This is the final part of the four part series, Stumbling Blocks to Christianity, that we did at St Peters Presbyterian Church in North Sydney. It includes an earlier Solas video on homosexuality.
Also on YouTube here
Stumbling Blocks to Christianity 3 – Science
It is an interesting polemical approach to say “let’s look at the stumbling blocks some of you have to Christianity”. I can only imagine what response I might get if I were to use that at university where I am now studying radio and TV broadcast and production whilst undergoing, say, unconscious bias training in the light of a what is not infrequently perceived as problematic is anything “patriarchal” or “religious”. So, we can choose an approach appropriate for our audience, being a Jew to the Jew, Greek to the Greeks etc. and maybe that won’t result in people wanting to throw us off a cliff!
What I find the need out there is very often is for acceptance. And given all are created in the image of God, that the challenge I face where there are differences is in building a rapport first. For without building a rapport it’s unlikely, I find, to be listened to. I’ve heard stories of missionaries going into Muslim countries and being present there with Christian faith having enough to deal with without anything else.
Perhaps with increasing secularism there may be environments in the west now where simply being present and having the praxis, the actions of faith will be what speaks rather than more traditional approaches to “preaching the Gospel”. i.e. it being the same Gospel but adapting to changes in culture for maximum effectiveness – incarnationally shining lights or for trekky fans going boldly forth experiencing “life, captain but not as we know it” ;).