Our message this evening is entitled, “Witnessing to Postmodern People.” As we seek to understand how to better share our faith in today’s western culture, we must begin with a discussion on modernism and postmodernism. Modernism and postmodernism are eras, or time periods of societal thought and belief. Now, I’ve touched upon this subject before, so some of the information I will share in our introduction will be a review; but I am convinced that we cannot be effective in sharing our faith until we understand the mindset of today’s culture.
Michael Crichton wrote Jurassic Park to represent the modern world and mindset. It is a dream of control. It is technology for fun and profit. But it is a dream gone bad. Nature, it turns out, has a stream of chaos running through it. And the modern story, it turns out, shows that the would-be circus masters are really just part of the circus – not so big or strong or wise after all.(1)
Doc Thorne, one of the main characters, said after overhearing a conversation, “Are you listening to all that? I wouldn’t take any of it too seriously. It’s just theories. Human beings can’t help making them, but the fact is that theories are just fantasies, and they change.”(2)
Jurassic Park is a criticism of the modern era. In the modern age, which was around the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, people placed a huge emphasis on scientific theory. Science was thought to contain very predictable rules and laws that did not change, and thus science was seen as a source of reliable and unchanging truth. Science became the religion of the day. This was the period in which Darwin came out with his Origin of Species, and Nietzsche claimed that “God is dead.”
We now live in what is called the postmodern age. So, what does post-modern mean? It means “after” the modern era or age. Remember, modernism and postmodernism are time periods of societal belief.
In the postmodern age – which is now – we live in a time where people have seen that science is not as predictable as it was once thought to be. Theories change all the time. People feel that we can’t really know anything for certain, asking, “What is truth?” and saying, “There is no absolute truth. We define our own truth. I have my truth that works for me; however, it might not work for you. You can go out and define your own truth.”
A truly postmodern person doesn’t believe in one set way. One article states that in postmodernism “all beliefs are equally valid, unless you actually believe them.” And “all beliefs are equally valid except those that claim to be true.”(3) In other words, you can believe what you want to believe, and I’ll believe what I want to believe. Just don’t tell me that your belief is the only correct view. This is the reason why we have no moral compass in our society.
This notion of defining our own truth that has arisen in this postmodern age is called “relativism.” In relativism, truth is relative to our own personal likes or dislikes, and truth is relative to our own life circumstances or our own point of view.
So, how do we proclaim Jesus who is “the way, the truth, and the life” to people who are skeptical of certainty? This is a really good question to consider. We are going to look at an example from Paul’s ministry and see if we can gain some insight into ministering to the people of today’s postmodern world.
All Beliefs Are Equally Valid? (vv. 16-21)
16 Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols. 17 Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there. 18 Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, “What does this babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,” because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection. 19 And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak? 20 For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what these things mean.” 21 For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing.
It is interesting that when Paul tried to preach Jesus to them that they did not know who He was. Here we see a city in which people’s delight came from discussing new ideas and topics of religion, who were culturally advanced, merchants and traders who traveled abroad, and yet they had never heard of Jesus. Though we live in a country, which was originally founded on Christian beliefs, and in some places there is a church on every street corner, surprisingly you still find people who have never heard of Jesus. Even in churches there are those who don’t know the truths of the gospel.
Verse 21 says, “All the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing.” Here was a group of people who spent all their time discussing new ideas, and yet they each held their own individual views; as we see later in how numerous altars were established in order to honor different gods.
Remember that in postmodernism, “all beliefs are equally valid, unless you actually believe them.” Paul realized that he needed to be careful in how he was going to handle the situation from that moment forward. The Athenians had heard about many religions. How was Paul going to minister to them, and make Christianity stick without it being dismissed as just another crazy view?
Postmodern People Are Religious (vv. 22-23a)
22 Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; 23 for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.”
Paul said, “I perceive that in all things you are very religious.” Is this something that could be said of people today? Just look at the attraction to new age religions, spiritism, and the occult. Check out most book stores, and the new age section will be larger than the Christian section. People are indeed very religious.
Why are people so religious? Well, for one thing, uncertainty has caused people to shy away from science. Secondly, there has been a lot of abuse seen in mainstream Christianity, such as pastor financial and sex scandals and the like, causing people to believe they know better than these so-called spiritual leaders. They then start searching for truth on their own, often looking in places beyond tradition; and this search can include the teachings of other religions.
The Athenians were so much like postmodern people today, as is evident by their uncertainty. They had so many different altars and idols. The one that struck Paul was the one that said, “TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.” It could be said, “TO THE GOD WE ARE UNCERTAIN ABOUT.”
We Must Speak Their Language (vv. 23b-29)
Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: 24 “God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ 29 Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising.”
