harmony(Gen 3) and ends in a city (Rev 21)

But the story line is one of creation, fall, redemption and consummation

The call of Abraham involves the promise of blessing to all nations (Gen 12:1-3)

The story concludes with this blessing realised for all nations (Rev 7:4-10, 21:24-26)

God created and scattered the nations (Gen 11:1-9), determines their movements (Acts 17:26, Am 9:7, Dan 2:21, 31-42; 4:17, 25, 32, 5:21, 7-12, Is 40:15-17, 21-24) and brings them to judgement (Ps 2, 82:1-7)

The blessing to all nations is not a New Testament innovation but dominates the OT narrative.

The reiterated promise to the patriarchs involves mention of Abraham's ‘offspring’ (Gen 15:3, 22:17-18, 26:4, 28:13-14), which the New Testament makes clear is Christ himself (Gal 3:16-19)

God makes a covenant with Israel (Ex 19:4-6, Lev 18:5, Gal 3:12) which is broken and replaced by a New Covenant (Je 31:31-34, Ezk 36:24-26)

But it is clear throughout Scripture that the real children of Abraham from all nations (Gen 17:5) are those who share his faith rather than his blood (Rom 4:13, 16-17, Gal 3:6-14)

There are hints that blessing will extend beyond Israel throughout the Old Testament

In God’s concern for single nations (Jon 4:11, Dan 6:25-26)
In his blessing of individuals (Gen 21:17; 1 Ki 10:1, 17:8-16; 2 Ki 5:1-14; Jb, Is 45:1; Lk 4:26-27)
In his inclusion of non-Jews in the messianic line (Mt 1:5)
In specific prophecies regarding the Gentiles (Ps 67:1,2,7; Is 42:6, 49:6, 65:19-20; Am 9:11,12; Hab 2:14; Acts 13:47, 15:16-18)

But it is equally clear that this deliverance will come through a single person whose identity is more clearly defined through the narrative.

Of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Gen 12:1-3, 26:4, 28:13,14, Nu 24:17,19)
Of Judah (Gen 49:10, 1 Ch 28:4, Zech 10:4)
Of Jesse (Is 11:1)
Of David (2 Sa 7:13, 16)
Of Zerubbabel (Hag 2:23)
Whole chronology defined (Mt 1:1-17, Lk 3:23-37)

The Messiah is identified in a variety of titles and roles. He is:

The Son of God (Ps 2, 110)
The Son of Man (Dan 7:13-14)
The Servant (Is 42:1-7, 49:1-6, 50:4-11, 52:13-53:12; Mt 12:18-21)
The Prophet (Dt 18:14-22, )
The Bridegroom (Ps 45)
The Prince of Peace (Is 9:6,7)
The Chosen One (Ps 89)
The Anointed One (Is 61:1-2, Lk 4:18,19)
The Branch (Je 33:15-16; Zech 3:8, 6:12)
The Shoot from the Stump of Jesse (Is 11:1-9)

The New Testament message is that Jesus is the true Israel (Gen 28:12 cf Jn 1:51) and that in him Gentiles and Jews are united as one (Luke 9&10, 21:24, Eph 2:14, 3:6; Rom 11:11-12; Rev 7:4-9)

The early church was entirely Jewish (Acts 1:15, 2:5,41) Gentiles were brought into the Kingdom after the Jews' rejection of Christ (Lk 4:24-27; Jn 4; Lk 10:13-15, 11:29-32; Acts 13:46-47, 28:28; Rom 11:11-27) but Jews will come in again in much larger numbers prior to Christ’s return (Zech 12:10; Rom 11:15, 25-26)

The book of Acts is laid out according to the scheme in 1:8 to show the spread of the Gospel to Jerusalem (Acts 2:1-8:1), all Judea and Samaria (Acts 8:1- 40) and to the ends of the earth -first to Jews (9:1-11:19) and then to Gentiles (Acts 11:20-28:31) The book of Revelation ends with Jews and Gentiles united in one Kingdom (Rev 7:4-10, 21:24-26)

God’s ultimate plan is a new heaven and a new earth (Rev 21:1; Is 65:17, 66:22) where there will be no more death, crying or pain (Rev 21:4), populated by a people drawn from every nation (Gn 12:3, Rev 7:9) who have been set apart to do his will (Titus 2:11-14; 1 Pet 2:9).

1.2 God’s big plan and me

God is now in the process of gathering this people (Mt 24:31) before the world, as we know it, is destroyed (Zeph 1:2-3; 2 Pet 3:7; Rev 21:1).

This is achieved through evangelism, the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Rom 1:15-17; Rom 10:14-17). It is he who will bring history to an end (Rev 5:9-6:1).

We should witness because:

all people are lost (Ps 14:1-3; Rom 3:23)
Jesus is the only way (Jn 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Tim 2:5)
the cross is God’s way of salvation (1 Cor 15:3; Gal 1:4)
even ‘God-fearers’ have to be saved (Jn 3:3, 4:14; Acts 10:22-48)
Jesus commanded us to make disciples (Mt 28:19-20; Acts 1:8; Lk 24:47)
the love of God compels us (2 Cor 5:14)
of the joy of bringing others into his Kingdom (Heb 12:2)

1.3 The unfinished task

The 10/40 window with the majority of the world’s unevangelised people groups. 4,564 languages without Scriptures, 3,915 out of 11,874 people groups are ‘least evangelised’. > 400 never evangelised in history.

