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this way of thinking is so different from our own. We believe that there must be one truth that is
true for everyone, every time, and in every place. Our friends might have a different view of
truth. They may say things like, “That’s true for you but not for me.“ “There are no facts only
opinions.“ Statements like these make it very difficult for us to tell them about Christianity
because they will be upset any time that we say statements like “Jesus is the only way to heaven.
“ This article shares some insights into how to share our faith with our postmodernist friends.
I first came across this topic on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, when my new friends, Christian
international students, American students at Biola University, and I, were on our way to the
beach. As we were getting acquainted, I mentioned that I was studying for an MA in
Apologetics and that my real passion was to effectively communicate the truth-claims of
Christianity cross-culturally. Having just returned from spending three years as an English teacher
in Cambodia, I noticed that many missionaries, especially on short-term missionaries, used
western evangelism methods which were ineffective at best and offensive at worst because they
did not take into account the background knowledge or worldview of the Cambodian people.
The Asian students agreed that sometimes Westerners are too direct when they share cross-
culturally that even if they are speaking the Truth, their lack of cultural sensitivity will cause their
Asian friends to reject both the Truth and them.
Ana (name changed), a graduate student in education from India, spoke from the backseat. “As
Christians we tend to put postmodernism down. Growing up in an environment where everyone
is from other religions… my best friend is a Brahman, my teacher is a Hindu. We were close
because we never brought religion into our relationship. How do I reach them without being too
blunt and being too offensive? How do I tell people that there is One God without offending
them? Without postmodernism, the Hindus and Muslims would kill each other. Now, if I return
from the US and tell them that postmodernism is wrong, they will just think I am just saying this
because I have been to America.”
I wrote her a letter to help her gently and respectfully share the absolute truths of Christianity
with her friends in the postmodern stronghold of India. Before she can present the truth claims of
Christianity, she must first successfully negotiate the minefield of “tolerance” of postmodernism so
that her friends will listen to her. Then, she must remove the remaining obstacles that could
prevent her from being able to share the complete Gospel message in a loving yet
uncompromising way. This discussion will focus primarily on removing the postmodern obstacles
that are necessary before counter-Hindu or counter-Islam apologetics can be used as a means to
prepare the ground of the heart for the biblical plan of salvation.
Dear Ana:
I want to thank you for being honest about your questions about how to reach the people you
love in India who have a postmodern worldview. Unfortunately, many Christian people are
afraid to ask the difficult questions or to admit that they do not share their faith like they should.
This is true regardless of where you live. Most Christians, like you, know that they should share
the gospel. They go to church and hear messages that make them feel guilty, but that is as far as
it goes. Many, like you, want to share the gospel, are sure that Christianity is true, but you just
are not sure how to navigate through the minefield of relationships and culture that stand between
you and your friend. It is my prayer that this letter will help you to feel more confident and
empowered in sharing your faith so that you will not feel guilty any longer.
It is divinely ironic that the apostle Peter, the very apostle who was often corrected by Christ for
his brashness and lack of sensitivity, later was inspired to pen these words in I Peter 3:15,
“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the
hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” Unfortunately, the vast majority of
Christians are rarely prepared instead of always prepared to give an answer. Those that are
gentle and respectful may not be ready to give the reasons for their faith and so they compromise
when they are challenged. Unfortunately, within my field, those that are ready to give a reason
fail to do so with gentleness and respect. Instead, they pride themselves on winning debates but
fail to win hearts for our Lord. Christ exemplified all of these qualities, as His disciples, we must
follow his example and be ready, reasoning, gentle, and respectful when we speak.
Let us try to apply these principles as we attempt to understand the often complex and confusing
world of postmodernism. The key to understanding and defeating postmodernism is that you
cannot make a claim that there are no universal truths without saying that we know that truth is
absent universally, which is a universal truth claim. With that in mind, we will first look at what
the Bible says about truth and why we, as Christians, cannot compromise the truth of the Bible
without destroying our own faith. Then, we will look at the beliefs of postmodernism and
determine which ones are compatible with Christian teaching and could serve as a bridge which
our postmodernist friends can use to cross over. Next, we will discuss which beliefs are
compatible with Christianity and which ones must be corrected. Finally, we will discuss some
practical responses to some of the defenses that your postmodernist friends might put up when
they are approached with the gospel.
