September 30, 2025
Dear Friends,
Leave it to a mathematician, who died only two months after his 39th birthday, to give us a method for reaching our culture today with the gospel.
His record of his own conversion is both enigmatic and moving. It was so important to him that he seems to have sown it into his coat and then transferred it to each new coat that he wore. Called his “Memorial” now, it began, ”Fire. God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, not of the philosophers and the scholars…" It concluded with a quote from Psalm 119:16, “I will not forget thy word. Amen.”
Some time after his conversion, Blaise Pascal began to assemble notes for a book he hoped to publish, called “The Defense of the Christian Religion.” Due to his untimely death, the book was never finished but the fragments were published as “Pensées” (thoughts). In the Pensées, Pascal wrote: “Men despise religion. They hate it and are afraid it may be true. The cure for this is first to show that religion is not contrary to reason, but worthy of reverence and respect. Next make it attractive, make good men wish it were true, and then show that it is.”
Pascal thought that most people are not objective about Christianity, despising it and not wanting it to be true. But, at the same time, they fear that it might be true. They also inherently understand that, if it is true, they will not be able to live any way they wish.
In response to this general feeling in society, Pascal proposed three steps or stages by which one might bring someone to the way of faith. First, they must be disarmed and surprised. When a presentation of the Christian faith makes sense, or when a believer’s character appears well-informed, sensible, open-minded, thoughtful, generous and helpful, a stereotype is broken and a grudging respect is earned.
The next step is more proactive: “make good men wish it were true.” He is not saying we should fabricate a palatable faith. Rather, he is saying that we should reveal and point out its existing features. For example, consider how much compassion ministry that exists in the world today has its roots in Christian understanding and mission. To complete step two requires both determination and ingenuity, knowing our culture and its hopes and desires and showing how Christ meets them.
Now, when there is an openness and respect, we engage step 3, “show that it is true.” If they have come to believe that it makes emotional and cultural sense, they may be open to discuss the fact that it makes logical and rational sense. So, as you seek to share the gospel, consider appealing to the heart and imagination of the person before you try to overwhelm them with reason. You may find that you’ve gained a friend and built a stronger relational bridge over which the gospel can travel.
Blessings!
Doug