How do you think it is to take a position in true ground on the truth of the gospel and to reach out to those who have a different view of the world? It is not just an academic question but one which goes to the very heart of Christian witness in a pluralistic age.
1. Identifying Escherichia Theological Differences
The fundamental creed of Christianity, which states that Jesus was the eternal Son of God, was fully God and fully human, that he died and rose again to the salvation of the world are in sharp contradiction with the beliefs of other faiths. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, such as it is, preaches that God the Father was once a man, that was exalted, that Jesus was his first spirit-child, and that people need to obey LDS ordinances to be saved. On one hand, Islam recognizes Jesus as a prophet and Messiah, but denies His crucifixion and denies His divinity as is described in Qurʾan 4:157: They did not and will not crucify him, nor did it become to them so. Buddhism, in its turn, is a non-theistic way of seeking liberation of suffering, without a personal Creator and redeeming Savior. It is necessary to understand these differences so that one will not win any argument but perseveringly present the biblical gospel.
2. Playing with Latter-day Saints by Story and Definition
The discussions with LDS friends tend to show that there are common words like grace, salvation, atonement, but they are used differently. According to one Christian apologist, the LDS narrative and the narrative in the Bible are like the workshop of Santa and Middle-earth. According to LDS doctrine, human beings are pre-mortal spirit children of God who were sent to earth to be tested, with Jesus being an example to emulate so that after enduring through repentance, believers will live with God once again. In contrast, Scripture shows God as eternity, people made in the image of good but fallen and salvation a gracious rescue of God by the finished work of the Christ. The explanation of such metanarratives can break the gates to further conversations.
3. The problem of the Islam View of the Crucifixion
The Muslim tradition provides different interpretations of Qur 4:157, both the substitution theories and the hypothesis that the crucifixion was an illusion. But there is the test of history in the Gospels, in the Roman historians such as Tacitus, and in Jewish history as well, in Josephus, that Jesus was crucified under Pontius Pilate. Christian mission to Muslims can honorably recognize the Islamic reverence of Jesus without making the crucifixion to be a secondary fact and theology of redemption: I resolved to know nothing when I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
4. A conversation with Jehovah Witnesses on the Deity of Christ.
Jehovah Witnesses do not believe that Jesus was the Almighty God, but understand Him as a creature, a kind of incarnation of a person, Michael the Archangel. Strong interaction starts with the Scripture which they embrace e.g. their New World Translation. John 1: 3 tells us that there was not a single thing created besides him, thus proving that Jesus is the one who was not created. In Hebrews 1:1012 the praise of Jehovah in Psalm 102 is made to refer to the Son. These texts encourage JWs to think that Jesus is a member of the divine being of the Father, which is the main point of salvation.
5. Answering Ethical Nihilists
Other atheists acknowledge values of morality but disapprove the existence of God. With no transcendent source, morality is subjective as pointed out in the argument that moral standards and goodness cannot exist without God. The unity of Divine nature in the light of moral law written on human hearts, the historic fact of the life and death and resurrection of Jesus, can be the ultimate confirmation of the Divine goodness in the minds of Christians.
6. Defense of Scripture No. 1: Evidence-Based
History checking plays a major role when questioned why the Bible is worth believing rather than the Qurʾan or Book of Mormon. Those Gospels were authored with the memory of the ministry of Jesus still fresh, by or through eyewitnesses, and supported by archaeology and other sources. The archaeological evidence of the ancient civilizations of America in the Book of Mormon is nonexistent, and the Quran accounts about Jesus were created many centuries after Jesus lived. According to Greg Koukl, one would ask, Why then should we believe that Mohammed wrote about Jesus eight hundred years later rather than the people who knew Him in the flesh?
7. Acting in a Respectful Interfaith Dialogue
Good communication is based on understanding and admiration. Active listening, clarifying questions and non-caricature are respectful to the human being and oppose the belief. This style is a replica of the model of Paul recorded in Acts 17 when he acknowledged the Athenians quest to seek the truth and then proceeded to declare God whom they had not known. Creating a trust gives room to the Holy Spirit.
8. Being Clare and Confident in the Worldview
According to psychological research, having a clear understanding of one’s beliefs encourages dialogue strength. Biblically based Christians who are sure of the gospel have the opportunity to interact without worrying that they might lose their footing. This stability helps them to be able to extend grace without contradicting the truth, as it is called upon Peter to do: always be ready to give an answer, but you must do it with gentleness and deference.
The purpose of each of the encounters is not necessarily to reject but to welcome: Latter-day Saints, Muslims, and Jehovah Witnesses, Buddhists, atheists. The gospel is a declaration of what God has accomplished in Christ, as well as a plea to be reconciled to Him. The pose of a congenial messenger of Christ is made up of truth and grace.
