Suspicion Is An Opportunity

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As we looked to Acts 4:1-22, we saw the apostles face the threat of persecution. In our time and place we are blessed not to live under threat of physical persecution for our faith. We can obey the Great Commission without risking our safety. For this we thank the Lord!

However, while a court cannot prohibit us from speaking the name of Jesus, and the police cannot harm us for it, we still face push-back in sharing the gospel. Perhaps the chief way we experience resistance today is in our culture’s suspicion towards Christianity.

While that saddens us, it also provides an opportunity, an entrance point for the gospel in our conversation, in a way that people find relevant! That’s because people object to things that matter to them. So, when someone leads with a negative suspicion regarding Christianity, we can offer to talk about it more and know it’s something they’re interested in.

“Would You Like to Hear what Jesus Says About That?”

People object to things that matter to them. So let’s let them hear what the Bible has to say about it!

If someone mentions their distrust of Christianity based on a suspicion or negative impression, that’s a great moment to simply ask, “Would you like to see what Jesus had to say about that?” Then, when taken to the Word of God, they will get to see the beauty of its truth and the goodness of the Savior.

Here’s the beauty of this opportunity:

  • We know it’s a conversation they think is relevant.

  • We don’t have to have the answers! We’re just bringing them to the One who does.

  • We aren’t trying to defend against their negative preconception of Christianity; we’re simply presenting them Jesus and his words.

Common Examples

Here are a few common suspicions someone might harbor regarding evangelical churches in 2021 and about you! We’ve paired those suspicions with some biblical passages and resources you might want to point someone to demonstrate God’s heart on the issue.

Conspiracy Theories

Whether it’s fair or not, in our culture’s mind, evangelicals are linked to all sorts of conspiracy theories about things like COVID, Q Anon, or massive voter fraud. And people are going to wonder, “Might their beliefs in Jesus be nothing more than another conspiracy theory?”

“Would you like to read a Christian response to QAnon together?”
“Can I show you how my church takes COVID seriously and not as a conspiracy?”

President Trump

Some prominent voices, whom the media has labeled “evangelicals,” have tied the Church to the presidency of Donald Trump in unhealthy ways. Either by falsely prophesying his re-election, binding the consciences of Christians on how to vote, or by displaying Christian symbols at the Jan 6 Trump rally that spilled over into the Capitol building riot... evangelicals have been tied to President Trump in the eyes of many.

“Would you like to look together at what the Bible has to say about loyalty to politicians?”

  • Psalm 146

  • John 18:33-40

Racism

2020 saw a reckoning over racism in our country. Many prominent evangelicals spoke in uncareful or unwise ways about the topic. So it is not surprising that someone might come to the conclusion that Christianity might not have much to say about ending racism.

Because the topics of racism and racial reconciliation are much more nuanced than the outright falsehoods of Q Anon conspiracies, it is much harder to point to a handful of verses to help get the conversation started.

Instead, we recommend looking for a starting point in Shoreline’s recent documentation designed to equip you to enter the conversation about racism:

Sexual Bigotry

“Homophobia” and “transphobia” are conversation-enders in our modern world. If someone asks you, “Isn’t Christianity homophobic?” or, “Don’t Christians hate gay people?” here are some things opportunities to extend the conversation:

“Jesus taught both that sex outside of traditional marriage is sin and that ‘God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.’ Would you like to hear how gay Christians hold those two truths together?”

A little over a year ago Rachel Gilson came to Shoreline to give her testimony as a same-sex-attracted woman who came to trust in Christ. She recently recorded an interview with the Australian evangelist Glen Scrivener about her conversion and how Christianity interacts with same-sex attraction that overlaps much of what she shared at Shoreline.
“Sam Albery, a same-sex-attracted man, wrote a short book called Is God Anti-Gay? Would you like to go through that with me?”