There are two topics you’re not supposed to bring up in polite conversation: politics and religion. But as an evangelical Christian, I was taught early on that God wants us to bring up the impolite topic of religion on a somewhat regular basis as part of my Christian duty to evangelize. Interestingly, “evangelize” comes from a Greek word meaning “good news”, yet the topic of my faith rarely seems like good news to other people.
So how can I share what’s become the central organizing principle of my life in a way that’s not perceived as being boorish or a little crazy? Part of the problem is that our society keeps telling us that talking about religious matters is something that only boors and crazy people do. Rarely is there a TV or movie portrayal of a charming person talking in a winsome way about religious matters with an engaged and appreciative group of listeners. (Which is to be expected, I suppose: Jesus told us that we are “in the world but not of the world”, John 17:16, and that the world is hostile to Him and therefore to us, John 15:18.) But that doesn’t mean we should go out of our way to be boors or to act crazy.
If you’re looking for a simple, compelling way to share the Good News, I recently came across this 4 circle diagram. You can check it out on YouTube ( part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCVcSiUUMhY; part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4V60n6KiB8&feature=related). See if it speaks to you and let me know if you think you might be able to use it. It’s just a tool, so it needs to be used judiciously (“to the man with a hammer every problem is a nail”). But I like its simplicity and relevant language. For more on the author of the diagram you can check out http://www.christianvisionproject.com/2008/06/from_four_laws_to_four_circles.html.
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