The major groups of unreached peoples:

1000m	Muslims
900m	Roman Catholics
800m	Atheists
700m	Hindus
600m	Buddhists
500m	Protestants
300m	Occultists and Cultists
200m	Orthodox Christians
100m	Animist/Spiritist/Traditional Religions
50m	Sikhs, Jews, Baha'is Jains, Parsees

1.4 Europe is a multi-faith society

Christians (much nominalism and overall churchgoers less than 10%)

	Percent	Numbers (millions)
Overall	71.13	519
Roman Catholic	33.1	241
Orthodox	19.96	145
Protestant	9.24	67
Independent	0.91	7
Anglican	3.54	29
Unaffiliated	4.91	36
All evangelicals	2.4	17
All charismatics/pentecostal	2.5	18

Other religions

	Percent	Numbers (millions)
Non religious/Other	22.79	166.2
Muslims	5.09	37
Sikhs	0.05	0.4
Hindus	0.08	0.6
Jews	0.33	2.4
Buddhist/Chinese	0.27	2
Traditional/Spiritist	0.22	1.6
Baha’i	0.02	0.16

1.5 The universities as God’s gateway

Many countries are closed to the gospel but their future leaders are training in European universities. This is vitally strategic in cross-cultural mission. European Christian students have:

Access to people of other faiths
Freedom to witness
Time to kill
Resources galore

2.0 What About Other Worldviews/ Religions?

2.1 Approaches to other religions

In Europe now we live in a melting pot of different cultures, religions and faiths. Prince Charles said that when becomes King he wants to change his title from Defender of the Faith (meaning the Christian faith) to Defender of Faith: just faith, in general, as a concept, no matter what the substance or object of that faith. Is he right? How should we think about the different religions? Four different approaches are suggested:

Relativism - Any are true for the person who believes them
- This is attractive because it seems a humble position to take and avoids conflict but…
  - It is logically absurd (how can mutually contradictory beliefs be equally true?)
  - It is self-defeating (Is the statement ‘all things are relative’ only relatively true? Is the statement ‘there are no absolutes’ an absolute statement?)
  - No one is really a relativist when it comes to the real world
  - Tolerance is acting kindly towards people even when you don’t believe their view is true. It is not believing all individual truths are valid.
Pluralism - All are imperfect reflections of the one true religion
- The belief that different beliefs are all paths up the same mountain or parts of an elephant being examined by men with blindfolds
- Again this is an attractive idea because:
  - If it’s true we wouldn’t have to disagree with each other but…
    - How can they be different paths up the same mountain if they have different endpoints?
    - How could we know that they are all paths up the same mountain unless we take the supremely arrogant position of saying that we can see the whole mountain in a way in which no-one else can?
Scepticism - None are true
- This is a logical possibility but how could we ever know for sure?
  - We can never know for sure that we can never know for sure
  - A true agnostic will always be open to examining the evidence
Exclusivism – One religion is true

If God really does exist then it’s possible that that he could have communicated his existence to us human beings in an intelligible way that leaves little doubt about his existence.

If we take the three main theistic religions- Islam, Judaism and Christianity - one of which is believed broadly by almost half of the world’s population - we find they have striking similarities:

All share belief in an all knowing, all-powerful creator God who made the universe.
All share belief in a judgement and an afterlife
- in angels and devils
- in scriptures and prophets
- in a similar ethical code
All share belief that God has intelligibly revealed his will in the course of history
Strikingly all began in Middle East and trace themselves back to a common ancestor Abraham who once lived in what is now Southern Iraq.

Jesus Christ is the crux

The similarities between the theistic religions are astounding - but there are profound differences too - and the most striking difference between them is in their beliefs about one person Jesus Christ.

The traditional Jewish view is that Jesus was a sorcerer and a false prophet who led people astray
Muslims see him as a prophet of God who spoke God's word - but only a prophet
And Christians believe that he was God himself visiting the planet in human form

Now clearly these three beliefs about Jesus can’t be equally true - because they are mutually exclusive.

So it would make sense that if we want to know which religion is true - if any - it makes sense to focus first on Jesus Christ.

2.2 What does the Bible say about other religions?

God alone is to be worshipped (Ex 20:3-4, Dt 5:7-8, 6:13-7:6, 13:1-18)
Salvation is trans-cultural (Gn 12:3, Matt 28:19, Rev 7:9)
No syncretism can be tolerated (2 Ki 17:7-41)
False religions are inspired by Satan himself who has blinded the minds of unbelievers (2 Cor 4:4). The spirit of the antichrist:
- denies the incarnation (1 Jn 4:2)
- rejects apostolic teaching (1 Jn 4:4-6)
- denies Jesus is the Messiah (1 Jn 2:22, Jude 4) & Son of God (1 Jn 2:22-23, 5:10)
- denies the Gospel (Gal 1:1-6)
- distorts God's Word (Je 23:36)
- gives false hope (Je 23:16, 28:9) & manifests in immorality (Mt 7:15-20, 2 Pet 2, Jude 3-16)
False gods are denounced as:
- 'wicked stumbling blocks' (Ez 14:3)
- 'detestable' (Dt 29:17, 32:16, 1 Ki 11:5)
- 'shameful' (Am 8:14, Ho 9:10, Je 11:13)
- 'demons' (Dt 32:17, 1 Cor 10:20-21)
- 'Gods that cannot save' (Dt 45:20)
- 'less than nothing' (Is 41:24)
- 'wind & confusion' (Is 41:29)
- 'worthless' (Je 14:22)

So it is not arrogant to say that Christ is the only way to God- rather it is humbly submitting to God’s revealed truth. Moreover it is not tolerant to say he isn’t - but rather dishonest and deceitful. We can and must be confident about this because Jesus himself was. If there are other ways to God it was unnecessary for Jesus to die on the cross.

