| One of the purposes of every Christian is to bear witness to Christ in a positive way so that people are drawn to embrace Christ as their Savior and Lord.
One technique for being a positive witness is to find common ground. The apostle Paul used this approach with the Greeks of ancient Athens (see Acts 17). Specifically, he utilized a rational argument for a Christian worldview based on an empirical fact—the resurrection of Christ. This argument impacted the Greeks because they prided themselves on the use of logic and empiricism in developing their metaphysical thoughts.
It is important to note that coming to Christ is not a matter of rational persuasion (1 Corinthians 1 and 2), nevertheless, Christianity is still rational (1 Corinthians 15). The use of reason to present the gospel is acceptable but no one can express genuine faith in Christ unless they are first regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit (John 3:3, 5).
To bolster his argument, Paul quoted a third–century BC Stoic poet—a pundit who commanded respect from the Greeks (see the above verse). Paul found truth in a statement by this poet and used this statement as part of his presentation of Christ. This illustrates that even pagan people can glean truth from General Revelation (creation). Wise Christians can then employ the truth articulated by redoubtable pundits to support their presentation of Christ.
In every field of endeavor, there are always pundits who through common grace have gleaned something of God’s wisdom and command respect for this wisdom. These pundits are leverage points for Christians to build a rational presentation about Christ. Truth discerned through General Revelation coupled with truth from Special Revelation (Scripture) can then be skillfully employed to present a positive rational case for Christ.
Christianity is evangelical in the sense that Christ is the singular solution for the problem of sin and death for all people. Every Christian, therefore, is called to be an apologist (1 Peter 3:15) in every sphere of life, including the workplace. Every Christian should then be prepared to bear witness in a positive way to the truth about Christ and give reason for the hope that is in him. Finding points of commonality, as the apostle Paul did, is an effective tactic to help Christians present a clear, compelling, and cogent case for Christ.
Here is your business tip. Part of the responsibility of organizational management is to find leverage points to present Christ in a positive light to all stakeholders (workers, customers, suppliers, contractors, and regulators). Since Christianity is a rational worldview in the sense that reason can be employed to present and defend it, management should seek to rationally present the truth about Christ using common ground with the stakeholders as launching points. Wise apologists will find points of commonality with stakeholders using wisdom gleaned from pundits to illustrate biblical truth, which will then be used to present a clear, compelling, and cogent case for Christ. |
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