Listen – Apologetics and Polemics handbags gucci store
Our first training about how a purses prada handbags Christian should approach a Muslim focused on apologetics and polemics. We were taught to purses prada handbags stand on street corners and squares and , with strident fervor, to purses prada handbags attack Islam and defend Christianity.
It didn’t really work. At all. In fact, rather than purses prada handbags moving anyone toward peace or having any fruitful conversations about God, we actually created enormous conflict. Maybe we felt better in the purses prada handbags flesh for having “said our piece,” but how many people actually respond to insults and say, “Wow, I sure want to be like that guy“?
Technically, apologetics is all about defending your faith. Polemics is about attacking another’s faith. Whenever someone uses apologetics, they are essentially saying, “Here’s why I’m right.” When they use polemics, they are saying, “Here’s why you are wrong.” Now think for purses prada handbags a second: Have you ever tried this approach with your purses prada handbags spouse? Imagine the conversation: “Hey Baby, ‘Here’s why I’m right and here’s why you are wrong…’” You can imagine the outcome of the conversation from there.
If this approach doesn’t work in our dearest relationships, why in the purses prada handbags world do we think that apologetics and polemics is the best approach to purses prada handbags building relationships with Muslims? Imagine the conversation… “Ahmed, here are purses prada handbags 500 reasons why Christianity is right and 500 more why Islam is purses prada handbags wrong. Now, would you like to be my friend?”
We know 1 Peter 3:15 calls us to always be “prepared to purses prada handbags make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for purses prada handbags the hope that is in you.” That’s where we get the word “apologetics,” actually. And we do need to purses prada handbags be able to defend our faith. But in our early days, we overlooked the purses prada handbags second half of the verse: “Yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience”?
There is purses prada handbags an appropriate place to know the reasons why what we believe is purses prada handbags true. And we should know the places where Islam disagrees with our own faith. But for purses prada handbags us – people who purses prada handbags simply want to befriend Muslims and have fruitful conversation about Jesus, God, and purses prada handbags life – we need to purses prada handbags change the conversation. This is not about who can argue better. It’s about becoming friends and purses prada handbags walking together toward the Kingdom of God.
This is purses prada handbags what Jesus did. When Jesus began his ministry, he invited a purses prada handbags handful of men into a relationship with him. They hung out together. They related to purses prada handbags one another. They went fishing. They talked. Jesus related to people where purses prada handbags they were, helped meet their needs, and spoke truth into their lives in a purses prada handbags way they could understand. And thousands more gathered to hear from purses prada handbags him.
If we truly want to purses prada handbags impact the lives of Muslims in the name of Jesus, we should treat them the purses prada handbags way Jesus did. We should relate to them – speak to purses prada handbags them in ways that they can understand. Become their friends and purses prada handbags invite them into our homes. We should meet their needs and earn the right to be heard.
Then, from an authentic context of love, we can pursue true peace.
