Have you ever wondered what the best way to share the gospel is with our community? Some may recommend that you stand at the corner of Main Street and Central Avenue with a picket sign that says “turn or burn!” Others might recommend that you don’t bring up the harsh subjects of sin and repentance at all, but only talk about Jesus’ love, since that whole thing about sin and God’s wrath can be very offensive. After all, the last thing we want to do is scare people away!
Surely you know that both of these approaches are heavily flawed, but is there a better way? Maybe its that we simply try to explain the gospel straight-forward with those we are talking with: “You’re a sinner who needs forgiveness, and Jesus Christ died to forgive you and give you eternal life.” But even here there is a bit of an obstacle in today’s world. You see, when sharing the gospel today, we can no longer assume that the person we are speaking with shares a worldview that includes sin, guilt, and the need for redemption. We are in a “Post-Christian” culture now that’s rapidly losing these categories; thus we need to think with care and wisdom how to best share the hope that we have in Jesus.
In the new book, The Gospel After Christendom: An Introduction to Cultural Apologetics I believe we find a much better approach to sharing the gospel, especially for our day and time. “Apologetics” is simply the defending of one’s faith, but “cultural apologetics” takes this a step or two further. Cultural apologetics forces us not just to study the latest evidence for the resurrection of Christ (something very important for apologetics indeed!), but rather forces us into our newspapers, our movie theaters, and into conversations with others in order to learn what our culture is like and how the hope of the gospel can best speak to the specific problems and idols of our day and culture.
If we’re honest, the church can become a bit of its own bubble resulting in us seldom venturing outside into the unbelieving world, but “the best cultural apologists know the names of their neighbors” (pg. 10), and they know the name of their neighbors because they want to know their lives, aspirations, loves, fears, and dreams. We do this so that we can better know which wounds the healing ointment of the gospel can be applied to, which sins and idols the scalpel of the gospel can cut at, and which fears the promises of the gospel can calm. Thus, cultural apologetics does not simply recommend a “one-size fits all” gospel presentation, but a “Posture of Grace” tailored to each conversation. A posture of grace has three main desires that must work themselves out successively: (1) a desire to understand the person or culture in front of you; (2) a desire for them to see their idols as lifeless; and (3) a desire for them to repent and turn to Christ” (pg. 67). This, I believe, is a beautiful approach to sharing the gospel. Let us be people who know our community, so that we can better love our community in Jesus’ name!
Space limits me from writing any more, but if I have piqued your interest at all, then let’s talk more over coffee or lunch! And let’s learn to develop a posture of grace with our neighbors!
Here is the full bibliography, in case you would like to read it for yourself:
The Gospel After Christendom: An Introduction to Cultural Apologetics. Edited by Collin Hansen, Skyler Flowers, and Evan Mesa. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2025.
Pastor Joshua
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