The world has looked upon Christianity in a negative light throughout history. Our modern day media has backlashed at Christianity many times, thus given men a negative image of what Christianity really is. This world has opposed many of the foundations of the Bible, however Christianity has still maintained its relevancy in this modern world.
There are many people who are not Christians that are very intelligent concerning the things of this world. “We acquire knowledge in four basic ways; through empiricism, reason, intuition, and faith” (Curtis, 13). Therefore, I strongly believe that by Christians acquiring knowledge in the different areas such as history, science and keeping up to date with what the current authorities of our time are saying, they have more resources in defending their faith despite the opposition from very high theoretical and intellectual people in this day of age.
People also are up to date with what is known as “popular belief”. If the numbers are high on a certain belief than that means that more people will tend to cling on to that specific truth. Jesus came to earth and completed His earthly ministry. “Popularly, it has been thought of as the end of his work on earth; he would now be eternally with his Father” (Bonnke, 2010). I have heard of people believe that something is true based on the number of people who are attending that particular church or congregation. In this highly intellectual time, we need more evidence than that. “Christians must be careful not to be influenced by the spirit of the age in such a way that they assimilate the worlds values and allow them to replace biblical ones” (Curtis, 37).
There are three specific ways that Christians can present a relevant message despite the opposition of the modern world. First, the primacy of the human reason and the ability of humans to discover and communicate truth is an important given of modernity. The second way or “belief” that we can meet the challenge is that both our understanding and our society are continually progressing. And lastly emphasis on and confidence in the individual (Curtis, 45-46).
The more we prepare ourselves with the proper tools to present the relevant knowledge of the Word of God, the more we can lead people to Christ in these times.
A worldview that recognizes significant limits on the ability of human beings to perfective truth or that questions the possibility of human beings to perceive truth or that questions the possibility of people ever arriving at an understand of ultimate truth on their own may or may not be correct in its details, but it is not fundamentally incompatible with Christian orthodoxy (Curtis 70). When God speaks through us, He speaks the right words and He knows or to communicate with each individual despite their individual communication barrier. The church has often failed to distinguish between biblical givens and cultural values, and the result has been a failure to value experiences and opinions that diverge from those of the dominate culture (Curtis 70). This is why I believe that Christians must be very careful in debating their faith or trying to share their faith when they don’t have a proper foundation in distinguishing what is from the Bible and what is Church tradition etc.
Proper interpretation of God’s word requires an understanding of the nature of biblical language (Curtis, 90). Many times people read the Bible without taking into account the culture or the original language written and spoken at that time. Some Christians will argue that that is not important in sharing their faith and that all they need is God. I believe this is an ignorant believe because the Bible says in 2 Timothy 2:15 that we need to study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman who needed not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Studying the word of God in today’s society is what is making Christianity relevant in our current society for the Glory of God.
References
Bonnke, Reinhard. (2010). Holy Spirit: Revelation and Revolution. [Kindle PC Version] Retrieved from Amazon.com
Curtis, E. M. (Year). Transformed Thinking: Loving God With All Your Mind. Eugene OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers.