The
Mind of the Unbeliever – An article
in 3 parts
Secularism and Rationalism
– Part 1
Pluralism and Relativism – Part 2
Existentialism, Materialism and Pragmatism–
Part 3
The Mind of the Unbeliever – Part 1
Many philosophies
or ways of thinking are found in our culture.
Some of these ways of thinking have been described
with one word “post-modernism.”
Portions of these philosophies are directly
opposed to Christianity. For example, secularism
adopts the culture’s way of thinking.
A benign example of secularism might be “Shop
until you drop,” but a destructive aspect
of secularism is evident when God’s
ways are denied based upon popular cultural
thinking, such as “If it isn’t
illegal, it’s okay.” We Christians
know that many legal activities are, in fact,
unethical. We can legally cheat and destroy
each other. Divorces are legal but biblically
forbidden.
Each of us is impacted by these philosophies.
Not every aspect of these philosophies is
unchristian, however. For example, existentialism
highlights the uniqueness and value of the
individual. The Bible teaches that God created
us in His own image. Another example is Pragmatism.
We might easily become unethical by following
“the ends justify the means.”
On the other hand, Pragmatism also highlights
the importance of accomplishing an important
purpose in a practical way.
While we recognize these philosophies possess
strengths, let’s look at the weaknesses
that create problems for the work of evangelism.
While we know the power of reason and the
need for logic, rationalism fights with faith.
The Christian witness needs to know that all
philosophies are based on certain assumptions
that could rightfully be called faith statements.
Usually the rationalist objects to faith,
saying that it is unreasonable. The assumption,
however, is that all truth can be known through
reason. That is a faith statement! So the
position of the rationalist is contradictory.
The personal witness can respond to the rationalist
by saying: “All reason must be based
on faith. You have faith that truth can be
discovered through reason. I agree with you
and would add that truth can also be discovered
through God the Revealer of Truth and Reason.”
This response or tactic from the Christian
levels the playing field. By finding common
ground, the Christian can then deal with issues
of faith. The Christian then expresses her
faith in Jesus Christ as revealing to us what
God is like.
The
Mind of the Unbeliever – Part 2
Continuing our series
on the Mind of the Unbeliever, here are
two more philosophies that are prevalent
in today’s Western post-modern society.
One common way of thinking found today is
pluralism, which acknowledges the diversity
among us. A democracy thrives on diversity.
The truth is we are each unique individuals.
Unfortunately, another form of pluralism
becomes a hindrance to the witnessing Christian.
Let’s label this form of pluralism
“dogmatic” pluralism. This form
of pluralism sees diversity as the ultimate
truth. For the Christian witness to encourage
another person to change is seen by the
dogmatic pluralist as a violation of personal
identity, “How dare you ask me to
change! Who are you?” This same form
of pluralism says there are many ways to
God, and adherents expect everyone to validate
all means to God as equally valid. The dogmatic
pluralist resists elevating one method over
another, all are to be considered of equal
value. When the Christian begins dialogue
with a person holding this philosophy, the
point of conflict becomes “Jesus is
the only way of salvation.”
The Christian witness, to be effective,
will hold his position that Jesus is the
only way while acknowledging that the other
person is free to hold another position.
If the pluralist is true to his philosophy,
he will allow you to hold your opinion,
although the Christian witness may have
to remind him of it. The Christian will
explain that his position comes from what
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth
and the life. No man comes to the Father
but by me” (John 14:6). For the Christian
to be a faithful follower of Jesus, he must
believe as Jesus did. Jesus said that He
spoke only what God told Him to say (John
17:8). Therefore our opinion is not set
against the pluralists’ point of view,
but we are embracing what Jesus said the
Father told Him to say.
This puts the pluralist in opposition to
Jesus and God. Here is where the Holy Spirit
must teach truth.
The relativist believes, “Everything
is relative,” except that one statement
which is absolute. Relativists’ philosophy
essentially crumbles on their own basic
assumption. Contemporary relativists, however,
do not feel the need to submit to the law
of non-contradiction. The law of non-contradiction
teaches that two opposing statements cannot
both be true. Either one statement is accurate
and the other false. Or they are both false.