Here are a couple of verses that will help us understand what Jesus says about truth. John 8:31-
32 says, “ To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are
really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." There are two
main things that we can learn from what Jesus says in this passage. First, true believers in Christ,
can know the truth. Jesus also said in John 14:6, “I am the …truth.” So, when we know Jesus
personally, we know the Truth. God is the universal truth on which all other truth depends,
because He is the creator of all things. Unfortunately, postmodernists say that we cannot know
truth except in the context of our culture. Christ is the Truth that transcends all cultures,
languages, and even time itself because he is the creator of all these things. Second, “the truth
will set you free.” Truth is not something to fear because it is a liberator and not the tool of
oppressors.
Christianity is based not on feelings but on facts. If it is not true, our faith is only a fantasy. In the
words of the Apostle Paul in I Corinthians 15:15-20, “For if the dead are not raised, then Christ
has not been raised either and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your
sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope
in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the
dead, the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” In other words, if Christianity is not factual
and historical it is worthless. Therefore, we cannot compromise on the truth of Christianity.
One of the grandfathers of both modernism and postmodernism, Fredrich Nietzsche, said, “there
are no facts only interpretations.“ If we agree with him, Christianity is just an empty
interpretation. If Paul were talking to a Nietzsche he might say. “For if there are no facts, only
interpretations, then Christ has not been factually raised from the dead, you have not been
factually forgiven, your prayers cannot be factually answered, and you have no hope for a factual
heaven. . . If only for this life we have hope in Christ that is not factual, we are to be pitied more
than all men.”
In the 1960’s there was an international student, much like you, studying in France. There he
became enamored with the ideas of Nietzsche he returned to his home country of Cambodia and
successfully applied those ideas. From 1975-1979 three million Cambodians died from mass
executions, disease, and starvation as a result of this experiment. His name was Pol Pot, which
means political potential. He was the founder of the Khmer Rouge. Abstract ideas have real
human consequences.
Keeping this in mind, let us now focus on how to communicate with our friends. It is best find
beliefs that you both agree on before you disagree. For example, both Christians and
postmodernists reject Modernism’s unrealistic elevation of reason, to be the source of all truth.
As Christians, we know that while we should exercise our God-given reason, our reasoning
abilities are finite when compared to an infinite God. Your postmodernist friend would also
agree with you that humans are not likely to achieve the modernist’s “utopia” and that just
because we have the power to do something such as execute all university students, as in the
Khmer Rouge reign of terror, does not mean that we should do those things. In addition,
postmodernists and Christians will likely agree on the futility of materialism to bring true fulfillment
in life.
When I used to share my faith with Buddhists in Cambodia, I would not tell them that Buddhism
was wrong and that they were deceived. Instead, I would focus first on our common values and
beliefs. Because they believe that people are the result of water wind, earth, fire, time, and
chance, I would go through the first two chapters of Genesis with them and show them the
water, how God made humans from the earth, and breathed the breath of life into them. After
some more discussion, I would say, “we both agree that this house is made of wood, bricks, and
steel. You believe that it was by wood, bricks, and steel. I believe it was made from wood,
bricks, and steel by a carpenter.” This method helped them to work with me to find the Truth
instead of trying to fight to defend their pride more than their beliefs.
The key area of disagreement between Christians and postmodern thinkers is this: Christians, in
order to be true to their most basic principles must believe that truth is absolute and
postmodernists believe that truth is relative. There are two options; either truth is absolute or
truth is relative. However, the fact that these two truths cannot co-exist actually demonstrates
that there can be only one truth. Interestingly the most “tolerant” claims of the postmodernists
are absolute in nature. “That’s true for you but not for me,” is a classic example of this. You
might ask, “How do you know, that it is true for you and not for me as well?“ “Do you have
some special knowledge that allows you to make such a claim or is that just your opinion?” If it
is just their opinion then they are trying to force their opinion on to you, which is contrary to their
values of tolerance. You may also ask, “What about the rest of the world, is that true for them
too?” If it is true for the rest of the world, then truth is absolute and you have won the debate.
As I mentioned earlier, Fredrich Nietzsche said “There are no facts, only interpretations.” If Mr.