No need to study evidence for all religions exhaustively to make a decision. Know the real thing- to spot the counterfeit.

2.3 Making a World-View Diagnosis

Everyone has a ‘world-view’, a set of beliefs about ‘life, the universe and everything’, which determines how they behave. Behind a rabid ‘rights for gay whales’ campaigner may be the beliefs that:
- God doesn't exist
- Death is the end
- Humans are just clever monkeys
- Morality is what we choose it to be
If we see human beings simply as the product of a blind random process in a godless universe, and moral beliefs as arbitrary then we may conclude that humans are no more important than animals. We might also come to believe that human beings without our own capacity for rationality or relationship are less worthy of life. We might therefore see no problem eugenics, selective abortion and involuntary euthanasia. Our underlying beliefs have a profound effect on the opinions we hold.
- Not all are aware of their own ‘world-view’- so although it may be helpful to ask people how they would describe themselves, it should be explored by specific questioning. Follow up each question with a question - why?
- Make a proper diagnosis – don’t pigeon-hole people by assuming you know what they believe. Few people are consistent, most are a mixture. Don’t presume because someone is a Muslim, that they have Muslim beliefs.
- Search for inconsistencies, ‘pull down the strongholds’ (2 Cor 10:4-5) by ‘taking the roof off’, then as the opportunity arises share Christ.

6 useful questions

What is God? (nature of God)
What are human beings? (origins & nature of man)
What is the best way to discover truth? (how can we know- epistemology)
Why do human beings have significance? (value)
What's your basis for deciding what is right and wrong? (ethics)
What do you think happens to a person at death? (afterlife)

There are four main types of world view; atheistic, polytheistic, pantheistic and theistic - and although it is dangerous to generalise about individuals, the world’s religions might be categorised as follows

Pantheistic - Hinduism, Buddhism, New Age

Polytheistic - Tribal religions, Folk Hinduism

Theistic - Islam, Judaism, sub-Christian cults (eg. JWs, Mormons)

Atheistic - Naturalism, Existentialism, Nihilism

	Theism	Polytheism	Pantheism	Atheism
God	Personal Supreme Being	High God	Impersonal Life Force	Doesn't exist
Man	Made in God's image	Lower rational beings	Part of the totality of being	Clever Monkeys
Truth	Absolute, revealed	Grounded in tradition	Subjective, felt intuitively	Discovered by God
Value	Created by God	Place in hierarchy	Part of the totality of being	Arbitrary
Morality	In line with God's nature	Determined by the strongest	What feels natural	Arbitrary
Death	Judgment and heaven/hell	Enter spirit world	Reincarnation	Nothing

2.4 What makes Christianity distinct?

Theistic religions all have prophets, scriptures & means of salvation. Christianity is unique by its belief in:

The divinity of Christ
Christ as the only way of salvation
The death and bodily resurrection of Jesus
The authority of the Bible (OT and Apostles)
The centrality of the cross- Christ's substitutionary death
Salvation by grace through repentance and faith

The divinity of Jesus Christ

The deity of Christ is directly stated in at least eight NT passages (Jn 1:1-2,18, 20:28, Acts 20:28, Rm 9:5, Tit 2:19, Hb 1:8, 2 Pet 1:1) and strongly implied in others (Mt 1:23, Jn 17:3,5, Col 2:2, 2 Thes 1:12, 1 Tim 1:17, Jas 1:1, 1 Jn 5:20).

Furthermore Jesus called himself 'I AM' (Jn 6:35, 8:12,24,58, 11:25, 14:6,18:5, Mk 14:62), accepted worship (Mt 2:2,8,11, 4:10, 28:17, Mk 5:33, Lk 24:52, Jn 9:38), is said to have created the world (Jn 1:1,3, Hb 1:2, Col 1:16) and existed before his birth (Jn 1:1, 17:5), forgave sins (Mt 1:21, Mk 2:7-10, Lk 7:48, Acts 4:12, 5:31) and said he would return as judge (Mt 25:31-46, Mk 8:38, Jn 5:22-30, 2 Thes 1:7-10) - all things which in the OT only God does.

