Thinking Out Loud with Alan Shlemon - Answer Like Jesus

Episode Date: June 15, 2019

Alan points out that Jesus didn’t always answer questions directly. Sometimes He took a different approach. Perhaps we can take a cue from Jesus since He’s the smartest person in history. Alan explains three ways we can answer tough questions in the way Jesus answered tough questions in His day. Download the mp3...

For someone with all the answers, Jesus didn't always respond directly to challenging questions, right? I mean, sometimes he answered a question with another question. Sometimes he answered a different question. And on occasion, he didn't give any answer. Now, I don't believe much has changed since Jesus' day, right? Challenges still abound, and today followers of Jesus Christ still face a myriad of tough questions. Now, our views are not popular. And in fact, they're oftentimes quite significantly hated. And so if we answer a very pointed question in a biblical way,

it often makes people upset. And so my suggestion here is that maybe we can take a cue from Jesus, right? I mean, given that he's the smartest person in history, why don't we learn to answer tough questions like he did? So for example, homosexuality is a controversial topic of our day, obviously. And so let me offer you three ways that we can answer a tough question about that subject in a way that Jesus answered tough questions in his day. Okay, so here's the first way to do it. Ask or answer a more important question. Okay, and the reason I say this is because Jesus realized that behind some challenges exists a more important foundational question. And that often applies to our situations as well. And so before we can answer a controversial ethical question about sexuality, what I often

want to do is find out and discover something about the person I'm talking to. So, for example, if they believe God exists, does it matter to them that he designed us and told us how to live? And to me, this is a critical question. Because if they're not going to align their ethical views with God who made them, or at least respect someone like you or me who does, then why cause a stir by telling them about your sexual ethics? Our morality is really logically downstream from our theology. In other words, ethical questions about sexuality are secondary to whether or not God exists. Plus, if they're going to thumb their nose at God,

even if they believe he is real, then that tells me they're probably not a genuine truth seeker. If they would, in theory, be open to what God says about sexuality, then perhaps you should discuss God's existence with them, not all the details about morality or, for that matter, even sexual morality. So here's a second way to answer the question, right? And that is, ask if they're a tolerant person. Now, I learned this approach from my friend and colleague, Greg Kokel, who, of course, is the president of Standard Reason. And so here's how this works. Before I give what they'll consider to be a politically incorrect answer to the question, I first set up some protection.

And this will function kind of like insurance. And so here's what I ask them. I say, do you consider yourself a tolerant person or an intolerant person? Do you respect diverse ideas or do you condemn people for holding beliefs that are different from your own? So I asked them that question and notice they can only answer in two ways. If they say they are tolerant, which by the way is the usual answer they'll give, then it's going to be difficult for them to judge you or call you names like bigot or homophobe without looking guilty, right? Because they would be then going back on their word. Now, if, however, they admit that they're not

a tolerant person, well, then you can tell them that you don't feel comfortable sharing your opinion with an intolerant person. And in that case, they've sort of disqualified themselves from a civil conversation, and you can feel free to sort of hold off on an answer. And so here's a third way to answer these tough questions like Jesus did, and that is to let Jesus take the heat. Now, you might not think that this is an approach that Jesus would take because after all, he was Jesus. But the principle here is one that Jesus employed. And that is, he would often place the responsibility for his words or his behavior on the Father. And so we can do the same.

Only put the blame on Jesus. After all, though our culture holds a negative view of Christians and the church, they often will think that Jesus is cool, right? He's the loving, he's the compassionate guy, and that's what they're thinking. So why not take advantage of their belief when you're offering a politically incorrect answer to a question about homosexuality? So instead of sounding like it's your view that homosexual sex is wrong, let Jesus take the heat for that ethical view. So, for example, if someone asks you what you think about homosexuality or same-sex marriage or something like that, just simply point them to Matthew 19, verses 4 through 6. Because in this passage, Jesus summarizes the biblical model for sex and marriage by citing the Genesis account of creation and then offering his own commentary. To put it simply, Jesus's view on sex and marriage

is about one man with one woman becoming one flesh for one lifetime. Then, and by the way, this is the key point, you can remind them that since you're a follower of Jesus, you must adopt his view. Right? You don't have the freedom to make up your own mind about sexuality and about morals and ethics. Right? Whatever ethical system Jesus holds is the one that you must also hold. And so by pointing people to Jesus for the origin of your view, you're letting him take the heat for an unpopular view. And instead of someone's anger being directed at you, then you're deflecting it towards Christ.

And by the way, that's okay because he can handle it.