Nietzsche were alive, I would like to ask him some questions. “Mr. Nietzsche, is this statement
a fact or your merely your interpretation?” Mr. “N” might reply, “It is a fact.” To which I would
ask, “If it is a fact, and not an interpretation, then how can you say that there no facts only
interpretations when that statement itself is a fact?” To which Mr. N would be compelled to
reply, “It is my interpretation.” To which I might ask, “Is it your interpretation of the facts or only
of other interpretations?”
At this point Mr. N would begin to feel a bit nervous, he might reply, “It is my interpretation of
other interpretations that there are no facts only interpretations.”
To which, I might reply, “It is my interpretation of the facts that there are facts, so who are you
to force your interpretation of interpretations that there are no facts on me? Aren’t you being a
little intolerant of my view, Mr. N? I didn’t try to force my view on you, you are free to disagree
with my interpretation of the facts, but you say that there are no facts to interpret. In reality, all
interpretations must have a direct or indirect foundation in facts. Without facts, interpretations are
not interpretations at all. They are only imaginations. They are castles built on nothing. But you
stated your interpretation as if it were fact.”
Even though the previous conversation with Mr. Nietzsche might work sufficiently well with a
European who is skilled in debate, it might be offensive in an Indian setting. Even though the
logic may be strong, your presentation of the logic must be gentle enough to balance strength and
gentleness because angry people are not as likely to be rational. Of course, you already
understand Indian culture.
I understand that in India, approval of one’s family is very important. As an overly independent
American, I respect and admire the strong familial bonds of India and other cultures around the
world. Some of your friends may object to you presenting the objective truth of the Gospel by
saying something like, “My family has practiced Hinduism for 1000 years. How can you ask me
to reject my family’s religion? I love them and I do not want to be separated from them.” I
recognize that one’s decision to follow Christ is costly but it is worth it and it is also the most
loving thing one can possibly do.
"I tell you the truth," Jesus said in Mark 10:29-30, "no one who has left home or brothers or
sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred
times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields--and with
them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life.” In the Ten Commandments, found in
Exodus 20:12, we read, “"Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the
land the LORD your God is giving you.” Finally, Paul writes in I Corinthians 7:12,13, & 16 “. . .
If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not
divorce her. And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with
her, she must not divorce him. . . .How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband?
Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?”
There are some principles that we can extract from these passages to help us when dealing with
our families. First, following the Truth of Jesus Christ is ultimately worth any sacrifice, even
relationships with our loved ones. So, the most important question to ask is not “what will my
family say?” but “is this true?” If it is true, it is worth pursuing at all costs. Second, if we do not
love our families and honor our parents, we are not honoring God. However, God must take
first place. As a result of putting Him first, we will also put others ahead of ourselves. Many
Christians find that they love their families even more as a result of their faith in Christ. Finally,
even though our families and loved ones may not accept Christ as soon as we do, many people
have found that eventually, their families join them. If we have truly found the secret to living a
full life in this world and the path to heaven, we should be eager to share this good news with our
loved ones.
To illustrate this, I would like to share with you a brief story that I used to share with my
Cambodian students when they were making the difficult decision to follow Christ despite the
potential disapproval of their families.
Making The Right Choice
Imagine that you are driving a car with all of your loved ones sleeping in the backseat. You are
trying to drive to the seaside for a family holiday. Suddenly, you see signs that say "Danger,
Landmines Ahead." "Stop" "Take Another Road." What would you do? If you keep going on
the road that you are on, eventually you and your family will all die. But if you turn around your
life will be saved. Your family would be unhappy if they didn't get to go on their holiday at the
seaside, but if you love them you would rather have them unhappy and alive than happy and
dead. In the same way, if you become a Christian, you will be turning from the path that leads to
death and hell to the path that leads to life. Your family might be unhappy for a while but you will
be able to warn them of the dangers of not following Jesus. Maybe they will become Christians
too! If you don't become a Christian, it is the same as keeping driving when you see the signs
that say, "Danger, Landmines Ahead." You would be responsible for your family's death
because you knew the truth but didn't warn them and you died with them because you feared the
disapproval of your family more than landmines.
The choice is yours. I pray that you will choose life in heaven for yourself so that you can warn
your family of the dangers that lie ahead. Taking this step takes courage, but sometimes love
requires us to tell our loved ones the truth even if it isn't pleasant. Remember, your decision to
follow Christ is the most loving thing you can do for your family, even if there are difficult times
for a while. When they see that you still love them, many of them will slowly stop seeing your
new faith in Christ as a threat but as a benefit because of the positive changes that Christ will
bring to your life that will make you into a better, kinder, more patient, and honest person.
