For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you. – Acts 17:23
Athens, Greece: the only place we know of where Paul did not establish a church. Maybe the Areopagus is like a combination of the Supreme Court and Congress gathering to discuss philosophy. Paul has taken the Gospel to the Jews and the Greeks. Now he goes to the intellectuals. There are Christians like that today, whose calling is to take the Gospel to intellectual skeptics. Here’s a clip of Wesley Huff a Christian apologist
Paul shows awareness of current philosophies. He has spent time understanding the Athenians’ religion: He describes one of their statues, and quotes one of their philosophers. He gets bold and refers to their ignorance and idolotry.
He is building bridges from their beliefs to the Gospel beliefs: God is invisible yet everywhere. There can be unity because God can be known by all. He has their attention until he proclaims the resurrection of Jesus. Then he is mocked by most, but he disciples the few who have listened and believed.
We must be knowledgeable of our beliefs and the beliefs of others. We must build bridges.
Where do we get our beliefs?
Three theological perspectives have significantly shaped my Christian identity: Evangelicalism, the early Methodist tradition and liberation theology.
From my coming to faith in a Baptist church and throughout my education in a Baptist school and college, I was nurtured by convictions that emphasized a spiritual rebirth, a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and the centrality of the Bible. Even when I disagree with certain aspects of evangelicalism, it has deeply influenced my sense of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ.
My seminary studies spawned my interest in early Methodism, particularly its approach to spiritual formation. Its leaders were convinced that only a foundation of doctrine and discipline would lead to a meaningful transformation of the heart and mind. In other words, having the mind of Christ enables me to be more like Christ.
Life in a suburban culture obscures the increasing gap between the poor and rich, as well as the Bible’s close identification with the poor. My doctoral work in socio-cultural context exposed me to liberation theology, which helps me see redemptive history as a history of oppressed groups, written from the perspective of the powerless, about a God who is actively involved with the poor in their struggles.
I am now the pastor at Mount Zion United Methodist Church in St Mary’s County, Maryland. Together my wife and I have 4 children.
The Other Six Days 