The other day while I was in a store, I happened to hear some of an interesting yet sobering conversation between a cashier and a customer. Because I was walking by the checkout counters and not in line, I was only able to catch a piece of the dialogue. As the cashier was totaling up the customer’s order, the customer ventured to ask him where he went to church. The young man named a local place of worship that happened to be a Pseudo-Christian cult (for more on Pseudo-Christian cults, click here.) A somewhat puzzled expression momentarily passed over the customer’s face, but it didn’t stop him from asking a follow-up question: “Uh, are you saved?”
Before I write anything else, I want to commend the customer for taking the initiative to try and share his faith. It takes guts to do that, and it’s especially challenging to do it with a stranger. Although I was unable to understand all the aspects and circumstances surrounding the customer’s witness, he did not appear to be very knowledgeable of the beliefs the cashier’s religion holds to. Although he very likely knew what he believed about being “saved”, I don’t know if he had an understanding of what members of the particular cult believe. He didn’t need to know every tenet of the cult’s doctrine; he just needed to know a few of their basic beliefs, including their view of salvation, which is very different from that of Christianity.
Although it can be very helpful to know and understand the positions of other religions and belief systems, please understand that I am not suggesting one go out and conduct a highly intensive search on every philosophy that crosses their path. Before any research on another belief system is made, Christians need to be sure that they know what they believe and that their beliefs line up with Scripture. After this crucial foundation has been laid, research can be conducted on other beliefs. This extra- curricular research is entirely optional and definitely not mandatory. However, it can be extremely valuable when entering a witnessing opportunity or in understanding a particular cultural viewpoint.
Here’s an illustration. Suppose an army needs to know what obstacles they may face in a particular tract of land before they launch an assault. Because they may not get another shot at taking this extremely valuable territory, they need to know what they are going up against before they go all in. Obviously, the wisest move would be to scout out the land. Once the scouts return with the necessary information — what the layout appears to be, where the opposition is weakest, etc. — the advance can proceed with a much greater amount of confidence and likelihood of success.
The Christian approach to witnessing and understanding other worldviews is somewhat similar to that army’s scouting procedure. We don’t need to go into a witnessing opportunity with a militant attitude, but we do need to obtain any information necessary to conducting a successful mission. Understandably, a Christian can’t know every belief about every worldview he encounters, but a basic knowledge of the fundamental beliefs of several major belief systems will give him a distinct advantage not only in witnessing, but also in understanding events and opinions throughout our culture. If Christians are to be ready to “give a reason for the hope that we have” (1Peter 3:15) as well as being on guard to “take every thought captive” (2 Corinthians 10:5) that the culture throws our way, we need to take time and understand the different worldviews that challenge the Christian worldview. If we can learn to do this minimal amount of foundational work consistently, we will be able to enter witnessing opportunities and interaction with the culture with greater confidence, focus, and effectiveness.
If you would like to learn more about the beliefs of several prominent religions and belief systems, check out these links:
Chart depicting six major worldviews and their beliefs on a variety of topics
Essays on several religions and belief systems
Essays covering topics that different worldviews address
I have been reading some of your posts, actually a lot of them. You definitely have my attention and I look forward to the next post. I can’t say it enough, God is doing great works through you. You are mature beyond your years. The dedication that you have towards learning all aspects of Christianity is purely inspirational and makes me want to work that much harder. Not that I am stalking you or nothin….but you have a fan. Thanks for the hard work you put into the Themelios Project it truly shows….
Scott
Thank you so much! It is very encouraging to hear that someone is reading the material and looking forward to new posts. I’m glad you’re in the fan club! =)
Im with Scott. I would add more, but he said it all.
DeAnna Rasberry