Accordingly people reacted either by worshipping him (Mt 14:33, 28:17, Lk 24:52, Jn 9:38, 20:28) or accusing him of blasphemy (Mt 26:65-66, Mk 2:7, 14:63-64, Lk 22:70-71, Jn 5:18, 8:59, 10:33, 19:7)

Jesus Christ is the only way to God (Acts 4:12, 1 Tim 2:5, Jn 14:6) Whoever does not believe in Christ stands condemned (Jn 3:18). Whoever acknowledges him will be acknowledged by him (Mt 10:32, Lk 12:8) but whoever denies him will be denied (Mt 10:33, Mk 8:38, Lk 9:26, 12:9, 2 Tim 2:12). Anyone who is not for Christ is against him (Mt 12:30, Lk 10:23).
The death and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ (Rom 1:4; 1 Cor 15:3; Rev 1:18; Phil 3:21)
The authority of the Bible (OT and Apostles) - Jesus put his stamp of authority on the Old Testament by believing its prophecies (Mt 4:1-11; Lk 24:44 ), obeying its teaching (Jn 4:25-26; Mt 16:20), accepting its history (Mt 12:39-41, 23:35; Lk 17:26-27) and quoting it as the final source of authority (Mt 22:29). He commissioned the New Testament through his apostles by enabling them by means of his Holy Spirit (Jn 14:25-26) to 'teach them all things', 'remind them of everything he said', 'take what was his and make it known to them' and 'guide them into all truth' (Jn 16:12-15).
The centrality of the cross- Christ's substitutionary death for us (Is 53:4,5,6,8,11,12; Gal 1:4; 1 Cor 5:14,15, 15:3; 1 Pet 3:18) understood by the three motifs of justification (Rom 2:26), redemption (Rom 2:24) and atonement (Rom 2:25)
Salvation by grace through faith (Eph 2:8,9; Gal 2:16, 3:2, Rom 3:22; Acts 2:38) 'Good works do not make a man good but a good man does good works' (1 Thes 1:3; Jas 2:20-24)

2.5 Making a Faith Diagnosis

Virtually all other theistic religions & Christian cults deny some/ all of these truths. Again, ask questions to discern where a person stands, and why. Highlight inconsistencies. Share the truth. Know Scripture & why it is reliable.

Jesus
- Who do you think Jesus was?
- Do you believe he existed? died? rose again?
Salvation
- How are we saved? Why do you think Jesus died on the cross?
- If you were to die tonight where would you go? Why?
Revelation
- How does God speak to you? How do you know it's God?
- What's your ultimate source of authority? Why?

3.0 Getting Practical

3.1 The Gospel is all about Jesus

Some people think that Jesus never existed - but in fact apart from the four biblical historians accounts there is substantial evidence for his existence from contemporary Roman and Jewish historians like Tacitus and Josephus. We know that the records we have passed down are historically reliable - because they were written by eyewitnesses and because we have very early written copies.

Others think that he was just an ordinary man about whom a myth was made - but worshippers and critics alike who lived at the time did not disagree about the quality of his moral teaching or the fact that he performed astounding miracles: miracles which demonstrated power over disease, people and the forces of nature.

Some like to domesticate Jesus Christ into nothing other than a great moral teacher - but the claims which he made about himself, make such a belief unsustainable.

Someone who gave great moral teaching but also claimed that he:

Created the world
Existed before time began
Was the source of all truth
Never made a mistake
Would be executed and then rise from the dead
Would judge the whole world
And…was in fact God himself

Would not be simply a great moral teacher

If his claims were false he would be either a deceiver or a lunatic

And if his claims were true he would of course be what he claimed to be.

Of course it was for just these claims - and not his teaching nor miracles that Jesus was executed by the Jewish authorities by being nailed to a wooden cross.

Many people think that Christianity is an arrogant religion - and in the sense that it claims to be the truth - as all religions do - this is true.

But if the eyewitnesses of Jesus are correct, then these claims were made by Jesus himself

and if Jesus really was God visiting the planet in human form demanding allegiance from us human beings
then to accept the fact and act accordingly is actually to act in humility not in arrogance.

The height of arrogance would be to ignore God’s clear call in a world that belongs to God.

As Christians - we believe on the basis of the evidence

The evidence of Jesus Christ in history

He fulfilment of over 300 specific prophecies from the Old Testament, written hundreds of years before.

And the evidence of the change that coming to believe in him has made in our lives

That Jesus was God and will judge all of us and determine our ultimate destiny in heaven or hell

That he came to earth on a rescue mission which involved dying on the cross and rising from the dead to ensure that if we respond in the appropriate way we can face judgement after death with confidence

And to offer us a clean slate and a new life here and now

3.2 A Gospel Outline

It is one thing to know what the Gospel is. But it is quite another to present it clearly and succinctly in a way that others can understand. A good Gospel outline needs to be simple to remember, and free of jargon terms while covering the central issues of the Gospel. The following outline, developed by Canon John Chapman, is a good example. Memorise the five headings:

God
Man
God
What if I do?
What if I don’t?

GOD (Rules) God really exists! He made the world, and that includes you and me. We believe this because he has clearly revealed himself in the historic person of Jesus Christ whom he raised from the dead. Jesus is the rightful ruler of the world.
See Gen 1:1; Mt 28:18; Phil 2:9-11.

MAN (Rebel) None of us has lived consistently as though this was the state of affairs. We have all by degree assumed that we have the right to run our own lives. Sometimes we have consciously disobeyed God; at other times we have just ignored him. It amounts to the same thing, rebellion.
See Mk 7:21-23; Rom 3:12; 1 Jn 3:4.

