One Fish Two Fish: What about Objections
Sycamore Creek Church
May 19/20, 2013
Tom Arthur
1 Peter 3:15

Peace friends!

Do you ever fear that if you bring up the faith in conversation with your friends or family that you’ll be asked a question that you can’t answer?  If so, you’re not alone.  Today we’re continuing a series about sharing our faith.  Jesus told us to fish for people, but what if those people raise objections to the faith we’re sharing?  We’re asking the question today: what about objections?

Peter, one of Jesus’ closest followers said, “Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you.”  But many of us feel inadequate when it comes to “making your defense.”  One thing we miss is the opportunity inherent in the question or objection.  In his book The Art of Closing the Sale Brian Tracy points out that in sales, “objections mean interest.”  I think the same thing is true about faith.

So what I want to do today is give you a framework for how to answer objections and then answer some common objections you may run into.  The framework is really simple: be curious, be creative, be compassionate.  Do those three words sound familiar?  Well, they should be.  That’s how we talk about the kind of community we’re trying to form here at SCC.  We’re curious, creative, and compassionate.  So should your answers to any objections you run into.

First, be curious.  Ask questions.  Try to ask at least three before you give an answer.  Part of being curious is humbly receiving the truth in the critique.  Agree with the critique as much as you are able.

Second, be creative.  Respond to the objection as creatively as you can.  Try not to use clichés, especially churchy clichés!  For example, don’t say, “God does everything for a reason.”  Or “God just needed another angel in heaven.”  Or “God won’t give you anything you can’t handle.”  These cliché responses are rarely helpful with someone who is raising serious objections to the faith.  Also, be careful about quoting the Bible.  If someone is objecting to the Bible, it probably isn’t going to get you very far to quote back at them the very thing they’re objecting to.  And it’s OK to say “I don’t know” and research an answer.  In fact, sometimes you need to do this to come up with a creative answer.

Third, be compassionate.  Say a quick breath payer like, “God, help me answer in way that is gentle, respectful, and meaningful to this person.”  Listen for the need under the objection.  If someone raises the question of suffering, perhaps there is some suffering in their life right now that you could ask some questions about and provide some healing in.  In other words, think like a pastor.  What’s the longing behind the objection?

So let’s run a couple of common objections through this framework.

Spiritual but Not Religious
Curious: If someone says, “I’m spiritual but not religious, so I don’t need church”, then first ask some questions.  What do you mean by “religious”? Do you mean “organized religion”?  Then receive the critique: Sometimes it does feel like organized religion gets focused on things that don’t seem to be at the center of what it means to seek God.  That frustrates me too.

Creative: Do you ever get together with friends to hang out and support one another?  Church is really a community of friendships & friendship requires some organization.  Where are we going to meet?  What are we going to do?  Why are we going to get together?  How are we going to make this happen?  The more people in your circle of friendship, the more organized you have to be to sustain and support those friendships.  It feels like you’re saying you can do it alone, but I’ve found that I need a community of friends to do it with.  A church provides me with a community of friends, many of whom I would not have chosen on my own, to help show me my blind spots and hold me accountable to something besides myself.

Compassionate: Have you been hurt by the church in the past?  Would you mind sharing that with me?  I’d like to hear it and do what I can to heal that hurt.

All Religions Are the Same/Equal
Curious: There are many overlapping values shared between different religions.  For example, when it comes to Judaism, we both believe in one God & the Old Testament/Hebrew Scriptures.  When it comes to Islam, we both believe in Jesus’ virgin birth and second coming.  When it comes to Buddhism, we both believe in showing compassion.  When it comes to Mormons, we both share a concern about our culture’s continued slide into license.  When we find common ground with someone from another religion, it makes sense to work together toward those shared values.  Unfortunately, the church hasn’t done a very good job at working with people of shared good will.

Creative: While we share many similarities, not all religions are the same.  To suggest they are is to say that you see them better than they see themselves.  Sometimes we’re told the story of blind men feeling an elephant.  One feels the tail and says it’s a rope.  Another feels the leg and says it’s a tree.  And so on.  But in reality, it’s all an elephant.  The problem with this analogy is that it assumes a position from which the observer can see everything clearly (without bias) while everyone else is left blind and groping.  There’s a kind of arrogance in that perspective at times.  When you look at religious claims of different groups, there are some serious differences.  Islam claims Jesus wasn’t crucified.   Judaism claims that Jesus was not God’s son.  Buddhism claims that the material world is ultimately not good.  Mormons claim Joseph Smith’s Book of Mormon as equal to or better than the Old and New Testaments.  Not all religions are the same.

