Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. Isaiah 1:18
This is a verse that Christians highlight in their Bibles or post on social media. I’m sure someone printed it on a T-shirt. Besides the wonderful promise from God to cleanse our sin, there's also this interesting phrase: “Come now, let us reason together.” It's a reminder that God doesn't just tell us what to believe and what to do. The Lord gave us minds and an inclination to reason. We don't instantly conclude things. Rather, we come to conclusions through a process of reasoning. We consider. We evaluate. We ponder. We weigh the matter. We talk to others and reflect on their input. We think and rethink. All humans do this.
We must reason with people about what they believe and why they believe it. When Paul went into the synagogues, he argued persuasively. He did the same in Athens with the Greek philosophers. Repentance means “change of mind.” If we want to change people’s minds about the worldview they hold, we must employ reason to dismantle their ideas.
Pop worldview
I've had conversations with numerous people over the years who don't adhere to any particular religion. I’ve noticed that they, somehow, all believe essentially the same ideas. This generation (in the USA) is experiencing a collective “enlightenment” about the world. I used to think that people were just agnostic and didn't know what to believe, but many non-religious people have an unofficial but strong creed. Their statement of beliefs might be something like this:
We believe that what matters is being true to yourself.
We believe that diverse sexual orientations should be celebrated.
We believe no one should attempt to convert others to their religion.
We believe that it is unloving not to accept someone else’s lifestyle.
We believe that love is love and that traditional views of family undermine human dignity.
We believe all people are essentially good, and if there is a hell in the next life, only terrible individuals will go there.
We believe that what matters most is affirming all people, regardless of what they believe or how they choose to live.
We believe that whether a person chooses to believe in God or religion should be based on what they feel will make them happy.
We believe that no one knows what happens after death, so anyone who claims to know is arrogant and possibly dangerous.
We believe all the above to be true and that anyone who doesn't believe these things is harmful to human flourishing.
Many other things could be added. The above is just a sampling of how they think. I'm pretty sure most would be averse to stating these points in writing—but it’s what they believe. This loose body of ideas has become tightly held by a large segment of our society. It has especially become popular on college campuses and amongst progressive culture. It flourishes in cities.
The orthodox Christian faith clashes with most of the beliefs of this prevailing worldview. If we made a side-by-side comparison of the biblical worldview and the new “spiritual but not religious” way of viewing the world—we’d find them at odds. There's no room at all in this pop spirituality for ancient biblical ideas of sin, judgment, the supremacy of Christ, and all the strong ethical commands. The clear teachings in the Bible on sexuality are so polar opposite to popular views that many have become antagonistic toward serious orthodox Christians. The tension worsens every year, like a rubber band being stretched and stretched. The mission of pulling people out of believing the popular ideas of today and embracing Christian doctrines feels impossible. But it’s actually quite reasonable.
Origins
How do people arrive at this popular way of thinking? It's often what their micro-culture believes, so they adopt it to fit in. Others might have no idea why they believe what they believe. They just pick up ideas along the way. The ideas come through politics and education. They especially come through popular art forms like music and film. They are preached powerfully at the Grammys and the Academy Awards by beloved, charismatic celebrities. They are reinforced daily through social media, podcasts, and tv series. Most cultural “influencers” believe this new creed and push it with gusto.
This belief system of the no religion crowd (sometimes called “the nones”) is not so new. When I was 19-20 years old in 1988, I held almost all the tenets of this worldview. What haunted me was the question of origin. When I started probing why I believed the things I believed—I realized the foundation was nothing but a sandhill of opinions. I started questioning my assumptions. Maybe these ideas are not true?
The strange thing about this “spiritual but not religious” way of living is its treatment of God. It’s a philosophy of life that leaves God out of the equation. Or, in some cases, God is reduced to a generic, impersonal higher power with no distinct characteristics or attributes. God is a vague and mysterious being who they ignore—until they are in a real crisis. Some have a sentimental view of God that meshes together the nice qualities of Santa, their great-grandmother, and Morgan Freeman. But let’s be honest, most who don’t identify with any religion choose to live life without God. Is this really what people want?
Something is off
After a while, I started to question my disinterest in God deep down. Something felt off. Really off. Reason led me to believe that behind the beauty and order of creation, there must be an intelligent designer. I always had a gnawing belief that there exists a transcendent being that holds the universe together. Studying science and physics, gazing at stars and oceans, standing in wonder on mountaintops, beholding the power of nature … I always felt there must be a God. This innate awareness of God is universal. Virtually, every culture and tribe has some idea of God or gods to explain the universe. It’s wired into us to believe in Something beyond us.
Though vast numbers of people in this generation claim they don’t want or need God—I’m not convinced. I believe that people long to know the One who created them. I believe people deep down want to have a loving relationship with God. I believe they want that sweet assurance of being at peace with God. I believe they want to know that, if they die, it is well with their soul.
The god of this age
As Christians, we are aware that the philosophies of this world that leave God out are not merely manmade. There are invisible forces of evil (demonic powers) at work in societies to steer people away from God. Scripture describes Satan as “the god of this world”—
In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 2 Corinthians 4:4
Do you see what is happening? It’s not just a person’s parents or peers or professors that influence them to espouse a philosophy without God—it’s Satan himself. The systems and patterns of thinking in the world that push God away and especially undermine the person of Jesus Christ—are the work of deceiving spirits.
I don’t recommend trying to explain this to your nice secular friends who don’t see any need for God or Jesus or religion. Telling them that the god of this age—Satan—is blinding them and keeping them from seeing the glory of Christ will surely freak them out. What I do suggest, however, is reasoning with them. Try to get them to see how strange it is to live in a way that ignores God completely.
What do you hope is true?
It’s funny that when we try to talk to people about God, they quickly turn the conversation to religion. They talk about how religion has caused wars, priests have abused children, evangelical leaders have scandals, Christians are hypocrites, and so on. Gently, we always need to bring the conversation back to Jesus. Yeah, there’s a lot of toxicity and weirdness amongst people who claim to be Christian. We agree! But what about God? What about Jesus? Do you want to know the One who made you? Do you want to be at peace with the Creator when you face death? These are the questions to discuss.
You could also reason with people by asking them what they wish was true. In other words, if there is a God—what do they hope He is like? What do they hope happens after they die? Have them set aside their uncertainty for a moment and ask them what they wish could be true. Ask them if they could peek behind the great curtain and see who or what made everything and holds it all together—what would they want to discover?
I believe that most who answer the questions seriously would describe the God revealed in the Scriptures. We all want a God who is powerful, unchanging, and full of blazing love. We want God to be merciful and just. We all hope that the God of creation is good by nature. We all secretly desire God to be interested in our best. We all long for a God who will one day make all things new. A God who will bring harmony and justice to the earth. This unknown God that many non-religious people secretly dream of—is God. He is the desire of all nations (Haggai 2:7).