GOD (Repent) In Christ, God tells us that this is not our world to live in according to our selfish desires. It is God's world. Therefore we should stop rebelling against him and live in the world the way he has designed us to live in it. He calls us to come into his 'Kingdom', that is to submit to his kingly rule in our lives.
See Mt 7:21; Mk 1:14,15; Acts 17:30.

WHAT IF I DO? (Forgiven) If we stop rebelling and bring our lives under God's rule, he treats us as though we had never rebelled against him. He accepts us wholeheartedly because Jesus in dying on the cross took upon himself the punishment we deserve. A whole new relationship with God then opens up. We become his friends and are adopted into his family.
See Jn 3:16; Rom 6:23, 8:1,15; Col 2:14.

WHAT IF I DON'T? (Unforgiven) If we refuse God's offer of forgiveness and reconciliation, we will remain unforgiven and unreconciled. Ultimately, rebels will be overthrown.
See Mt 7:23,26,27; Rom 1:18; 2 Thess 1:8,9.

3.3 The Apostles’ methods

It is one thing to know a gospel outline – but it will not get us very far if we cannot get into an appropriate situation to use it. You can’t just jump in with the Gospel at the beginning of a conversation.

So there is far more to successful evangelism than just knowing the content of the apostles’ gospel sermons. We also need to understand the context in which they shared their faith. What was their strategy?

Essentially Peter and Paul shared the Gospel:

In words people understood
In an environment where their hearers felt comfortable
With the opportunity for discussion

In words people understand

Have you ever heard someone yelling instructions at a dog? Gary Larson, in an amusing cartoon demonstrates that the only word most dogs understand in a complicated command is their own name. The other words are simply ‘not in a dog’s vocabulary’.

But when we do evangelism we can make just the same mistake – using words that are not in the other person’s vocabulary: Christian jargon words like justification, sanctification or expressions like ‘washed in the blood’ or ‘substitutionary atonement’. But we can also use more common words like saved, God, blessed or even Jesus to which they give entirely different meanings.

Paul faced exactly this problem in Athens in Acts 17 where he used the Greek words for resurrection, Gospel and Jesus in conversation in the marketplace and was accused of being a ‘babbler’. When he had the opportunity to preach later in the Areopagus he explained the Gospel in a way that used only words that his hearers understood and the reaction was very different. Like Paul, we too, need to de-jargonise our evangelism.

In an environment they feel comfortable

A lot of traditional evangelistic methods involve pulling people into strange environments like worship or guest services or evangelistic rallies. We may feel comfortable in such gatherings but our other-faith friends almost certainly won’t and often they feel so uncomfortable they are unable to concentrate on what is being said.

Paul had a different approach. He went where his hearers felt comfortable, even if it was an uncomfortable place for him. He got used to addressing people in any venue where they were likely to gather – be it the marketplace in Athens (Acts 17:17), the Areopagus (17:22), the synagogue (13:14), his own home (28:30) or in a lecture theatre (19:9-10).

In so doing he was able to get a good hearing and the audience were able to relax. They got the dangerous message of the Gospel loud and clear, but in a safe place where they had a chance to consider it seriously. We need to follow the apostle’s example by first asking where our friends feel most comfortable (eg. lecture theatre, common room, mosque, pub, home etc) and choosing to do our evangelism there.

With the opportunity for discussion

Many people think that a church sermon is the best vehicle for evangelism; but try getting your non-Christian friends along to a 30-minute monologue! Monologues are few and far between in the New Testament. And Paul’s sermons are in general very short and invariably lead on to discussion.

Where Paul talks to unbelievers it is almost always in the context of dialogue. In fact the Greek word dialegomai, from which the word ‘dialogue’ is derived appears ten times between chapters 17 and 24 of the book of Acts – and literally means ‘two way traffic of words’.

Paul ‘reasoned’ (17:2,17, 18:4), ‘discussed’ (19:9), ‘argued persuasively’ (19:8) and confronted (13:46). In fact he summed up his ministry by saying ‘...we try to persuade’, (2 Cor 5:11), ‘... we demolish arguments and every pretension’ (2 Cor 10:5).

Paul clearly didn’t feel that robust debate and discussion was in any way ungodly or unspiritual; in fact in his hands it was remarkably effective.

This two-way discussion meant that he could see if his hearers understood, could answer their questions or pose questions to them, and could deal with objections to his message that arose.

Te apostles’ strategy involved teaching in words people understood, in an environment where they felt comfortable, with the opportunity for discussion. We are wise to do the same!

3.4 Identify, Prosecute, Invite

Christians and others agree… on some things. For example Christians and Muslims agree... at least on the reality of God, revelation, scripture, angels and judgment. But they also disagree; about Christ’s identity, death and resurrection and the authority of the Bible. Given similarities and differences, what evangelistic approach should we adopt? Should we ‘build bridges’ or attack false teaching? Should we contextualise or confront?

Contextualisers claim that confrontation alienates unbelievers. Muslims must be gently coaxed. A horse led unwillingly will not drink. Argument doesn’t convert.

On the other hand confronters reply that contextualisation dilutes the gospel. Strongholds must be demolished. False teaching must be exposed.

