A question in the public square
Read in your Bible: Acts 17–19.
Paul reasons from Scripture, meets differing responses and speaks in Athens among people shaped by unfamiliar religious assumptions. He begins with what he has observed, then directs attention toward the Creator, repentance and resurrection. Later work in Corinth and Ephesus continues the patient witness.
Respectful attention to a culture does not require affirming every belief within it. Paul seeks understanding without making the audience's approval the measure of truth. We can learn from this approach without imagining that one clever opening line will remove every barrier to faith.
Learn before answering a question from someone with a different worldview. Ask what they mean and explain a Christian claim plainly rather than using insider language. Leave room for disagreement while keeping your manner respectful and your account accurate.
Related reading and source notes.
Read the Bible passage first. These notes identify related Ellen G. White chapters; a related reading is not a claim that she wrote this interpretation. Any direct quotations are marked separately. The explanations and applications are The Earl Project’s own.
1The Acts of the Apostles · Chapter 23—Berea and AthensAA, chapter 23
White's chapter on Berea and Athens is related reading on Paul's careful engagement, the study of Scripture and witness among differing audiences.
Read alongside: Acts 17–19
Read the original chapter on EGW Writings ↗A question to sit with
What term or assumption do I need to understand before answering someone's question?
Ask a thoughtful question about another person's perspective and explain one belief in plain language if invited.
Let us pray
Creator God, make my witness attentive and clear. Help me understand another person's questions, speak truth without contempt and trust You with responses I cannot control or manufacture. Amen.
Your quiet reflection
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An original interpretation from The Earl Project, written from an Adventist understanding of Scripture. It is not an official church publication. Read alongside the beliefs that inform these reflections. Scripture quoted from the King James Version. Ellen G. White sources are cited separately from The Earl Project’s original interpretation.