“A cross cultural experiment”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Saturday, August 5, 2023
Acts 17:16-34 (Forward, p. 7) CEV p. 1156
I’m afraid that ‘the jury is still out on this one.’ On the one hand, some Bible scholars and commentators allege that Paul--based only on his rather limited success rate here in Athens--was badly mistaken, badly amiss, in the techniques that he used there. They suggest that he should have resorted to signs and miracles—as he did elsewhere—rather than having appealed to their intellect. They suggest that appealing to the intellect of those who are skeptical or merely curious is bound to fail.
On the other hand, I think that Paul’s overall approach was quite admirable. First of all, there is his over-all ‘tone of voice’, much more toned down and moderated than it might have been. After all, he was rather upset with the rampant idolatry of that city. However, fortunately, he did not let that show, but spoke much more evenly and dispassionately.
And then, there is the incredible ‘bridge’ that Paul used to capture their attention. While whiling away his time in Athens he took the opportunity to walk around and observe their city. In so doing, he noticed something rather odd. Amid all the shrines and all the idols, there was a plain, unadorned altar that had no idol mounted upon it, but only the inscription, “To an Unknown God’.
This altar and inscription had ‘a history’, you might say, a story rooted back in Athen’s past. Years previously, Athens had been struggling with a deadly plague, one that was only averted when a learned Cretan elder named Epimenides suggested that they sacrifice to a god not of their present retinue, but to an ‘unknown god.’ Paul must have known of this man for he actually quotes this Cretan elder in verse 28. (So, presumably, Paul knew something of this back-story as well). And, presumably, this was an incident that was also remembered by those in Paul’s audience.
Anyway, Paul, by making reference to this particular, rather unusual altar, ‘touches upon a nerve’ and gets the audience’s immediate attention. And all is going well in his discourse, that is, until he makes a kind of mental leap. (Preachers are often guilty of this sort of thing.). Paul jumps over to the Resurrection without first establishing why Jesus had died in the first
place, that is, to bridge the gap between us and God and make atonement for our sins.
And so, we are told that Paul was able to make only ‘a few’ converts in that city. But, my response is, ‘so what?’ He planted the seed and that seed grew and flourished and eventually became a strong and vibrant church.
So, what are we to make of this curious episode of cross-cultural evangelism? I would suggest that we likewise look for ‘bridges’, for concepts or events rooted in the consciousness of our audiences, that pave the way for our message and help people make the connection. And, then, as we process, to make sure that we are careful to go methodically step by step, explaining ourselves carefully as we go without missing any essential details along the way. My conviction that there are such bridges with every individual and culture, discoverable if only we take the time to listen, be open to the ‘other’, and likewise open to the Holy Spirit to ‘trig’ our attention to these things. I think that not doing this was often something that our missionaries missed out on, much to their detriment and the detriment of their message. Surely, we can do better. Amen.
Forward notes: “It sounds rather strange to us, so we would like to know what it means” (verse 20).
“Where do you go to proclaim the Good News of God in Christ? Saint Paul always goes first to the synagogue. When that doesn’t work, he goes to the marketplace. Paul is not afraid to engage the people in the marketplace. He speaks to them in their own language. ‘To the Jews I became as a Jew…To those under the law…To those outside the law…to the weak…I have become all things to all people’ (1 Corinthians 9:20-21).
“To the Athenians, he speaks about the God they know and makes clear that their God is his God—and that same God has raised a man from the dead. Some scoff, but others want to hear more.
“In our baptism, we promise to proclaim by word and example to all people the Good News of God in Christ. Our promise may take us to the marketplace, wherever that is.”
Moving Forward: “Where are you called to proclaim the Good News? In what ways will you need to ‘speak the language?’”