Spiritual Conversations

I lived in Sarajevo, Bosnia for nearly a year, working with college students who were interested in having spiritual conversations. Bosnia is culturally Muslim, but also quite post-modern in its beliefs. Specifically, I was encountering a college student population that grew up during their civil war, where Serbian (Orthodox) forces held Sarajevo in the longest military siege of modern history and committed genocide. One dear friend had actually traveled through the escape tunnel at the airport extending from the city to the countryside. From both the city and countryside, these were children of war. A poignant reminder is that the pockmarks of bombs are now filled in with red resin to form a memorial, the “Sarajevo Rose”. 

The challenge in coming into a post-modern, MTV culture was that the generation we were targeting felt like religion was the root cause of their problems (an ethnic civil war between Bosnian Muslims, Serbian Orthodox, and Croatian Catholics), and so religion was clearly and obviously affiliated with war. To adopt a different belief system would equate with adopting the culture of an invading ethnicity. Most students would say "I am Muslim because my grandparents were Muslim". They didn’t see a difference between spiritual, cultural, and ethnic. And yet, some students were still interested in having spiritual conversations. 

In John 6:44, Jesus says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.”

It is God who draws people to him; it is not our responsibility to convert others to belief. At the same time, Jesus, after his resurrection, said “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you,” Matthew 28:19-20.

Our work is to explain the good news that comes from Jesus Christ—the pathway to relationship with God. It is NOT up to us to change people’s hearts. It is for God to draw people to him. We were there to have spiritual conversations with those who were interested, with those whom God was drawing. 

Spiritual conversations are so very interesting, and as our pastor Clint reminded us, really it's more about listening than speaking. However there are such deep and heartfelt questions by genuine seekers, it is our responsibility to "always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect," 1 Peter 3:15. 

I expect it to be similar in Birmingham. Some people are not interested; some people are. And some people are being drawn to God. Two areas in which I want to prepare in the days to come are in understanding apologetics and the logical evidence supporting faith in Jesus, and in understanding and articulating the fundamental similarities and differences between Islam and Christianity. 

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Where does your hope come from? Do you have confidence in articulating why you believe what you believe? Do you think Christianity can withhold scrutiny? Where is the most "different" place you have ever visited?