Just as the pluralists resist Christians
saying there is only way to God, so the
relativists resist by saying our point of
view is “too narrow and judgmental.”
Relativists like the pluralists, however,
are required by their own philosophy to
allow you to hold whatever opinion you have.
So relativists may hate your position, but
must accept your ideas on the basis of their
own philosophy. Therefore, the Christian,
with kindness, gentleness, and perseverance
must keep teaching the Gospel. Once more
we believe the Holy Spirit will change the
heart and mind of the relativist.
The Mind of the Unbeliever
– Part 3
This is the concluding
article in our series on the Mind of the
Unbeliever. Listed below are the last three
philosophies prevalent in today’s
Western post-modern society.
Existentialism can be described by three
components: every person is unique; we are
to live for the moment; and truth is known
by inner, subjective experience. The Christian
witness will find agreement and disagreement
in each of these concepts. Christians do
believe that each person is unique, but
will resist falling into individualism that
sees the individual serving as a god. The
Christian also sees each person as highly
valued and unique, but remains convinced
that God deals with all persons. The Christian
will see a person’s individuality
coexisting with God’s plan for all
humankind. The Christian witness will agree
that truth can be found by inner subjective
experience because the Holy Spirit works
within every individual. Truth can be known
subjectively and objectively. God deals
with us in ways that are “outside
one’s self.” For example, a
person may say, “I don’t believe
in gravity,” but that does not change
the objective truth that when he jumps from
a building the forces of gravity will smash
his belief.
The Christian witness will acknowledge that
the existentialist has truth to teach us;
however, the weaknesses of existentialism
are problematic for the Christian witness.
The existentialist may not take into account
heaven and the eternal judgment because
he lives simply for the moment. The existentialist
will resist attempts of evangelism because
he is unique and not subject to some one
else’s opinion. The existentialist
will resist the Christian’s appeal
to the Bible because the existentialist
does not affirm biblical truths unless the
existentialist feels the Bible agrees with
him.
Materialism focuses on matter or the acquisition
of things. Materialism competes with spirituality;
that which is seen or held is valued above
that which is invisible. The Christian witness
who speaks of the spirit world suggests
an alternative world view. The Christian
can ask leading questions such as, “After
you have acquired these things, what next?”
or ask, “What is your belief about
life after death? Do you believe that humans
are matter only or are they spirits as well?”
Perhaps we can give a personal testimony
such as, “I appreciate material things
and pleasure, but have found that they leave
me empty or wanting more. Is that your experience,
too?”
Pragmatism believes that whatever is right
should be done; whatever brings about good
results should be sought. This philosophy
all too quickly may embrace the end goal
while giving little attention to the means,
the ways of getting to an objective. Another
concern of pragmatism lies in our inability
to predict the future. What may appear to
be a right goal now may actually mislead
us. What brought about a good result in
one circumstance may not apply to another
situation. While the Christian should be
pragmatic, we must realize the limitations
of pragmatism. God has given us certain
ideals and ethical principles by which we
should live. We ought to apply these moral
principles to the means and ends we seek.
USA—A
Multicultural Society, a Mission Field
Dr. Roberto Hodgson,
Mission Director for Hispanic Ministries
In recent decades,
the U.S. and Canada has become a fertile multicultural
mission field. According to Census Bureau
estimates released in March, the U.S. foreign-born
population has reached a record high of 32.5
million foreign-born residents, 2 percent
more than the 31.8 million recorded a year
ago.
In a population of 282.1 million, the foreign
born amounted to 11.5 percent. The growth
rate tripled between March 2000 and 2001.
Nearly 17 million people, or just over half
of the foreign-born population in 2002, came
from Latin America. Over half of the 17 million
arrived after 1990. About 2.4 million people
arrived in the country in 2001 according to
demographer William Frey.
