Worldviews & Apologetics Series: Part 3 | Part 2 | Part 1
In our series on Worldviews & Apologetics, I have tried to lay out what makes a worldview and how a person’s worldview pyramid is constructed. After laying that foundation, how might Christians faithfully live out their biblical worldview while engaging with a secular world? Of course, we are not interacting with a secular world as a faceless entity, but we are relating and connecting with actual people. As we do, let’s keep the following four admonitions in mind:
1- Embrace your calling in the world.
While it might be tempting to just withdraw from the world and hole up in safety, that is not what Jesus called us to. Jesus prayed to the Father for us, saying:
“I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.” | John 17:14-18
We cannot withdraw from the world, nor can we assimilate into the world. But we also can’t go into attack mode. This is our calling: to embrace the tension of being in the world, not of the world. We are ambassadors of God’s Kingdom. Just as Jesus was sent, we have been sent. We need to embrace the calling of our Life in Exile.
2- Live consistently with your worldview.
A big part of this calling is to live faithfully and consistently according to our worldview. As we learned, the top of our pyramid needs to be constructed off the foundation. This will honor our Lord and enable us to reflect God’s light to a dark world. It’s not right to claim Jesus as Lord, but then live a godless life in the workplace. When Paul visited the church in Antioch, he confronted the Christians there because they were not living consistently – Paul writes “their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel” (Gal. 2:12-14). As I wrote in Engaging the World, this means we need to hold firm to our convictions, maintain a connection to people outside the faith, foster a heart of compassion for the lost, and walk in humble courage in a secular world.
3- Understand the times and the people.
As with many things, there are two extremes we need to avoid. Sometimes we feel inclined to just stick our head in the sand and avoid any awareness of what is going on in the world around us – God’s world! On the other hand, we can’t become consumed with every cultural change, political movement, or social trend. There is an interesting section in 1 Chronicles that lists out the mighty men who gathered around king David from each tribe. The men of Issachar are described as “men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do.” (1 Chron. 12:32). Scholars have noted this is a good description of our call as well. We need to understand the times. We do need to be aware of the trends that influence our government, culture, and potentially the church. Of course, trends are not our defining reality – God’s Word is – but understanding what is going on is helpful. It helps us understand what our friends and neighbors are exposed to and how we can best connect the gospel to their lives. This is what the apostle Paul did when he was in Athenians. He noticed that the people in that city were intrigued by philosophy, new ideas, and various forms of worship. He used that as a launching point to share Christ (see Acts 17). We don’t just need to analyze the culture; we need to understand people. The best way to do that is not by reading an article online, but by listening to your coworker. God always changes cultures by changing people.
4- Defend the faith and share the gospel.
As we embrace our calling in the world, live consistently, and understand the times, God will create opportunities for us to defend the Christian faith and share the gospel. Just as any sports team needs to develop a plan for good offense and defense, Christians need to be led by the Holy Spirit for both Evangelism and Apologetics. Evangelism is like offense – proactively sharing Jesus and teaching the gospel. Apologetics is like defense – answering questions and defending the Christian faith from skeptics.
The Word of God calls Christians to “contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3). This means we need to resist attacks against Christianity, defend our faith against opposition, explain what we believe, and use reason and arguments to persuade others (see how reason and persuasion is used in Acts 17:4, 18:4, 19:8, 26:28, 2 Cor. 5:11).
Our approach to Christian apologetics is rooted in 1 Peter 3 where the word “defense” is a translation of the Greek word “apologia.”
“Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” (vv. 14-15)
Peter is writing to Christians facing hostile opposition for their Christian faith, and we can learn several things from the passage. Don’t be afraid or intimidated by those who oppose the Christian faith or even attack Christians. No matter what, Christ is our Lord – honor him as holy. We need to always be ready to give a defense for the hope that is in us. This is the hope of the gospel – our Savior Jesus died for our forgiveness, rose again for our new life, and is returning to make all things new! Did you notice in the passage how it says we need to be ready to defend this hope when people ask us? This means that as we faithfully live out our calling in a secular world, people will notice, and people will ask! Sometimes they will ask with an open, humble heart. Other times they will ask with a skeptical, arrogant heart. Either way we need to be prepared to give a reason for our faith, with both gentleness and respect.
Don’t be intimidated by your call to Evangelism and Apologetics. Honor Christ in your heart. Rely on the Holy Spirit. Be a student and know the Word of God. Listen and learn from the experience of others. Share your story and speak truth plainly. And if you don’t know how to answer someone’s question – that’s OK! – go find out with them.
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