Compassionate:  Maybe you feel like I’m going to tell you everyone (including the people you love) except Christians are going to hell?  I’d be concerned too if I thought someone was telling me that based on their religious beliefs.  That’s a good question and one worth spending a lot more time studying.  Would you be willing to talk further and maybe even read a book together about this question?

The Bible Isn’t a Reliable Historical Record
Curious: Are there some specific historical facts you’re concerned about?  There are real differences between the way different parts of the Bible tell the story.  Just look at the New Testament.  We have four different books that describe Jesus’ life.  In Matthew, Mark, & Luke, Jesus goes to Jerusalem at the end of his life.  In John, Jesus goes to Jerusalem at the beginning of his teaching.  It seems like the gospels are more “portraits” of Jesus than photographs.  There are definitely some genre errors that Christians have made over the years.  We assume something should be taken literally when it was intended to be taken metaphorically.  We have taken some books of the Bible as history when they are really some other genre such as Apocalyptic or Wisdom.

Creative: The big picture story of the Bible is often quite consistent and reliable.  While there are differences between the four gospels, they all agree on some big points about Jesus:

1. Jesus was a Jew who claimed to be God’s son
2. Miraculous claims were made about him and that was part of his draw
3. Jesus interpreted himself in light of Israel’s prophets
4. He rejected violent insurrection, but he was crucified by the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, for insurrection (something revolutionary about who he was and what he taught)
5. After his death, his followers began to proclaim his resurrection.
6. The church only makes sense in light of the resurrection.
7. The rest of the New Testament is an attempt to think about all the rest of life changes in light of the resurrection.

Compassionate: Maybe you’ve found the Bible to be confusing and unhelpful, or even boring to read?  I can understand that.  I do too sometimes.  Can we read some of my favorite parts of it together?

God/Bible/Religion is Immoral
Curious: There is much wrong (even deep evil) that has been done in the name of God/Bible/Religion.  For example, the crusades, the suppression of science (a fellow truth-seeking endeavor), and the oppression of people (slaves, women, minority groups).  Is there a particular command of the Bible that you find immoral?

Creative: Many of these mistakes are due to the human tendency to make mountains out of mole hills.  None of these are the central story of Christianity.  We cannot ignore the great advances in good that have come because of Christianity.  Many scientists were/are Theists/Christians such as Isaac Newton who developed the laws of physics, Father Georges Lemaître, who developed the Big Bang Theory, and Francis Collins, the current Director of the National Institute of Health and formerly the director of The Human Genome Project.  Many justice movements have been led by Christians to reforming itself and society.  William Wilberforce, an Anglican, worked on abolishing the slave trade.  Dorothy Day, a Catholic, worked in the labor movement.  Martin Luther King Jr., a Baptist, was the leader of the Civil Rights Movement.  Mother Teresa, a Catholic, paid special attention to the poor.  Shane Claiborne, an Anabaptist, has created a movement called New Monasticism, where Christians live together in some of the worst neighborhoods in our country to help the poor.

Compassionate: Is there something you’ve been told you were doing wrong that hurt you?  I’d like to hear about that.

Christianity Is for Ultra-right-wing Conservatives
Curious: Who are some of the people you’re thinking about who are Christians and are ultra-right-wing conservative?  Some of the loudest voices in the Christian community can be very right-wing in their political views.  One that comes to mind is Fred Phelps, the “pastor” of Westborough Baptist Church who pickets military funerals with hideous signs about gay people.

Creative: The media seems to amplify already loud voices because it gets attention and sells whatever news they’re selling.  There are some equally loud, but not necessarily as well known, more liberal Christians too.  Jim Wallis, the founder of Sojourners, works tirelessly for the poor and oppressed.  Interestingly enough, both George Bush & Hillary Clinton call themselves United Methodists.  That’s either really scary or really cool.  The vast majority of Christians are probably a silent moderate inhabiting a lot of middle ground.

Compassionate: Do you have some Christian right-wing acquaintances who get under your skin?  Some of my relatives are kind of like that with me.

Christians Are All Hypocrites
Curious: Are there particular examples of people who have been hypocrites that come to mind?  Well, yes we are all hypocrites.  We all do what we don’t want to do.  Even the Bible says that’s what happens.  St. Paul writes in his letter to the Romans that he does what he doesn’t want to do, and what he wants to do, he doesn’t do (Romans 7).  There are some Christians who are willing to entertain this while others are not.

Creative: Everyone is a hypocrite.  We all need to be saved from our own selves.  Join us in a journey to be saved from our own hypocritical selves.

Compassionate: Are there ways your own life doesn’t line up with your own ideals?  Are there ways we could help one another become better people?  I think God gives us some resources to do that.  I’d love to talk more about it if you’re willing.