The Third Degree

Charlie is a typical student. His mop of unkempt hair hides an enquiring mind.

When he isn’t watching daytime TV, or attending one of his twice-weekly lectures, he likes nothing better than partying with his pals in the Students Union, where the beer flows freely. Dancing together, ankle deep in spilt drinks with the sweaty hordes might not be your idea of a good night out, but for Charlie it’s probably the best wash he’s had in weeks. And don’t let his image scare you off; Charlie wants to talk. He wants to know how he can help his friend Anna, who has an eating disorder. And how he can deal with the suffering his family is going through as a result of his mother being diagnosed with bowel cancer. So, he wants to meet you for coffee, to talk about how Christian hope might be able to give him some hope.

The story, although fictional, could easily be true and illustrates the way that questions about Christian hope are often articulated by real people going through painful and difficult situations. People, who often need love, patience and someone to help them wrestle with their questions.

Francis Schaeffer said: ‘Not only must we understand what historic Christianity is, but we must communicate it with an understanding of the day in which we live — that is the thought forms and ideas of the 21st century.’

Evangelism now

Landscapes have changed in the last 30 years from absolute truth to relativism. The challenge of postmodernism has meant that objective truth is no longer valued in the way it once was. Secularism and its inflated ego of scientism (the belief that science will provide all the answers we need) have made it harder to gain the hearing of the non-believer.

However, world events like 9/11 and the tsunami have thrown up massive questions. Postmodernism and secularism have been found wanting and bankrupt. Their failure to provide meaningful answers to these issues has not just been seen, it has also been felt. Post-modern ideologies have very little to say to the grieving spouse or the depressed teenager. The questions haven’t gone away.

‘Who am I?’ Man asks. ‘Why am I here? Where am I going?’ Since the En-lightenment, when he threw off the shackles of religion, Man has tried to answer these questions without reference to God. But the answers were not exhilarating, but dark and terrible: ‘ “You are the accidental by-product of nature, a result of matter plus time plus chance. There is no reason for your existence. All you face is death.” Modern man thought that when he had got rid of God, he had freed himself from all that repressed and stifled him. Instead, he discovered that in killing God, he had also killed himself’ (William Lane Craig).

There are still massive opportunities for the gospel, but also a need for Christians to engage more convincingly with the questions people are asking. Each one of us needs to be cultivating a robust Christian worldview with something to say to a world that is still asking deep questions but isn’t necessarily going to Christians for the answers.

Equipping students and...

uccf:thechristianunions is committed to meeting the challenges and seizing the opportunities of the day. Within UCCF, we believe that one thing desperately needed to equip the world church is the profound and exciting confidence that the gospel is objectively true and intellectually tenable.

Last year saw the launch of bethink ing.org — UCCF’s apologetics website. Users have free access to 400+ hours of the best Christian thinking from world-class thinkers like Don Carson, Ravi Zacharias and William Lane Craig. There are articles and audio talks on a comprehensive range of issues at a chosen level of complexity (introductory, intermediate, advanced), with further contributions from L’Abri, Damaris, CMF, Zacharias Trust and other mission partners.

bethinking.org is having an immediate impact on student evangelism and the wider church. Over 8,000 users (students and others) have logged on and used the site in the last month alone. The aim of the website is to equip students, UCCF staff and the wider church with the character and understanding of an engaging evangelist. The vision is that users will become better at talking to the people around them about what they believe and why they believe it.

Web-based training courses in evangelism and apologetics will be devised and available to students and churches towards the end of this year, and the site is currently undergoing significant changes to its look and feel. It’s an exciting time for student mission and the world church. The opportunities are vast and challenges great. Log on and get thinking.

Pod Bhogal & Tom Price

© Evangelicals Now - April 2006
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