Do you know how to ask questions?

A huge part of my maturing in ministry, and as a person in general, was learning how to ask questions. That doesn’t seem like it should be too hard, but it requires one other thing as well… listening. All too often, I would be in a conversation with a skeptic, politely waiting for them to finish whatever they were saying so that I could then share all my supposed brilliance with them, assuming they would quickly see why they were wrong and change their mind. Guess what? It never really worked that way.

Asking questions can be very powerful. In addition, it helps you get to know the person better and gain a better understanding of where they are coming from. This brings two significant benefits. First, it shows the person you are genuinely interested in who they are and what life experiences have contributed to their current worldview. Second, it places you in a much better position to witness to them.

Rather than “hearing them out” when they share their beliefs, only to tell them why they are wrong when finished, we need to pay closer attention to what they are actually saying, along the way asking why it is they believe what they are claiming is actually true.

For instance, if someone says, “Evolution is a fact!”, instead of just simply parroting the opposite (that creation is true, or that evolution is false), start by asking a question and keep asking further questions. It could look something like the following:

                Skeptic: “Evolution is a fact, and the Bible is just myth!”
                Christian: “How do you know evolution is a fact?”
                Skeptic: “Because all scientists believe it.”
                Christian: “How do you know all scientists believe it?”
                Skeptic: “Well, all real scientists believe it.”
                Christian: “How do you define a real scientist?”
                Skeptic: “Well, anyone who believes in evolution, they’re a real scientist!” (circular reasoning!)
                Christian: “Why do you believe the Bible is just myth?”
                Skeptic: “Because it’s filled with errors and contradictions.”
                Christian: “Could you give me a few examples?”
                Skeptic: “Well, there are tons!”
                Christian: “Then it should be pretty easy to give me an example or two.”
                Skeptic: “I can’t actually think of any right now.”
                Christian: “OK.  Can you at least tell me what the Bible is all about? Not all the details, just a 30-                                second overview from beginning to end.”
                Skeptic: “Well, it’s been a while since I’ve looked at it.”
                Christian: “Tell me, if you can’t think of any actual contradictions and you don’t even know what it’s                        all about, why do you have such a strong opinion against it?  Are you sure you’re not just                                            repeating what you’ve heard from others as opposed to your own well-thought-out                                                        opinion?”

You want to make sure to do this very graciously, not wanting to come across being sarcastic or obnoxious. Simply asking questions serves to help them understand they are making a number of very bold claims, but they don’t really have anything concrete in support. It also positions you to be able to ask additional follow-up questions, learning more about what they believe and how they came to those conclusions.

Now, they may respond with something like, “Well, you believe that God created everything in six days, including Adam and Eve in some mystical garden.” You can simply say, “Actually, I haven’t said anything about what I believe. You, on the other hand, have made some very bold claims, and I am just trying to find out why you believe those things are true.”

It usually takes some practice but learning how to ask questions can be a very powerful and effective approach when trying to witness to a skeptic. Be patient with them, because we know that we are ultimately dealing with a spiritual issue and not just an academic argument (1 Corinthians 2:14). The skeptic often sincerely does not see things the way we do, and only the Holy Spirit can open their eyes. We just need to be willing and available vessels to convey the truth and not get in God’s way by being anything but kind and gracious in representing Christ to those who desperately need Him.

I hope sharing what God has taught me over the years has been helpful to you in thinking about how to respond to the skeptics in your own life.

What exactly is the Big Bang?

This question is one of those that everyone knows the answer to, while at the same time not really knowing the answer. Some don’t know it because they’re a little iffy on it. Others don’t know it because they think they do – but they’re actually misinformed.

Picture of a black hole?

I remember as a kid, showing someone a blank piece of paper and telling them it was a picture of a polar bear in a snowstorm! Unfortunately for those who know me, my sense of humor hasn’t changed a whole lot! What does this have to do with black holes? I’m glad you asked.

Should you make a deal with God?

You may be familiar with the account in the Bible where Abraham pleads with God to spare Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:16-33). Abraham, motivated by the fact that his nephew, Lot, was living there, wanted God to spare the people in these two cities that had become incredibly corrupt and vile. He reasoned that surely God would not “destroy the righteous with the wicked.” So, Abraham asked, if “there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous?” God agrees not to destroy the cities if he can find 50 righteous people. You probably know Abraham turns

Is the Earth actually flat?

Wait a minute ̶ isn’t this a topic that came up a long time ago, but was handily put to bed for good? You’d think so, however, it has resurfaced and is quite popular and debated in many circles. In some respect, it’s similar to the claim that we never actually landed on the moon. (i.e., It’s all just a conspiracy that the US government continues to successfully perpetuate.) Both Christians and non-Christians alike can be found among the supporters of the belief in a flat Earth.

Why are we REALLY losing our kids?

If you’ve been following our ministry for any length of time, you are probably well aware that we deal quite a bit with the phenomena of youth from Christian homes walking away from their faith before they finish college. Statistics indicate that currently two-thirds or more are leaving their beliefs by the wayside, many never to return. There’s a very good chance that you or someone very close to you has had personal experience with this tragic trend.

Do mutations create new information?

We are told very confidently that evolution is a fact, like apples falling off of trees. It is also claimed that if you don’t believe in evolution, you are insane. Now, as usual, it is very important at this point to define what I mean by “evolution”. I am not simply referring to “change”. We see change all the time, but it’s not the kind of change necessary to produce “molecules-to-man” evolution, which is what is taught in our public schools and state universities (and even many Christian schools and universities, unfortunately).