Enter the cultural conversation (connect)

There’s no denying it. Starting a conversation about Jesus can be super awkward. It can come across forced and ungenuine. Your friend might get defensive and you might not know how to respond to hard questions. It can feel easier to avoid the topic completely.

How can you start conversations about Jesus in an easy and natural way?

God has woven ideas, stories, and analogies into our culture that point towards Jesus. They are reflections and refractions of God and our relationship with Him. In fact, you’ve probably already talked about Jesus many times, you just didn’t realize it.

There are many kinds of stories that do this, and we will briefly explore 3 of them here.

GOOD vs EVIL

Stories about good vs. evil have been around since humanity first started telling stories. Star Wars and Lord of The Rings, for example, present a world where there is a clear distinction between the forces of good and the forces of evil. The evil side is powerful, and often the hero is seduced by the power of evil, but ultimately the good side wins.

HERO STORIES

Stories about heroes are very popular. Often the hero is a normal person who is given certain abilities to fight on behalf of the helpless. Their lives are marked with self-sacrifice and service.

REDEMPTION STORIES

Redemption stories connect with us on a deep level. These are stories where the protagonist will be heading down a dark and evil path. Things continue getting worse for them until they hit rock bottom, have a realization, turn their life around, and find redemption.

These narrative concepts connect with us because they are true, and they are true because they are ultimately about Jesus. Think about it. Jesus defines good and evil. Jesus is the ultimate self-sacrificial hero, and all of humanity needs redemption.

As God’s children, we are to live by this command: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21).

But how does this help you talk about Jesus?

When you’re having conversations about these topics, ask open-ended questions to explore these topics at a deeper level.

• “Do you think good and evil exist or is it just in our minds?”
• “Do you think our world needs a hero or do we have the ability to save ourselves?”
• “Do you think forgiveness needs to be earned or can it be given freely?”

This list of questions is obviously not exhaustive, it’s just to get you thinking. Always start by asking what they think about it, then share your thoughts and make sure it’s a conversation, not a sermon.

There are trending cultural conversations happening around you all the time. Be aware of these stories in the movies or streaming on TV. Consider how they reflect Jesus and use them as starting points for great conversations.

What stories do you know that could lead into a conversation about Jesus?