Part Four: More Examples of Points of Contact All Christians Can Use

As we’ve seen in the previous three blog articles, points of contact are areas of mutual agreement between Christians and non-Christians that can open doors to congenial, thought-provoking discussions on subjects of interest to both. In last week’s blog article, we looked at five of ten specific examples of points of contact (nature, morality, spiritual yearnings, aesthetics, and universal sin). This week we’ll look at the remaining five. All of them can be use with most of the non-Christians we encounter, and all provide opportunities for sharing the Christian perspective on important topics.

Pain, Suffering and Evil:  Everyone acknowledges that pain, suffering, and evil are a reality in this life. But what’s the remedy? Many people blame God or reject Him because He doesn’t prevent them. Eastern religions deny their reality, calling them an illusion. Atheists shrug them off as a fact of life in a heartless universe with no remedy. Other religions claim there is an evil force equivalent to God, and, therefore, God has no control over pain, suffering, and evil. And so the arguments go. As a point of contact, we acknowledge the reality of pain, suffering, and evil and then challenge unbelievers to remove God from the equation. What’s the solution to these human conditions if God doesn’t exist? It’s not difficult to demonstrate that no solution exists for pain, suffering and evil other than God’s solution.

Science:  Most people trust science to reveal accurate truth. However, miracles and spiritual truth-claims (e.g. salvation through Jesus Christ alone) can’t be ruled out by science because they are issues that fall beyond the scope of science to investigate. Once this point is established, we can lead the discussion to exploring empirical and philosophical evidences supporting God’s existence, and the historical evidences demonstrating the Bible is His Word. Furthermore, in light of recent advances in astrophysics, microbiology, and other scientific fields, Christian apologists today have at their disposal powerful and compelling evidence for creation by divine design.

Ethics:  Christians agree that Christianity has its dark pages, although it’s not difficult to show that these behaviors contradict Jesus’ and the apostles’ teaching. Moreover, the same ethical standards by which critics judge the dark pages of Christianity have their source in the Bible. Challenge unbelievers to account for this. How can they endorse Christian ethics and still deny the Christian God? Ask them to account for why moral behavior is rapidly deteriorating as Christianity loses its influence in modern society?

Social services:  Hospitals, orphanages, relief organizations, and universities are vital components of modern society. All of these have their source in the Christian church. What have atheistic governments (e.g. communism) contributed that have bettered humanity? At best they have appropriated institutions Christianity began. For that matter, what have non-Christians religions contributed to further the welfare of humanity?

Fear of death:  Everyone dies, and most people harbor a fear of death. What happens after death? Is there a better place waiting for us in the hereafter? How do we get there? Secular humanism, naturalism, and materialism deny a future life. Pantheism offers only extinction (absorption). Other religions and cults promote views of salvation that can’t be substantiated (such as becoming “gods” ourselves). Why not examine the Bible? If Scripture, alone among all the world’s religious documents, has been demonstrated to be truthful and reliable everywhere it can be checked out, shouldn’t it be trusted more than any other religion to provide the way for salvation?

I’m not suggesting that the ten points of contact discussed in this and last week’s blog article will automatically lead to a Gospel presentation. Their purpose is to engage in dialogues that allow us to explain the Christian perspective on the human condition, and to offer an apologetic defense of our views. At the very least, however, we’ve shown that the Christian world and life view has coherent and practical explanations that secular and non-Christian worldviews fail to supply. And sometimes, in these discussions, God will open a door of opportunity for sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Remember, Christianity is truth. If we have done our homework, we will successfully defend our positions against counterarguments. We can answer life’s great questions and offer solutions to the deepest dilemmas confronting the human race that are in harmony with reality as most people live it out. ©