4/25/12 Jerome, 24
I
stopped at my favorite Burger King on my way home from work, where a young man
named Jerome agreed to answer some questions about his beliefs. "What do you think happens next after
this life?" was one of my initial questions. "I think we go to a room to be
judged. God is supposed to forgive, so I
think we all will go to heaven, as long as we repent and ask for
forgiveness." "What about
those who don't? I asked. "Well I
think everyone will - how could they not, standing right there in front of
God?" was his answer. Jerome had
attended a Baptist church with his family until his early teens when they just
sort of stopped going, and he considers himself "saved" even though
he doesn't really think he has anything to be saved from. He calls sins
"mistakes"and blames them on one's upbringing or on God Himself. Though he hasn't read the Bible for years, he
is fluent in church jargon and could sound like a genuine believer, but his
beliefs are full of logical inconsistencies and fallacies common to those who
haven't thought through their faith and who have drifted away from what the
Bible actually teaches. My questions
helped Jerome see these contradictions in his own beliefs, which led to a long conversation
about biblical Christianity. I often use a gospel tract as a conversation
starter when it looks like a person is busy and may not have time to hear a
whole Gospel explanation. But when
people look like they may have a good amount of time to talk - like Jerome did
there at the B.K. - I like to simply ask questions without a Bible tract that
identifies me as a Christian. People
like Jerome have the ability to tell church people like me what they think we
want to hear, so I have noticed that my unidentified background and "random"
questions may lead to a more honest answers and a deeper conversation in the
long run. Jerome ended up asking me one
insightful question after another about biblical Christianity. Let's pray he heard the answers.
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