Ministry and the secular world.

[gordon 2]

Does anyone here have experience with ministry to the secular world from an orderly or institutional perspective or experience and examples of and how the secular reaches out ( those elements that do or have) to the church?

By the secular world I mean people, individuals of the culture where morals and behaviors are derived from values other than traditional Christian or Jewish or religious sources. The secular world might have similar values to the traditional religious values for example but they derive or get them elsewhere and some are antagonistic towards the church but some are not.

 

[brutally honest]

Does anyone here have experience with ministry to the secular world … ?

Since the conversion of Cornelius, most (and close to all) Christian ministry has been to the secular world. So, I’m not sure I understand your question.

 

[gordon 2]

Since the conversion of Cornelius, most (and close to all) Christian ministry has been to the secular world. So, I’m not sure I understand your question.

I think the gentiles were religious and found religion useful. The secular world, or perhaps people within society that are secular compared to religious people and this means they ( secular folk) get their values from secular concepts such as human rights and justice, innate decency deduced from reason or logic alone and and from science perhaps as a method to live by rather than from religious concepts. The problem of good and evil have different origins for the secular folks compared to the religious folk... for example : The scientific world has healed far more people compared to the faith healing traditions of the faith world etc... Therefore science is far more effective at helping people might be a reasoned concept in comparison.

The faith of the secular world rubs against the world of spiritual faith and visa versa. I'm interested to find out where the secular world might find occasion to consult in some forms the faith world. Specifically where if some in the religious faith community have had experience with this and how things do go...

 

[LittleDrummerBoy]

I've been in a number of secular educational institutions and talked to many secular people - borderline atheists. I say borderline, because though many will call themselves atheist or agnostic, many still give attention to spiritual things while claiming it doesn't count because they don't believe it is real. These spiritual things include witchcraft, Mardi Gras, other occult stuff (horoscopes, etc.), eastern mysticism, Native American religion, Eskimo religion, and many forms of Christianity.

I don't have a broadly applicable ice-breaker, but as I got to know people, my goal was to find out where they were stuck. Almost everyone who has been in the US for a while has heard some version of the Gospel. But my approach generally was not intellectual - I wasn't trying to prove God exists and them move forward from there to prove the Christian version of theism is the right one. That's the devil's game.

I'd focus on questions trying to find out the real heart reasons standing in the way of trust and surrender to Jesus. Folks want to shift the burden for me to "prove" something - the existence of God - the truth of Christian faith - whatever. I tell them that God has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man his has appointed, and he has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead. The resurrection is the proof.

I avoided wise and persuasive words hoping for a demonstration of the Spirit's power - for the Holy Spirit to come and convict of sin, and righteousness, and judgement. Not a big difference from how I approach a Mormon, a JW, or a Southern Baptist.

 

[gordon 2]

I've been in a number of secular educational institutions and talked to many secular people - borderline atheists. I say borderline, because though many will call themselves atheist or agnostic, many still give attention to spiritual things while claiming it doesn't count because they don't believe it is real. These spiritual things include witchcraft, Mardi Gras, other occult stuff (horoscopes, etc.), eastern mysticism, Native American religion, Eskimo religion, and many forms of Christianity.

I don't have a broadly applicable ice-breaker, but as I got to know people, my goal was to find out where they were stuck. Almost everyone who has been in the US for a while has heard some version of the Gospel. But my approach generally was not intellectual - I wasn't trying to prove God exists and them move forward from there to prove the Christian version of theism is the right one. That's the devil's game.

I'd focus on questions trying to find out the real heart reasons standing in the way of trust and surrender to Jesus. Folks want to shift the burden for me to "prove" something - the existence of God - the truth of Christian faith - whatever. I tell them that God has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man his has appointed, and he has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead. The resurrection is the proof.

I avoided wise and persuasive words hoping for a demonstration of the Spirit's power - for the Holy Spirit to come and convict of sin, and righteousness, and judgement. Not a big difference from how I approach a Mormon, a JW, or a Southern Baptist.

Thank you. Your advise is very wise I think. Also, I have always struggled with the "convict of sin and righteousness and judgement" but it the context you place it, it has come to life for me. Thanks again.

I'm going to write it down so I can better remember it.

LDB said:

" I tell them that God has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead. The resurrection is the proof. "