How would you describe Christianity if you had a few minutes? Phoenix-like, Dan Paterson, a former speaker for the RZIM ministry, launched Questioning Christianity, which does what it is named for – seek out people’s questions. Dan’s latest video four-minute answer to the most basic question, “What is Christianity” is below. If you wish, he is happy for you to share it.
The Other Cheek decided to ask the Questioning Christianity guy a few questions. Dan was happy to play along!
You run a site called “questioning Christianity” for people who might want to know more. Have you found there’s an appetite for that?
We launched QC in January 2021 to help connect the Christian story to life’s deepest questions. While the ministry covers a lot more than just our digital arm (speaking and training), our website and social media platforms are framed to invite both Christians and newcomers at various stages of interest and doubt to explore whether there is more to the Christian story that they first believed. And judging from the online comments and in-person conversations, our content seems to be touching an important fault line of doubt and belief, helping younger people especially come to terms with why the Christian story is worth believing.
What things do people want to know about Christianity?
Honestly, apathy remains the biggest challenge, followed closely by a cultural hostility to what people think the Christian story teaches. For the most part, those who are interested want to know whether the negative press is true or whether there are surprising or life-giving answers to their curious questions (meaning, identity, sexual ethics, hope, well-being).
What’s something they want to know but are too polite to ask?
Everyone seems well aware that the apologetics-type questions have changed over the past two decades, with ethical barriers taking centre stage as people consider Christianity. By a large margin, the most common questions in live Q&As and submitted through our website touch on our sexual feelings and whether or not Christianity is bad news for our sex life.
This raised the issue of how to answer a question about sex. Dan pointed The Other Cheek to a video he prepared before.
What are ways we need to sharpen up about how our lives commend Christ?
Some mixture of the beauty of holiness and the humility of ongoing repentance comes to mind as the negative shadow hanging over the church’s past persists. Compassion, too, amidst our proclamation of truth, might help put flesh on a God who many see Him as distant and uncaring. If I could sum up my encouragement to Christians, though, it would be to get our own story straight and how the Christian story speaks to life’s deepest questions (what), to think about our reasons for belief in a sceptical age (why), and to practice generously sharing our faith with a distinctly Christian tone and hospitality so that others might see Jesus.
Find answer at https://www.questioningchristianity.com