Our thought today comes courtesy of Lee, one of our readers. She related a story about a Christian who was being harassed for her beliefs by an atheist. After the atheist gave some compelling reasons for his disbelief in God, the Christian replied, “Good, we’re both believers then.” The atheist, quite shocked by that statement, asked the Christian what he meant by calling him a believer. The Christian went on to explain, “Look, since we both have strong reasons for our beliefs, why don’t we sit down and talk about them”.
Score one for the Christian. He managed to come up with a discussion-starter instead of a discussion stopper. Most, if not all, typical evangelical strategies end up stopping the show. We are full of answers, and we can’t wait to drop them like bombs on unsuspecting unbelievers. We are proud of answers that leave no room for ambiguity, but these “answers” are more of a hindrance to faith than a help. We are not in a contest; we are on a journey together, pointing towards Christ.
It’s the conversation we want, not the conclusion. Too much “end of discussion” in evangelical witnessing models. We don’t want the discussion to end; we want the discussion to go on. The discussion is the whole point. It is out of discussion that relationships are born, and it will be you, not the correct answers that will draw people to the Lord. Who wants to be right and all alone? Better to be not sure, but in good company, loving people and pointing them to Christ.
So therefore we want to become good at open-ended questions along with finding common ground. Questions that spark discussion. The one at the top of this page is a perfect example: “Since we both have strong reasons for our beliefs, why don’t we sit down and talk?” The common ground is that we all believe something; the invitation is to find out what that is.
John Fischer The Catch 
Here is a little different slant on today’s catch.
“Not through controversy and discussion is the soul enlightened. We must look and live. Nicodemus received the lesson, and carried it with him. He searched the Scriptures in a new way, not for the discussion of a theory, but in order to receive life for the soul. He began to see the kingdom of heaven as he submitted himself to the leading of the Holy Spirit. ” from The Desire Of Ages by Ellen White
My atheist cousin, who is a scientist, told me that we both believe what we believe out of faith. He also said that we could never have a profitable discussion because, to do that, we would both have to agree on a premise. He said that since my premise is that God’s Word is truth, and he doesn’t agree with that, then any further discussion is pointless, since all my arguments would be based on that premise.
He’s right. We have spent hours debating, discussing, trying to find common ground, but there is no common ground because we have no common starting point. To go on a journey with someone, you both have to start out from the same place.
But that doesn’t change the fact that we are still friends and he is still my favorite cousin. I recently learned that his best friend is a minister, which I find strange; because he specifically asked ME not to mention Christ to his friends. I guess his best friend never mentions Christ?
There are a lot of strange things in this world. You just have to do your best to honor God in all things, and let Him make what He wants out of them.
To Waitsel Smith,
Don’t you think your scientist cousin might be wrong about the premise? What if your discussion could start with the fact that you are both humans capable of creative thinking and expression. How are we able to experience awe and wonder when we look at the natural world or at a baby’s smile? Why does beautiful music make us weep or a work of art be so compelling that we feel like we are in another world?
The Bible does not need to be the only point of reference when speaking about the reality of God.
Good advice, Lee. There are actually lots of starting points because we are all human and we live in the same culture..
Hey, Lee. That might work with someone you just met, but my cousin and I have a lot of history, not to mention my own family’s history, in which everyone is a strong believer except my cousin. So, to start a discussion with a baby’s smile or a flower would be ludicrous. We start our discussions with family issues and that leads, naturally, to a discussion of spiritual issues – which he actually enjoys.
I think for him, as with many others, the best thing I can do is to pray for him and to continue being his friend. George Mueller prayed for people for as long as 50 years, and they usually eventually came to Christ. Thanks for your response.
By the way: my cousin recently asked me to keep a mutual friend in my prayers, which is the first time he’s ever done that. So you never know. 🙂
John
I love Marti’s comments about reaching beyond the walls. I would love to hear both of your thoughts on how much stronger we are when we are part of a faith community (even as broken as it is.).
Blessings
Kirk