Something Worth Talking About

Is a world view not worth talking about even worth having?

Our beliefs were entirely opposite each other but that is one point that Brenton, an atheist, and I, a Christian, could agree on. Brenton and I both had strong convictions for our respective world views but we agreed that whatever strong beliefs we have, then that belief should be worth sharing in the hope of convincing others to join us.

In a way, this idea is related to the Golden Rule – if we are to “do unto others as we would have them do unto us”, then what we have found to be right and true and a source of meaning and joy in our own lives should be something we want for others.

For Brenton, as an atheist he said he finds the thought of this short life being all there is as something that causes him to live in the moment and cherish every experience. Though he respects the religious beliefs of others he wants them to consider what he believes to be a better alternative.

As a Christian I actually also feel that this life is a very unique experience. Even though an eternity with God awaits me, we live here in a unique situation we will never experience again. We live with both the influence of good and evil, and we are able to serve and honor God in ways we never could in eternity.

For example, I told Brenton that in heaven I will never again be able to talk with an unbeliever like himself, so I want to make the most of the opportunity!

Being obedient to our call as Christians to proclaim the good news of eternal life in Christ is a natural result of the gratitude we feel in being saved ourselves, but there are some less than honorable motivations for doing so as well. I was honest with Brenton about them, especially since he experienced some of them from his background as an atheist growing up in a strongly religious small town in Kansas.

As a teen, Brenton had been the atheistic guest of some of his evangelical Christian friends to some of their youth camps and bonfire gatherings. He acknowledged he felt kind of like he was a “project” to some of them, and that there was indeed a sense of competition as to who could convince the other of their world view.

I believe it is often this sense of competition, and along with it a sense of self-validation, that fuels many of the online debates we see between people of different religions and world views.

And human nature was much the same back in Bible times, as Paul warned in 2 Timothy 2:24: “Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.”

Christians too can often have selfish motivations for engaging in ugly debates, from the self-validation of a teenager just establishing his own identity, to the needless competition of a prideful heart, to the confirmation bias and false sense of security that membership in a “tribe” brings.

Paul went on to instruct Timothy of a better attitude: “And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.” Our efforts at Christian outreach need to be done out of kindness, not competition, with a desire to accurately teach God’s word, not to force our own opinion on others.

Finally, Paul writes of the godly motivation of love and concern for unbelievers as a main reason for evangelism: “Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.”

Evangelism can and should be motivated by the Golden Rule. We want to share with others the good news that has changed the course of our lives, both now and for all eternity.