What were Paul’s methods? On one hand he was a contextualiser, using a different approach for each audience. In the synagogue he established common ground by appealing to Jewish history and Old Testament Scripture (Acts 13:13-51); with the farmers at Lystra he spoke of God’s control of the seasons (14:14-18); with the philosophers in Athens he quoted their own poetry (17:22-31). He took the truth they already knew to establish rapport.

On the other hand he ‘reasoned’ (17:17), ‘discussed’ (19:9), ‘argued persuasively’ (19:8) and confronted (13:46). He summed up his ministry by saying ‘...we try to persuade’, (2 Cor 5:11), ‘... we demolish arguments and every pretension’ (2 Cor 10:5).

Contextualisation lays a foundation for debate. But if we do not move on to challenge the wrong beliefs of our listeners we are not telling the whole truth. On the other hand if we merely confront Muslims without establishing common ground our arguments will fall on deaf ears. Just as contextualisation can become the refuge of the cowardly, so confrontation can be the defence of the uncompassionate.

However, Paul did more than just contextualise and confront. He preached the gospel: Christ’s death, resurrection and the reality of judgment. We see this from people’s response. Some ‘received the message with great eagerness’ (Acts 17:11), ‘were persuaded’ (17:4) and ‘believed’ (17:34). Others ‘sneered’ (17:32), ‘became abusive’ (18:6) and ‘stirred up persecution’ (13:49).

If we build bridges or attack false teaching without preaching the gospel, then we are failing in our witness. Paul’s primary concern was neither to build friendships nor win arguments. Rather, his heart’s desire and prayer was that people be saved (Rom 10:1) through hearing the gospel (1:16). His priority was to win people to Christ. His strategy involved both contextualisation and confrontation; but always with the aim of preaching Christ crucified.

We are wise to follow his example. This gives us an apostolic model to follow: Identify (Contextualise), Prosecute (Confront), Invite (Preach)

So how should we approach similarites & differences? We are wise to follow the apostles’ example. They:

Contextualised their message (Acts 13:13-51; 14:14-18; 17:22-31)
Confronted their hearers (Acts 17:17, 13:46, 18:28, 19:8-9; 2 Cor 5:11, 10:5)
Preached the Gospel (Rom 1:16, 15:20; 1 Cor 1:23) as the results of their ministry proved (Acts 13:32, 17:4, 11, 32, 34, 18:6)

3.5 Sharing Christ with those of other faiths

Know Christ and his teaching.
Prayer and obedience.
Become familiar with their beliefs; yet separate the person from their beliefs.
‘Submarine model’
- questions not propositions
- avoid Christian jargon
- begin with points of agreement (look for 'signs of truth')
- move onto points of disagreement
- display inconsistencies
- ask permission to share
- package gospel appropriately
Be prepared to admit and repent from own wrong beliefs/attitudes

Summary:

Build a relationship
Make a diagnosis
Pull down the strongholds
Share Christ.
You are not aiming to win an argument but people for Christ

3.6 A Worked Example – Atheism

Combining the CCP (IPI) and Worldview approaches

1. Contextualisation (Identification) - opening conversation, making a WV diagnosis and building on similarities:

1. Who am I? (Identity)

clever monkeys/spiritual beings/made in God’s image,

2. Where do I come from?(Origins)

matter/chance and time/evolution/design/creation

3. Where am I going? (Destiny)

nowhere/reincarnation/afterlife/judgment

4. Why am I here? (Purpose)

no purpose/what I choose/some higher purpose

5. What should I do? (Ethics)

what gives me pleasure/fulfil duties (if so where do the come from)/best outcome/love

6. What can I know? (Epistemology)

science/intuition/gut-feeling/revelation

7. What should I believe? (Cosmology)

naturalism/pantheism/atheism/polytheism/theism

8. How do I make sense of suffering? (Suffering)

just fate/random molecules/in the mind/the result of sin

9. Is there anything out there? (Spirituality)

nothing/aliens/angels/gods/life-force/God

10. What basis is there for justice?(Justice)

arbitrary revenge/survival of the fittest/protection of the weak/eternal judgment

2. Confrontation (Prosecution) - engaging with atheist beliefs which make Christianity seem implausible

To an atheist belief in God seems incoherent and illogical - it seems as unlikely to them as atheism does to us. We need to understand why they believe in atheism and challenge their arguments showing that there are other possible answers. The Atheist’s Mindset:

1. There is no need to invoke a supernatural explanation for the origin of the universe now that we have the Big Bang Theory

2. There is no need to invoke a supernatural explanation for the origin of life now that we have the Theory of Evolution

3. The miraculous cannot happen as it transgresses the laws of science

4. Scriptural revelation has been proven to be flawed - containing historical inaccuracies and contradictions

5. Religious faith can be explained psychologically, physiologically or biochemically

6. Evil cannot co-exist with an all knowing, all powerful, perfect God

7. The concept of a God who would send people to Hell is morally abhorrent

8. There are natural explanations for the miraculous

9. The Scriptures have been unreliably transmitted

10. If there was a God, then we would expect to see more evidence of his existence in the lives of Christian people.

11. If there was a God, then we would expect belief in him to more widespread across national and cultural boundaries

12. Christian beliefs are immoral and unjust and discriminatory against the environment, gays, women, other religions, non-white races etc.