Another verbal wall your friend might raise could be something on the order of, “I am not trying
to convert you to my religion, why are you trying to convert me?” There are two ways you can
handle this. The first way is to stress that you are concerned about them and because you love
them, you do not want anything bad to happen to them. Ask them if they would want their
doctor to tell them the truth about their health or only good news despite the fact that they have a
fatal but curable disease and that the cure is free. This is similar to the approach of the illustration
of the previous paragraph. It might be more useful to make the positive case. For example, you
might say, “Remember that time when you bought your first car and how excited you were about
it? You called me up and told me all about it. When I went to your house you could hardly wait
to show me all the great features. You were so excited about it and you explained all the selling
points to me so clearly that I couldn’t help but get excited too. In fact, within two weeks, I was
ready to buy one just like yours. Well, the reason you are not trying to convert me to your
religion is because you may not be that excited about it. Maybe you only practice it because
nothing better has come along or because it is what your family believes. But, wouldn’t you like
to be believe in something so much that you were completely committed to it and that you just
couldn’t stop yourself from telling everyone? I am really excited about my relationship with
Christ. There are some great things about it; it is more than just a feeling, it is really true. Would
you like me to tell you more?”
If your friend is open to hearing more about your faith, you have successfully crossed the first
three hurdles of evangelism because you have established that there must be an objective truth
even though people may disagree about what it is. You have also gotten past the barrier of
tradition, culture and family acceptance. Finally, you have made a positive case why you as a
friend have a right and a duty to share your faith with your friend. At this point your friend may
be willing to play the most important “Truth or Consequences” game of life with you but
remember that the game is not over. You will still need to establish that there is a Creator God.
That the Bible is true and is God’s word. After that, you will need to give reasons why Jesus
Christ is really God’s son. Finally you will need to share the plan of salvation as found in the
Bible and explain creation, original sin, the curse, the law, salvation by grace through faith, and
that Jesus is the only way to heaven.
Keep in mind that evangelism is not an event, it is a process. You are under no obligation to
“close the deal” in one setting. Understand that when a person accepts Christ as their personal
savior they are making an eternal commitment that is more important even than marriage. As
with courtship and marriage, strong commitments and relationships take time, experience, and
information to build. Giving your friends time to see and fall in love with Christ in your life as well
as also giving them objective reasons why Christ can be trusted for more than salvation are all
part of a process. Evangelism is not just making Christians but raising up fully committed
disciples of Christ who will walk with Him for rest of their lives and serve Him in the times of
struggle and victory that will lie ahead. I believe this is what Jesus meant when he told us to in
Matthew 28:19 to, “go and make disciples of all nations.”
Disciples are not passive followers but are active, courageous, bold, and dedicated participants
in the Kingdom of God. They are so certain of the Truth of Christ that they are willing to live in
obedience as well as suffer persecution. We are inviting them into a dynamic relationship with
Christ which will change their lives and the lives of all those with whom they will ever have
contact. It is much more than the passive bench-warming Christian so common in the 21st
century. Making first-century disciples, this is the real goal of evangelism. It is my prayer that this
letter will empower you to feel more confident as you prepare yourself to share the good news
with your loved ones in India and here in the US.
Yours Truthfully,
Darryl
Works Cited
Copan, Paul. That’s Just Your Interpretation. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2001.
Record, Darryl. Answers to Difficult Questions April 2003 (unpublished) also available at
www.wwnet.org/familyproblem.html Sept. 2003
The Bible Library. New International Version. Reproduced in The Bible Library 3.1 Special
Eddition (CD-ROM) Ellis Enterprises. 1998. Available from www.valu-soft.com.
Wallace, Stan, The Real Issue: Discerning and Defining the Essentials of Postmodernism
Leadership U.:1995-2003updated July, 2002. Accessed 4 Sept. 2003. www.leadershipu.org.
Internet
Zacharias, Ravi, An Ancient Message, Through Modern Means, to a Postmodern Mind
Abridged from a message delivered at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School’s conference "Telling
the Truth: Evvangelizing Postmoderns" May 1998. (Ravi Zacharias International Ministries
(RZIM): 2000 accessed 4 September 2003) available from www.rzim.org.