In the second half of verse 23, leading into the first word of verse 24, Paul said something that many Christians wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole. He stated, “The One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: God.” Whoa now! Was he telling them that the worship of a great spirit whom they couldn’t name was actually the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?
Please bear with me, for I’m not going to say anything heretical; but does this sound like something that postmodern people conclude? Many people today will say, “It doesn’t matter what religion you are. We all worship the same God” – but that’s not true! What might Paul have been doing when he made this statement?
In 1 Corinthians 9:22b, Paul said, “I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” It seems as though Paul was saying this in order to become all things to all people. In other words, he was trying to reach those who were skeptical about some other religion.
Paul tried to reach the Greeks through what was relative to them. In verses 24-28, Paul spoke of the existence of God in nature, and His self-sufficiency, which was “commonplace of Greek philosophy to view divinity as complete within itself, [and] totally self-sufficient”(4) In verse 28, the phrase “In Him we live and move and have our being,” is a traditional Greek formula found in the Stoic poet Aratus of Soli from the third century B.C.(5)
Notice that every statement Paul made about God can be agreed upon by any major religion. Listen again as I share them: 1.) “The Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.” 2.) “He gives to all life, breath, and all things.” 3.) “He has made from one blood every nation of men.” 4.) He has, “determined their preappointed times.” 5.) “He is not far from each one of us,” and 6.) “In Him we live and move and have our being.”
These affirmations about God sound like the belief statements of many religions or cults. Anyone can acknowledge these basic truths about God, because they don’t call forth any deeper commitment from an individual. They are not moral or doctrinal statements telling people how to live; thus making them easy to receive. Bible commentator F. F. Bruce says that Paul started speaking with quotes from their Greek poets; however, he didn’t actually take their perspective.(6) We will see that he began leading the conversation in a Christ-honoring direction.
Shift the Conversation toward Jesus (vv. 30-34)
30 “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, 31 because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” 32 And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.” 33 So Paul departed from among them. 34 However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
In reflecting back on what we just saw in verses 23-29, we gain an understanding of how Paul realized that he couldn’t dive straight into sharing the Bible as soon as he met the Athenians. Paul realized that they might not understand the gospel, or that they might reject it as just another crazy religion. Therefore, rather than talking about the gospel immediately, he began to discuss basic, self-evident truths about God. He was seeking common ground; and then once he found that common ground he could lead them into a discussion about Jesus Christ.
In verse 31, Paul shifted the conversation so he could talk about the “Man” who would come to judge the world. That Man is Jesus. Our God is a God of love, but He’s also a God of justice, and we can’t forget this fact. Those who do not know Jesus Christ will be judged on an appointed Day, and if they are found lacking that holy covering provided by the blood of the Lamb, they will be sent to hell.
In verses 32-34, we see that some people listened and accepted Paul’s message, such as Dionysius and Damaris; while others basically walked away, mocking him and saying, “We will hear you again on this matter.” We must keep in mind that even when we do learn how to better witness to those of a postmodern mindset, who subscribe to relativism, there will still be those who walk away. It’s not our job to convert someone; that’s the Holy Spirit’s job. Our job is to be faithful in sharing our faith that there is truth, and His name is Jesus.
Time of Reflection
We must begin realizing that not everyone believes what the Bible teaches. Therefore, if we are going to witness to postmodern people, we must not approach them claiming to have all the answers. This will result in immediate rejection. So, here is how we should approach them:
1.) We must first get them into a conversation about religion in general. We could be as Paul and say, “I perceive you are very religious.”
2.) Establish common ground between what you believe and what they believe, without mentioning Christianity.
3.) After sharing common ground, and being courteous enough to listen to their views, shift the conversation over to what religion you worship.
4.) We can then tell them about Jesus.
5.) When dealing with an unbeliever we should present them with a choice and not demand a verdict, for that is how God acts with us. The words of Jesus in John 7:17 are appropriate to share with an unbeliever: “If anyone wants to do His will, [then] he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.”
Are you persuaded by the postmodern way of thinking that anything goes? Are you frightened of certainty and believe there is no absolute truth? Nothing in life is for sure, but all things are certain and determined in eternity, and you will receive either eternal life or eternal damnation.
Jesus brings a basic message: “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). Does it seem too simple to believe? I urge you to believe it this evening, because you can’t risk not believing it. Be sure to receive Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior before it’s too late.
NOTES
(1) Brian McLaren, Reinventing your Church (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998), 167.
(2) Ibid. 167.
(3) Ibid. 170-171.
(4) John B. Polhill. The New American Commentary, Vol. 26 (Nashville: Broadman,1992), 373.
(5) F. F. Bruce. The Acts of the Apostles (Leicester: Apollos, 1990), 375-376.
(6) Ibid., 382.
