Sunday Sermons
Common Ground
As I read the book of Acts and observe the sermons that were inspired by the Holy Spirit I find that the apostles often sought to establish “common ground” with those they were evangelizing. With Jewish audiences the common ground was and is:
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An agreement concerning God’s call to Abraham: Acts 7:2
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A common belief in Old Testament history: Acts 13:16-22
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A common belief in the prophecies concerning the Messiah: Acts 17:2-3
In reasoning with and preaching to predominantly Gentile audiences, the common ground was a little different. There was no common agreement in the same God or the inspiration of the Old Testament Scriptures, rather the common ground was and is:
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The common quest to find the true God: Acts 17:23
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The shared belief that we are God’s offspring: Acts 17:28
In like manner, Christians today can look for “common ground” as they start a conversation with unbelievers. The following are some areas of common understandings that Christians do have with many people today in our secular society.
Broken Relationships
We live in a world where people are very familiar with the reality of not only strained relationships, but also broken relationships, both in marriage, parenting, families and friendships. Many of them know what it feels like to be estranged. This can be starting place for evangelism, because God likens life apart from Him to an estranged relationship. “But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear” (Isaiah 59:1-2).
Betrayal
Our world is filled with many men and women who have suffered the pain of being betrayed by a mate. They definitely know what they feel like and that it is wrong. In like manner, God compares our unfaithfulness to that of an unfaithful mate, “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4).
Skepticism concerning Human Wisdom
“Like postmodernists, Christians are suspicious of certain modernist claims of scientific accuracy. Postmodern thinkers have shown how scientific research is often influenced by cultural, economic, and political factors. They remind us that scientists should not be held up as purely objective and unbiased individuals who simply follow the results of their research wherever it may lead. Personal and metaphysical beliefs often shape the nature of investigation, and reason, while reflecting God’s image, can often be distorted by sin and used as an instrument to suppress the truth (Romans 1:18). For instance, one of the obvious implications of the Big Bang is that the universe had a beginning. This has made physicists who are metaphysical naturalists do a considerable bit of squirming because the universe’s beginning smacks of Genesis 1 and the biblical doctrine of creation out of nothing. Nobel Prize winner Stephen Weinberg once remarked that the steady state theory – an eternal, stable universe, as opposed to a finite, expanding one – is philosophically the most attractive theory ‘because it least resembles the account given in Genesis’. Like postmodernists, we can point out these presuppositions for what they are: prejudice” (True For You, But Not For Me, Paul Copan, pp. 156-157).
Skepticism concerning Human Objectivity
Christians are not skeptical concerning the existence of absolute truth, or the ability to find it and understand it. We know that it exists (John 17:17) and we can understand it (John 8:32; 1 Timothy 2:4). What we deny is that man is completely objective without God, or that man can find the truth without God revealing it to him (Proverbs 28:23). Here is some common ground that we have with many people today, we understand, as do other perceptive observers, that man is too often quite culture-bound, and “like a fish surrounded by water, oblivious to the cultural influences such as consumerism or immediate gratification” (Copan, p. 157). Real objectivity among mere men is quite scarce. It may have taken our society a long time to discover this, for decades ago people pretty much believed what some broadcaster said as “gospel”. Now, more people realize that specific networks and anchormen and anchorwomen often have their own agenda. Yet centuries ago, God clearly revealed this lack of objectivity in men, “I know, O Lord, that a man’s way is not in himself, nor it is in a man who walks to direct his steps” (Jeremiah 10:23).
Skepticism Concerning Human Goodness
Christians are not skeptical concerning man’s ability to be good, for man can be very good, and neither do we believe that people are born inherently evil (1 Corinthians 14:20). What we do deny is the claim that by himself, and apart from God, man can do just fine, that mankind can save himself and create a better world without Christ or His teachings. Maybe at one time people thought that science and technology would solve all our problems, but “it is hard to ignore that the advance and increasing sophistication of technology and scientific knowledge have brought not only benefit but also horror and degradation – Auschwitz, partial-birth abortion, mustard gas, and Internet smut. No, all knowledge is not necessarily good for finite human beings—as Adam and Eve discovered in Eden. There are certain harmful, soul-destroying matters of which we are better off being ignorant and leaving to God rather than attempting to explore”(Copan, p. 157).
It is Not Enough to Shout
Many have heard the story about the preacher, who in his notes wrote, “Weak point, hit the pulpit” – as if hitting the pulpit or speaking louder will turn a weak point into a strong one. Christians do not believe in supporting weak points, yet we also expect the same consideration from unbelievers. When Paul was in Ephesus and was making the case that “gods made with hands are no gods at all” (Acts 19:26), the opposition responded by shouting “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians” for two solid hours (Acts 19:34). One common ground we should have with unbelievers is the insistence that one do more than shout, that is, that one back up beliefs or the lack of them with evidence. “Quite often Christians feel overwhelmed by skeptic’s questions, and for several reasons. The first is that Christians feel they must assemble a mountain of arguments – while putting an atheist or a skeptic under no such burden. This is a misunderstanding. Non-Christians make claims or assumptions – that God or objective moral values don’t exist, for example – that need just as much justification as our claims” (Copan, p. 162).
Practical Ways to Approach Common Assumptions
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“Prove to me that God exists”
Well, what would you accept as sufficient evidence? Many people have never considered just how much evidence is enough. We can actually use two lines of evidence here: Rational coherence, that is, our beliefs do not contradict themselves and they make sense (Ephesians 6:1), and Experimental relevance, that is, teachings of the Bible explain real life far better than any other views.
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“That’s true for you, but not for me”
Yet if my belief is only true for me, then why isn’t your belief only true for you? It sounds as if you are saying that what I belief is wrong and that I should believe as you do. It sounds as if you are not opposed to absolute truth as long as it is your own.
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“Who are You to Judge Others?”
What do you mean by “judging”? Is judging “thinking another person is wrong”? Yet when you are telling me I need to stop doing something I am doing, are you not saying I am wrong, and are you not therefore “judging” me?
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“Christians are intolerant”
Would you define tolerance? Is it the acceptance of all views? Is it just letting people believe what they want to believe and leaving them alone? If this is the case then why are you not accepting my views? Are you being intolerant for saying that I am intolerant? In fact, by calling me “intolerant” are you not guilty of “judging” me?
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“What Right Do You Have to Convert Others to Your Views?”
Is there any difference between “persuading” someone and “converting” someone? Is “persuasion” acceptable? You see you are seeking to “persuade” me to stop doing something. When you try to discourage or prevent me from evangelizing are you not evangelizing me and trying to win me over to your point of view?