13. It is impossible for a man to rise from the dead after three days

14. There are so many other religions with equally devout adherents making contrary claims

3. Preaching Christ (Invitation) - show the plausibility and attractiveness of the Christian position

We need to show that Christianity is coherent and start to arouse interest in it

Arguments for God’s existence:

1. Ontological (The idea of God proves that God is)

2. Cosmological (God as the first cause)

3. Teleological (God as the designer)

4. Moral (God as the source of ethics)

5. Spiritual (Universality of religious experience)

6. Historical (Scriptures, Jewish history, Jesus Christ)

Things in Man which point to a reality beyond:

1. Self-awareness

2. Imagination and creativity

3. Conscience

4. Free-will

5. Sense of destiny

The historical evidence:

1. Theism in the Middle East

2. Jewish history and Messianic prophecy

3. Jesus Christ - the quality of his teaching

4. Jesus Christ - the uniqueness of his miracles

5. Jesus Christ - the content of his claims and the trilemma

6. The evidence for the resurrection

7. The historical reliability of the Gospels

The attractiveness of Christian morality:

The following principles are based on the Ten Commandments.

1. The Sovereignty of God - You shall have no other Gods before me (Ex 20:3)

2. Stewardship - You shall not make for yourself an idol (Ex 20:4-6)

3. Honouring God's character - You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God (Ex 20:7)

4. Work and Rest -Remember the Sabbath Day... six days shall you labour (Ex 20:8-11)

5. Authority and the Family -Honour your father and your mother (Ex 20:12)

6. The Sanctity of Life - You shall not murder (Ex 20:13)

7. Sexuality and Marriage - You shall not commit adultery (Ex 20:14)

8. Respect for property- You shall not steal (Ex 20:15)

9. Veracity - You shall not give false testimony (Ex 20:16)

10. Contentment- You shall not covet... (Ex 20:17)

3.7 Other Worked Examples

Islam I - Agree about God, creation, prophets, Jesus, judgement, common history, corruption of West

P - Ask about sin, means of salvation, nature of God

I - Move onto revelation, trinity, Christology

New Age I - Agree about world political situation, environment, ecology, peace, existence of supernatural

P - Ask about New Age, God, Jesus, testimony

I - Move onto life after death, salvation, sin

Judaism I - Agree about God, creation, prophets and OT

P - Ask about life after death, messianic prophecy, ethics, other nations

I - Move onto explaining prophecy, Jesus, cross

4.0 Specific beliefs

4.1 Hinduism (Persian word for India)

Roots 1500BC the Aryans (who worshipped male gods) invaded India. Mingled with Dravidians (indigenous people). 2 races formed one belief (Hinduism) with elements of both religions. Caste system founded by Aryans, to prevent intermixing with Dravidians. Modelled on religious idea of world soul in society, where castes of different levels represented mouth, arms, legs & feet. ~3,000 castes in India today.

Beliefs No founder or single body of doctrine. Man-made religion based on philosophy/mysticism so great diversity of belief & practice.& internal contradictions. Doctrinally flexible therefore intellectually acceptable in relativist tolerant West. ‘Resurrection’ & ‘judgement’ replaced by ‘reincarnation’ & ‘karma’. New Agers teach monism (the idea that all is one). Mantras offered as stress-management in industry.

Belief in Brahman, the impersonal universal force behind everything, in which are found

Pure being (sat)
Pure intelligence (cit)
Pure delight (ananda)

3 principle gods who are manifestations of Brahman.

Brahma Lord of creatures and beyond worship
Vishnu The Preserver who controls human fate. Believed re-incarnated as Rama, Krishnu & Jesus
Shiva Source of both good and evil. Violent & unpredictable, and appeased by offering sacrifices

Religious Books

Veda- contents gathered ~1200 BC. Hymns, chants, spells.
Upanishads- mysticism, individual piety & sacrificial rituals. Quest for Brahmin living in every heart
Bhagavadgita- popular with ordinary folk as easy story form

Purpose/Goal

To achieve union with ultimate reality, and be one with Brahman. This is called ‘Moksha’ (deliverance). Life is a cycle of reincarnations governed by Karma (law of cause and effect) from which we need release.

3 Ways of Escape

Way of action (obligations, duties, tasks)
Way of devotion (worship, rituals, ceremonies, hymns venerating the gods) Followed by majority.
Way of Knowledge (yoga, discipline, mystical contemplation & mantras to induce semi-hypnotic state and suppression of desires)

4.2 Sikhism

Roots Guru Nanak (1469- 1539) dissatisfied with Hinduism and Islam. Claimed he had an experience in the heavenly court (while in his bath- from which he was absent 3 days). Subsequently began teaching everyone including low castes.