Joel Kotkin and Thomas Tseng in Happy To Mix
It All Up write the following: “Today's
young Americans represent the most multiracial
group in modern American history. According
to Census 2000, 40 percent of people under
the age of 25—"echo boomers"
and younger—belong to some race or ethnic
category other than "non-Hispanic white."
Overall, during the 1990s, immigrants and
their children were responsible for a remarkable
70 percent of total U.S. population growth.
The kind of culture these new Americans are
shaping is most evident in cities such as
New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami
and Houston—where immigrants, and, more
importantly, their offspring, are molding
street-side realities. Roughly 30 percent
of second-generation Latinos and Asians now
wed people from outside their own racial groups.
Mixed-race births in California have grown
from 40,000 in 1980 to more than 70,000 annually;
one out of every seven babies born in the
Golden State in 1997 had parents of different
races. This unprecedented mixing alone guarantees
the development of an increasingly blended
culture, not only for Latinos and Asians in
particular, but for young Americans as a whole.
The post-ethnic reality is also expressed
in how people of different ethnicities increasingly
live and, yes, shop in America. A generation
ago, Americans were warned about becoming
a country bifurcated between inner-city minorities
and suburban whites. But this is no longer
a danger. Today, nearly 51 percent of Asians,
43 percent of Latinos, and 32 percent of African
Americans live in the suburbs. The immediate
suburbs around Denver, for example, experienced
a 50 percent increase in their Latino populations
during the 1990s.”
What
are we going to do?
Biblical Foundation
Scripture
Text: Acts 2:1-12
Pentecost not only signaled the inauguration
of the Church Age, it also underscored the
universality of the Church. The day of Pentecost
marked once and for all the fact that God’s
salvation is for everybody. “There is
neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male
or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus”
(Gal. 3:28).
Dr. Jerry Appleby,
author of Missions Have Come Home to America
convincingly makes the case for a new mission
focus “inward” toward the foreigner
in our midst. He writes, “Our time,
our buildings, our leadership, our money,
and—above all—our Lord must
be shared if the ethnic harvest of America
is to be reaped. This is not easy! Our resources
must be God's possessions.”
Dr. Ray Bakke in his book The Urban Christian
states the following: “Missions can
be divided into two categories: First, there
is the traditional mission to people who
are geographically distant from us. The
second category of mission is to people
culturally distant from our church, but
living under the shadow of its spire. However
large the numbers of those unreached by
the gospel in the traditional mission fields,
it seems likely that there are many more
millions on church doorsteps, in the cities.
The existing churches will not reach these
huge and rapidly growing populations without
cross-cultural missions at home.”
In the book of Acts, the Antioch Church
where Paul and Barnabas were leaders was
the first trans-cultural faith community.
It is estimated that Antioch had a population
of half a million. We know that in Antioch
there were at least five large ethnic communities:
Syrians, Jewish, Latin, Greek, and African.
Within the great outer city wall of Antioch,
there were secondary walls, which divided
these groups. When the gospel reached Antioch,
people began to cross the walls to meet
in Christian fellowship.
Dr. Ray Bakke, in his book entitled Integral
Mission In The City states: “Paul
and Barnabas went on to plant churches patterned
after the model of the church of Antioch—a
church that brought together ethnically,
racially, socio-economically, and linguistically
diverse elements of the city and that met
with equal integrity the needs of the ‘haves’
and the ‘have nots.’”
The Antioch Church can serve as an inspirational
model of the first multicultural faith community
in the New Testament—a church that
brought together a multicultural community.
In the final vision analysis, we need to
experience Pentecost as well as a glimpse
of heaven in our congregations as the Apostle
John who saw the vision: “After this
I looked and there before me was a great
multitude that no one could count, from
every nation, tribe, people and language,
standing before the throne and in front
of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes
and were holding palm branches in their
hands” (Rev. 7:9). We need to open
the doors of our churches to people from
all races and nationalities. Our churches
must reflect their communities and heaven
as people from different nations and languages
come to worship Jesus. “Salvation
belongs to our God and to the Lamb.”
"Go therefore and make disciples of
all the nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit” (Mt.28:19).
