Inquisitive Evangelism: Considering the Person in Front of Us

When I was a little boy, my mom used to read a series of books to me and my siblings that always brought us a good laugh. The name of the series and its central character, an endearingly clueless housemaid, was Amelia Bedelia. Perhaps you’ve read these books yourself. If so, you’ll remember that Amelia’s defining quality is the fact that she is hopelessly literal. In one edition of the series, Mr. and Mrs. Rogers invite her to go camping with them. Once they have finished packing, Mr. Rogers announces, “It’s time to hit the road,” a statement we would all hear and interpret to mean, “It’s time to leave.” Amelia, however, looks around her, finds a twig of suitable size, and proceeds to beat the asphalt with admirable dedication. The reader is left amused at this hilarious example of miscommunication. The problem, of course, is that Amelia has a very rigid understanding of what words mean, rather than understanding that words can be used differently depending on context. We sometimes make the same misstep in our personal evangelism.

For example, one of the first questions I learned to ask when I first began sharing the Gospel was, “Do you have a faith background?” This question proved to be very helpful in getting to spiritual conversation, and rarely would anyone respond poorly when asked about their religion. In fact, I still often use this question to get to the Gospel. From there, I ask if I can share what I believe, and then I do my best to explain the Gospel in a way that is clear, given their religious framework. Such an approach is not bad, but there are barriers we need to be aware of when talking with a person about their religious beliefs.

Nominal Adherence

The first barrier we need to be aware of is nominalism. Sometimes we figure that the religious framework with which someone identifies carries the most weight in their worldview. However, this is not always the case. Even within the category of self-identifying “religious” people, the extent to which someone identifies with a religion varies greatly. Sometimes even those who call themselves a follower of a particular religion only practice their faith superficially. This is what we call nominalism. For example, a person may consider themselves Hindu because they are Indian, but Hinduism, in reality, plays a very small role in their daily life.

It is not uncommon to meet a Chinese Buddhist who eats meat, or a Middle Eastern Muslim who wears a hijab but lives a secular lifestyle. Now, don’t misunderstand me; as we share the Gospel, we will certainly encounter devout followers of Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and other religions. However, there are many people whose worldview is not primarily informed by their professed religion. The way they view themselves and the world around them is more heavily influenced by things like their household values, their personal experiences, or what they see on social media. We must be aware that a religious framework is not always the most important factor in a person’s worldview. If you’re interested to get a really practical example of what this looks like from a missionary’s perspective, Duke Johnson wrote a very insightful article on this topic here.

Shared Vocabulary

The second barrier we must be aware of in evangelism is shared vocabulary — that is, words we use in common but with different meanings. Sometimes, when we communicate with others, we assume they are using a word in the same way we are, when in reality, they are using the same word to convey a very different meaning. This is the issue Amelia Bedelia struggled with, and it’s one that you and I wrestle with at times as well. Picture the following scenario. You’re at a coffee shop, and you strike up a conversation with someone at the table next to you. You quickly discover that they are a Muslim from Southeast Asia, and you begin asking them about their beliefs. Much to your surprise, their description of what they believe is vastly different than the YouTube videos you had watched on Islam. In fact, their version of Islam doesn’t even appear to jive with what is traditionally considered Islam! And yet, this person says, “I am a Muslim.”

We must be careful of interpreting shared vocabulary incorrectly. The person in this scenario called themselves a Muslim, but their description of “Muslim” was different than the traditional use of the term. The temptation when having conversations is to run to our own definition of a word. From that point in the conversation on, we may view this person through the lens of our personal definition of what a Muslim is. This could lead to avoidable confusion that may even hinder the other person’s ability to understand our description of the Gospel.

Inquisitive Evangelism

Both of these realities — nominal adherence and shared vocabulary — mean we should be careful to not make assumptions in our Gospel conversations. The significance of asking good questions cannot be overstated. In the communication process, we recognize that there is a sender, a receiver, and a message, which is being sent and received. The goal of the sender in this interaction is to create understanding. How we “wrap” the message of the Gospel matters for the recipient’s ability to understand what is being said. Rather than assuming what people believe based on their use of shared vocabulary, we must ask questions to better understand the person in front of us. If they say, “I am a Muslim,” ask follow-up questions to better understand what they believe and to what extent this impacts their daily life and decision-making. This is the approach Randy Newman discusses at greater length in his book Questioning Evangelism.

In order to better communicate the Gospel with others, we must start with a commitment to ask rather than to assume. This helps us avoid unnecessary confusion and miscommunication. Not only that, but when we commit to get to know the person in front of us, we push against two temptations that we sometimes face in our evangelism:

First, the temptation to reduce someone to our understanding of a religious framework. When we ask good questions, we are recognizing that this person in front of us may not neatly fit into a religious category, and to assume so would lead to potential communication breakdown. It also reveals a lack of personal interest in the other person.
Second, when we ask questions, we are resisting the temptation to view people as projects. Taking the time to ask good questions is a helpful way for us to remind ourselves that this person is worthy of my interest and love. Every person we speak with is an image-bearer, uniquely created and deeply loved by the God of the universe. Therefore, it should be very important to us to demonstrate genuine interest in the other person. After all, God is interested in them, and he longs for them to hear and respond to the Gospel in repentance and faith.

So, as we share the Gospel, may we do so inquisitively. Not assuming (like Amelia Bedelia), but asking. Not viewing others as evangelistic projects, but seeing them as God does, as people made in His own image.