10 gurus the last of whom (Guru Gobind Singh) produced the brotherhood- ‘Khalsa’. Surnames changed- Kaur for women (princess); Singh for men (Lion).
Five outward signs. Not to cut the hair (Kesh); & keep it tidy and fastened with a comb (Kangha) Wear steel band on the wrist (Kara); & carry a sword (Kirpan). Wear trousers instead of a loose Hindu skirt (Kaccha)

Beliefs

Strong close-knit community- independence = selfishness. Men and women are equal
Not to steal; commit adultery/murder; be violent except to stop evil; smoke/drink/use drugs; eat beef
God is one, has given us teachings to follow & chosen his spokesmen (the 10 gurus)
Belief in Karma and that human birth is the last of many births

Way of reaching God

Dharam Khand (do good and seek truth)
Gain Khand (seek wisdom)
Karam Khand (knowing spiritual union with God)

4.3 Judaism (from Hebrew word for Judean)

14 million Jews in the world, 1% believe in Jesus

Roots ‘Father’ of monotheism but now diverged from OT religion. Worldwide diaspora of Jews in 2^nd exile (70 CE). With Temple destruction, synagogue became worship centre & rabbis replaced priests. Holocaust led to doubting God’s nature/existence. Identity recouped in founding of state of Israel (1948).

Orthodox- adheres strictly to law. Jewish if born of Jewish mother. Communal prayer 3x day.
Reform- more relaxed interpretation. Jewish if Jewish mother of father
Liberal/ Progressive- closer to humanism. Messianic age rather than personal Messiah.

Jewish beliefs

Man is born a blank slate with good/evil inclinations and can choose which to obey
613 commandments in the first 5 books of the Bible to keep- v pragmatic
God is singular- not 3 in one- & cannot become flesh. Heresy to believe in NT/ claims of Jesus

Jewish religious books

Written law (OT) divided into Torah (Law) Nevi’m (Prophets) Ketuvim (Writings). Can only be interpreted by rabbis, who reject belief in Jesus
Oral Law (Talmud) written 150-450 CE. 2 sections Mishnah (oral law) and Gemara (commentary)
Kabbalah (mystical tradition) from 2^nd century CE. Main work is zohar (spark)

Way of salvation

No temple/sacrifice now; so good deeds must outweigh sins committed on judgement day
No need for evangelism- non-Jews can be saved by following seven simple laws (Noahite commands)

4.4 New Age Pantheism

‘a smorgasbord of spiritual substitutes for Christianity heralding our unlimited potential to transform ourselves & our planet to a new age of peace, light & love’

Sociologically- 1960’s Hippie counter-culture with drug experimentation, peace protests
Spiritually- embraced Eastern religion, mysticism, astrology, the occult
Culturally- alternative medicine & human potential movement (business & pop psychology)

Roots

Age of Pisces (fish) into Aquarius (water carrier)
Judaeo-Christian ethic to ‘freedom’ of Pantheism
Left-brain logical thinking to right-brain intuitive thinking

Beliefs

Monism (all is one)
Pantheism (all is god)
Relativism (all is relative)
Autonomy (all is free)

4.5 Islam (meaning submission)

1,200 million Muslims in the world

Roots The angle Gabriel allegedly appeared to Mohammed between 610 and 632 AD and revealed the Qur’an. Strict monotheism which Muslims believe always existed from the beginning and has been corrupted by Christians and Jews. After Mohammed Islam was established by the four caliphs – Abu Bakr, Omat, Uthman and Ali and then quickly spread around the world. Umayyad and Abassid Dynasties. Discovery of Oil. Rise of Islamic Fundamentalism.

Sunni – accept all four caliphs and the Hadith (see below)
Shi-ite – accept only Ali but also contemporary revelation
Sufi - mystical form of Islam

Muslim beliefs

Monotheism – ‘There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet’
Angels, Holy Books, Prophets, Day of Judgement
God is singular- not 3 in one and cannot become flesh
Jesus is a prophet only and not the Son of God

Islamic religious books

Four Holy Books exist given through different prophets but only the Qur’an is in uncorrupted form: Taurat (Moses), Zabur (David) Injil (Jesus).
Quran consists of 113 Suras (chapters) listed in order of length
Sunna (record of prophet’s actions) and Hadith (accumulate traditions) supplement the Qur’an

Way of salvation

Angels record our good and bad deeds and weigh them
The five pillars: the creed, prayer, fasting, almsgiving, pilgrimage
Ultimately all depends on the mercy of Allah
Muslims can actively proselytise but most growth is biological

5.0 Resources

For all queries email Peter Saunders, CMF General Secretary on pjs@cmf.org.uk or Mark Pickering, CMF Student Secretary on mark.pickering@cmf.org.uk

Books

Worldviews ‘The Universe Next Door’ James W Sire IVP 1988

Judaism‘Witnessing to Jews’ Rosen M. San Franscisco Purple Pomegranate Productions, 1998

Hinduism ‘Only One Way’ Menon V. Chichester: New Wine Press, 1982

‘Growing in Grace and Knowledge’ Ram J. Birmingham: Kirpa Books 1999

New Age ‘Confronting the New Age’ Douglas Groothius

Web articles

Answering Other Faiths series, ‘Nucleus’ back issues, on CMF website http://www.cmf.org.uk/

Judaismhttp://www.cmf.org.uk/pubs/nucleus/nucoct01/jewish.htm

See http://www.jewsforjesus.org/ for info on witnessing, Judaism, Jewish thought

Hinduism http://www.cmf.org.uk/pubs/nucleus/nucjul00/hindu.htm

Islam http://www.cmf.org.uk/pubs/nucleus/nucoct00/islam.htm

Atheismhttp://www.cmf.org.uk/pubs/nucleus/nucapr02/atheism.htm