Windows of Opportunity
Helping folks discover Jesus Christ
Truth comes at 3 levels:
Theoretical (Objective)
Existential (Illustrative)
Pragmatic (Subjective)
L E V E L 1
L E V E L 2
As ironic modern worshippers we congregate at the cinematic temple. We pay our votive offerings at the box office. We buy our ritual corn. We hush in reverent anticipation as the lights go down and the celluloid magic begins. Throughout the filmic narrative we identify with the hero. We vilify the antihero
We victoriously exult in the victories of the drama. And we are spiritually inspired by the moral of the story, all the while believing we are modern techno-secular people, devoid of religion. Yet the depth of our participation reveals a religious fervor that is not much different from that of religious zealots. - Jeffrey Hill.
Right to be wrong?
Kitchen Table Talk
L E V E L 3
Creative apologetics (CA) is sharing the Gospel in a way that the hearer does not miss the message (a-f) CA is verbal & non-verbal; It incorporates the local idiom, language, methods, & culturally sensitive approaches CA is wholistic, responds to the felt and unfelt needs of our culture
CA calls for preparation (spiritual & otherwise..) Reflects our Creator & Redeemer
Lessons from the Examples of Key Apologists
A. C.S. Lewis on desire B. Francis Schaeffer: Taking others ideas seriously C. Ravi Zacharias: Listening and Connecting to the Cries of the Heart
L E W I S
Everybodys looking for something.
May we help to point them to the right place and in the right Way.
L E W I S
S C H A E F F E R
Z Seeking and Making Connections A C Identification H Translation A R Persuasion I A Justification S
Seeking and making Connections
(a) World of movies
Seeking and making Connections
(b) Quotes & Quips
Woody Allen Take the Bananas and Run
At 72, a superstitious Woody Allen is still working hard, but is terrified of the void, the meaningless flicker of life
In real life he believes there are no happy endingsThe trains all go to the same place. They all go to the dump
You have a meal, or you listen to a piece of music, and its pleasurable. But, it doesnt accrue to anything.
Your perception of time changes as you get older, because you see how brief everything is. You see how meaninglesslife has no meaning
Begin with the end in view
Last things first!
Stephen Hawking has a question!
Seeking and making Connections
(c) Some personal examples of engagement
(One Christmas Night @ the Call centre)
Vantage point!
The call from God!
Change for a change!
Seeking and making Connections
(d) Some more Leads for engaging
The Relevance and Uniqueness of Jesus Christ
THERES PROBABLY A GOD,
NOW STOP WORRYING AND ENJOY YOUR LIFE
The Second Chopra
Its all in Your hands!
Our times are in His hands.
Live-in on the edge
Unusual Wisdom
Art exhibitions
The earth is charged with the grandeur of God.
~ Gerald Manely Hopkins
THE PROCESS
Gather accurate data Consult Scripture Consider redemptive engagement Define a plan
The business of the church is to tell and to embody a story, the Story of Gods mighty acts in creation and redemption and Gods promises concerning what will be in the end. The church affirms the truth of this story by celebrating it, interpreting it, and enacting it in the life of the contemporary world. It has no other way of affirming its truth.
Proper Confidence by Leslie Newbigin
Our focus and our aim, is to
find ever-relevant ways and
means, with a view to seeing men and women reconciled to God.
Exercise on CA
Relevant Stories (level 2 communication) Questions that matter Caricatures T-shirt slogans / bands / caps Lifestyle apologetic (POA) Local Idioms like 3 Idiots / Poems Methods that matter (Coffee house discussions) Ad zap