To Tell the Truth

Written by Leslie McKellar

Sharing your faith in a postmodern world doesn’t mean changing or watering down the gospel; it means communicating the gospel in new ways. Here are some ideas on how to handle the truth.

While some Christians are totally fueled by the idea of evangelism, others break into hives at the mere mention of it. Most of us fall in between somewhere. We want to see the people around us – our friends, family members, co-workers – experience a relationship with Jesus, and we hope we can influence them in a way that sheds some light on the path that leads toward Him. Certainly, the kind of lives we lead speak volumes about what we believe, but when it comes to sharing the gospel, the biblical model is to show and tell, not one or the other. (See the entire New Testament.)

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And as if talking about Jesus with nonbelievers isn’t challenging enough, now we’re sharing with them from a platform called postmodernism. How should living in a postmodern world affect the ways we communicate our faith to those around us?

The Postmodern Platform

None of the answers to this question come in neatly wrapped packages, but that’s okay – that’s just the way postmodern thinkers would have it. Postmodernists tend to be suspicious of anything that seems too perfect or formulated. They’re much less interested in hearing what you know than they are in what you’ve experienced. They love stories, and many would be open to hearing the story of your spirituality – they just don’t want you to tell them it should be their story too.

“A postmodern mindset says all stories have the potential of giving meaning to life, but no one story is ultimately truth,” says Penny Cruse, collegiate evangelism strategist for the North American Mission Board and Kentucky Baptist Convention. Because of this, she says, Christians might have many opportunities to share about Christ, but their listeners “might simply walk away thinking sincerely, ‘Good for you. I’m glad you’ve found a story that gives meaning to your life. I choose not to find meaning in my life the way you’ve chosen to find it.’”

Placing such high value on open-mindedness and tolerance has some repercussions for postmodernists. One is that many are left with spiritual “fuzziness” in the midst of so many stories, so many religions, so many options. In general, people today know much less about Christianity and the Bible than they did 20 or 30 years ago, according to Mark Mittelberg, co-author of Becoming a Contagious Christian.

Though spiritual interest is “sky high,” he said in an interview with Leadership Journal, “people don’t know who (God) is. If they were to believe in the possibility of a revelation from God, they wouldn’t know whether it’s the Book of Mormon, the Koran, some new-age writing or the Bible. A generation ago, seekers knew what they could cling to if they were willing; now, even if they’re willing, they don’t know which way to turn.”

In the face of the spiritual confusion that relativism creates, postmodernists appreciate straightforwardness and sincerity. They might believe that truth is relative, but they at least want you to be truthful with them.

How, then, should we communicate our faith to this postmodern audience? Some Christians fear that in an attempt to be culturally relevant and attractive to outsiders we will water down the gospel. But it’s not about changing the message, it’s about changing the way we communicate the message, because we truly care about connecting with our listeners. In fact, it means caring enough to become listeners. The catchphrase among postmodern church leaders when it comes to evangelism is, “Don’t count conversions; count conversations.”

Share With Care

As you begin or continue conversations about Jesus in a postmodern world, these thoughts might help:

Be a friend. Evangelism isn’t “believer against unbeliever.” We aren’t called to be the conquering force that changes everyone’s minds. Rather we can join our friends on their journeys – we can come alongside them and investigate truth with them. Because the spirituality of a postmodern world tends to be vague and confusing, it’s important to give people time to sort spiritual matters through in their hearts and minds. We can be there to talk things out with them and to listen, rather than put pressure on ourselves to “save” them.

Be yourself. Don’t think that right before you have a conversation about Jesus you need to duck into a phone booth and emerge sporting an Evangelism Man costume. Rebecca Manley Pippert, in her book Out of the Saltshaker and Into the World, says one of our biggest hang-ups in regards to evangelism is “our great difficulty in believing that God is glorified in our utter humanity rather than in our spiritually programmed responses. Most of us fear who we are inside just isn’t enough. So we cover up our honest questions and doubts, thinking we won’t sound spiritual. But in doing this we forfeit our most important asset in evangelism: our real person.”

“(God) sends men and women – before He sends tracts and techniques – to change the world,” Manley Pippert asserts. “You may think His strategy is risky, but that’s God’s problem, not yours.”

Be personal. Rather than getting tangled in theological, scientific, or historical debates with someone, simply share your story with her. Describe the context in which you became a Christian. Talk about what following Jesus looks like in your life, even what it feels like. What does it mean to you? What does He mean to you? No one can argue against your experience – it’s your experience, plain and simple.

Manley Pippert says, “We proclaim the good news of what God has done primarily through the telling of the gospel. But the gospel is also proclaimed when we tell our story of salvation, for our conversion story illustrates the power of the gospel. Therefore, our task is to tell His story and our story in the hope that it may one day be their story.”

Be prepared. Know what you believe and why – again, not so you can win a debate, but because any worldview, Christian or not, should be constantly examined by the one who holds it. Wrestle with your questions and your doubts. Search for solid answers for yourself and for your seeking friends. Your faith is valid and logical – know why. Your faith is different from every other form of religion – know how.

Obviously, you won’t always know the answers or even be able to find them. Being prepared includes being prepared to often say, “I don’t know.” We must leave room for and respect the mystery and vastness of God.

Be quiet! Listen, listen, listen. Just as your faith is valid, your friend’s concerns about it are valid. No one likes feeling as though the person he’s talking to is simply waiting for his turn to speak. To really listen, we have to let go of our evangelistic agenda.

Penny, a student at Reed College and now a part of OFCS, enjoyed numerous conversations with Nadine, a Christian friend, before she became a Christian herself. “The thing I loved about Nadine is I never felt like she was selling anything. She would talk about God as if she knew Him, as if she’d talked to Him on the phone that day. She was never ashamed, which is the thing with so many Christians; they feel like they have to sell God, as if He is soap or a vacuum cleaner. (I always felt) like they really weren’t listening to me, they didn’t care. They just wanted me to buy their product.”

Sharing your faith with others might not be the easiest thing in the (postmodern) world, but all it really boils down to is one, basic requirement: Be real.

Bad Case of Insider Language?

An important aspect of communicating with a postmodern audience is learning to avoid “insider” language or Christian lingo. Here are some examples of words and phrases that might baffle your listeners and alternative suggestions:

• Saved or born again (reconnected with God, have a good relationship with God)
• Testimony (story)
• Sermon (message)
• Grace (God’s willingness to forgive me, His undeserved goodwill toward me)
• Sin (act/go against God’s ways)
• Gospel (the message of Jesus, the story of Jesus, the way to God)
• Scripture, Word of God (the Bible)
• Redeemed (at peace with God through/because of Jesus)
• Repent (stop acting however I want to and line up my actions with God’s desires)
• Walk with God (have a relationship with God)

This article is courtesy of Christian Single Magazine.

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