One of my favorite passages, when it comes to apologetics, is Paul’s experience in Acts 17:16-33. This is so much more than Bible trivia. This passage contains principles that are timeless. I see in Paul’s interaction with the Athenians something that is especially helpful in our generation. Here are five principles we can all use.
1. Do your homework. We seen in this passage that Paul took a tour of this city and learned about their worship. He looked at their temples and observed their altars. When we are talking to someone from a different world view, we should learn about what they believe. This could be by reading books or just asking them questions.
2. Be respectful. Deep down Paul was offended by their idolatry. This is exactly what you would expect from someone raised as a strict Jew. But when he talked to them, he commended them for their interest in religion. He did not blast them, he looked for the good in them.
3. Don’t paint everyone with the same brush. We see in this passage that there were people who followed different philosophies. We have to acknowledge that different people believe different things and we should be willing to adjust our communication accordingly.
4. Don’t be afraid to quote their own authors. It is interesting to note that Paul does not quote the Old Testament. In fact the only people he quotes are pagan authors. One of the reasons that this is helpful is that it shows your audience that you care enough to read their own texts.
5. Build bridges. Paul looks for things that they have in common in order to build bridges. Christians and non-Christians have things in common. Take advantage of that. Build on those similarities and gradually build up to a presentation of Jesus.
It is amazing to look at this passage of something that happened in Athens two thousand years ago and to see how appropriate it is for our culture in this generation. I encourage you to use these principles in your apologetic conversations.
- Acts 17
- Apologetics
- Apostle Paul
- Athens
