1 . Love
When you are wondering whether you should share your views on a particular religious or political topic , ask yourself , “ Will I be loving the person I am speaking to by sharing my view ?” If the answer is no , don ’ t speak about it . No matter how much you want to , or if you think you could ‘ enlighten ’ them . Loving the other person is the most important thing ( 1 Corinthians 13:13 ). When Jesus says that the most important commandment is to love God , He follows with , “ The second [ commandment – loving your neighbour ] is like it .” ( Matthew 22:36-40 ). To love others , is to love God ( Matthew 25:40 ).
2 . Listen to understand , not to respond
In the midst of a potentially heated conversation , how easy is it to be thinking about what you ’ ll say next rather than actually listening to the other person . We want to win , right ? However , if our priority is relationship and to love our friend , then as hard as it is , we need to let go of our desire to ‘ win ’ and step into their shoes . We must actively listen , genuinely seek to understand and open ourselves up to be impacted by what they have to say .
Simple guide to talking about religion and politics
( while keeping your friends )
Sometimes it seems easier to stay quiet on the things that are important to us , avoiding awkwardness or conflict at all costs . But is staying quiet what we are called to do ? In this simple guide , candidate Natalie shares her framework to approaching those tricky , yet crucial , conversations .
4 . Don ’ t speak in Christianese
Christianese [ Kris-chuh-neez ] noun def . ‘ The language spoken by Christians .’ It makes no sense to anyone unfamiliar with biblical texts , but earns you major points in the eyes of other Christians , because it means your words are ‘ hella holy .’ Examples include : ‘ Lord ’, ‘ born again ’, ‘ grace ’, ‘ salvation ’, ‘ sin ’, etc . If you ’ re seeking to share your faith , don ’ t use jargon terms which are not only meaningless to the other person , but also make you seem arrogant and your faith inaccessible . Speak in their language .
3 . Be vulnerable
Rather than speak of religion and politics as abstract things , recognise your emotional response to the issue and try and identify why you have that response . Then , share that rather than speaking abstractly about the issue . Our political and religious views are rooted in our experience and culture … and this becomes an emotional response . If we are vulnerable and share why we believe what we believe , the person is unlikely to dismiss or condemn , but rather seek to empathise , even if they disagree . Plus your vulnerability will encourage them to share more deeply and mutual trust and understanding will grow .
5 . Be humble ; you ’ re not right about everything
God loves diversity and it is through our unity with one another that we better understand the truth of who God is and what God ’ s intentions for the world are . God reveals Himself to different people in vastly different ways , so we need to listen to people of other cultures , religions and experiences . Neither you nor I have sole access to the mind of God . And while few would argue that they do , it takes humility to relate to everyone with the belief that they could expand your understanding of God .
Urban Dictionary . “ Christianese ,” IndieSnob , last modified July 3 , 2006 . Accessed August 15 , 2019 . https :// www . urbandictionary . com / define . php ? term = christianese resonate · issue 34 · page 10