Sharing the Gospel

Part 1 – Sharing the Gospel with a Postmodern Individual

Section 1:

To make things rather straightforward in understanding what a postmodern individual is, it is important to lay a brief foundation of what a worldview is. A worldview involves holding certain presuppositions about what is true. For example, how did the universe come into existence, or what is morally right and wrong? These are largely philosophical questions, but historically, largely before the mid to late twentieth century, there was a more Judeo-Christian worldview on many beliefs. The United States was largely founded on Christian Ideas. However, in the mid to late 20th century, there was a large shift, for example, in different views of romanticism, rationalism, and naturalism. Postmodern individuals are more skeptical about what is true, leaning more in the direction of reason and subjectivity rather than objectivity. They may largely see through the lens of science rather than faith.

A postmodernist is going to be more skeptical about making a decision to follow God. There is going to be a much-needed heart change from the core for one to convert often. In Crossing Cultures with Jesus, it is noted that a person who holds more traditional assumptions about God may make a quick decision to follow Christ, and it may not result in a true conversion. Postmodern Westerners prioritize community, and as Jimmy Long noted in 1997, “Conversion (attraction) to the community before conversion (to Christ) is the norm for postmodernists.” When talking about the innocence-guilt values and fame-shame values, we see the following in Postmoderns. According to Crossing Cultures with Jesus, for the postmodern, fame-shame is an individualist form of honor in which people vie for public approval through social media and think less or no thought about saving face. The innocence-guilt lens for a postmodern of the 20th century for people in the US is motivated by obeying the law and avoiding a guilty conscience.

The Gospel is radical in nature in that it is not about conforming to a set of rules or even seeking approval. There is nothing we can do to earn favor with God, so the question is, how does one go about sharing the Gospel with a postmodernist who sees that you have to obey rules to earn favor with God or even to go to heaven? There are five thresholds to go about sharing the Gospel with a postmodernist. Threshold 1 is about making a community and developing trust. Threshold 2 is becoming curious about Jesus. Threshold 3 is opening up to change. Threshold 4 is seeking after God, and Threshold 5 is Entering the Kingdom.

Section 2:

Before you can even begin to share the Gospel, you have to remember that community must come first. A postmodern individual will be more likely to come to know Jesus Christ if they feel loved and know that you truly care about them before accepting your preaching to them. As the scriptures say in 1 Cor 13, “no matter what I do or what I say or what I believe, I am bankrupt without love” (The Message). There are several methods one can use to share the Gospel with a postmodern individual who doesn’t believe it. Some of the methods you might use include The Way of the Master and What Would Jesus Do? You might ask them about the 10 commandments and pose questions like, “Would you consider yourself to be a good person? Do you think you have kept the 10 commandments? On the day of judgment, if God judges you by the 10 commandments, will you be innocent or guilty? Finally, will you go to heaven or hell?” These are tools you can use to share the Gospel.

Part 2- Sharing the Gospel with an Eastern Individual

Section 1:

When it comes to the Eastern Individual these are just general characteristics and can differ among groups such as perhaps someone from Asia, Africa, or even the middle east. Eastern individuals place a high value on the community in that they are often collectivist and not Individualist. Where Westerners often place a large value on words and speaking, in easterners it may be good to remember not to speak so much and listen more. Speaking too much could be a sign of disrespect. Eastern individuals often communicate indirectly vs. directly, so in this case, they may be more visual and artistic. Other characteristics to consider are mixed-gender relations. Easterners are more hierarchy oriented vs equality oriented.

If we are talking about the Eastern worldview, they would see through the lens in which God is not personal as in the Christian worldview, but impersonal. They see life through as more challenging where suffering is normal and are not optimistic about things. In terms of the honor-shame and power-weakness lens, where societies where honor is the leading value ( e.g East Asian and Middle Eastern societies) people are motivated to increase or protect the honor of the group or self and avoid shame in the eyes of people. There is also a high value placed on how strong or weak you are and how much power you have.

Section 2:

Before opening up a conversation with an Eastern individual, it’s important to take the time to understand their culture and make them feel welcome. This involves researching their culture and identifying what they value. One should invite them over and create a setting where they feel at home. Establishing a relationship with them is crucial before introducing any religious discussions.

One effective approach that can be used after bonding with the individual is Bill Fay’s method, Sharing Jesus Without Fear. After forming a bond, begin by asking non-threatening questions like “Do you have any spiritual beliefs?” “Who is Jesus Christ to you?” “Do you believe in heaven and hell?” “If you died, where would you go?” and “If what you believe is not true, would you want to know?” If the individual is comfortable with these questions, proceed with indirect methods, such as using visuals of scripture, such as the evangecube or videos.

The book of Romans is an excellent resource for nailing the Gospel message. Once the relationship is strong enough, the conversation can move to the “Romans Road” method. However, the conversation should end with simple questions such as “What do you think of all this?” and “How do you feel?” depending on their response. It’s important to remember that our job is to plant the seed and let God cause growth to occur.