We live in confusing times. But then, have you ever thought about if every time was a confusing time to live in, just each in it’s own way? Maybe a consequence of living in a fallen world is that we’ll always have to be seeking God’s light to show us a path through the darkness. That sounds about right.
In that vein, I wanted to offer some advice for our time, which seems particularly confusing in the area of representing Christ in terms of our public witness–just speaking about your Christianity can become so muddled, because often we’re being told we don’t represent Jesus, by people who don’t even follow him. Confusing! So here’s four things to remember, whether you’re in a confusing conversation, or you just read a confusing article, or got moved to confusion by a powerful movie or music video, or you stumbled over your own thoughts in a class discussion…etc, ect….
1. Define terms. Check if their definitions match yours. Maybe people are using words like “love” or “truth” or even “Jesus.” But are they actually using them to mean what Scripture means? Words are like containers; they carry whatever you fill them up with. What meanings have these words been filled up with? If it’s not the meaning our words carry, that may be a prime source of the confusion, right there.
2. Sniff out assumptions. What key thoughts are being left unsaid? Sometimes we get confused because we agree with the logic, but not the conclusions the logic leads to. Typically this means the good logic concealed a bad assumption, something that’s left unsaid and unproven. It’s just assumed. When you bring these assumptions out into the light, you can examine them to see if they really stand up. If not, you may solve your problem that fast.
3. Think through the worldview. Does the big picture make sense? A statement may sound powerful when it’s stated as part of an assertion someone’s making, but a little “zooming out” may be helpful here. What worldview does this statement assume, or operate as part of? Does that larger worldview make sense? For instance, a common worldview to operate out of these days is the worldview of materialism (that all that exists is matter). But does materialism really work? Does it explain the world we see? And, just as important, can the person adopting the worldview actually live with the implications of that worldview? More often than not, the confusing statement is a down-the-line type of thing, and what we should really be discussing are worldviews that might not stand up to scrutiny.
4. Get Biblical. Find out what scripture really says about it… One of our greatest sources of confusion is a twofold failure to really know and apply the teachings of scripture in our thinking and conversation. First, we may be confused simply because we aren’t in the habit of applying the wisdom of God in the Bible to the issues we discuss daily. A mind shaped by God’s word will sense how God’s thoughts help us see our way out of mental fog that we encounter. Second, things really get wild when people quote (or misquote) the Bible back to us in order to force us to unbiblical conclusions. (And this happens all the time!) What’s the answer? Know the Word well enough to sense when they are misusing scripture, then open your bible with them and help them see what the words really point to.