When culture is a barrier to evangelism

To celebrate the launch Terry Virgo’s new evangelistic resource, Life Tastes Better, we’re sharing a series of surprising evangelistic encounters in everyday situations.

I got in the car. I was dressed in my pyjamas and the girl next to me was in a dressing gown. It was a dark, cold, February evening and we were heading to a pyjama and pancake party.

The girl next to me had moved to the UK from India to train as a Doctor. She was a Hindu and lived near some church friends who had invited her along to the party. We quickly realised we had a lot in common. She expressed a joy in cooking curry and I expressed an interest in eating it. So we swapped numbers and said we would be in touch.

I texted her a couple of weeks later and asked if she wanted to grab dinner (secretly hoping she would get the hint that I wanted to be invited to her place for curry).

After a few confusing and abrupt text messages from her, she took the bait and invited me over.

To my surprise, she looked bewildered when I arrived. “Have I got the right night?” “Yes” she replied, still looking confused, “come in”.

She insisted I sit and asked what I would like to drink. She offered me wine. “Will you join me?” was my reply, “Yes” was hers. She then proceeded to pour one glass, set it in front of me and continue to potter around the kitchen. I noticed an open sketch pad on which she had drawn a beautiful picture of Mary and baby Jesus. Bingo! An evangelism opportunity, and so soon!

But then the worst thing happened… my mind went totally and completely blank. I mumbled a ‘Why did you draw it?” and she said she saw it at the National Gallery and it caught her eye. “Oh...great” I managed, “it’s lovely.”

“Think woman, think!” But nothing.

She then invited me to sit down and we sat for several minutes staring at the food. She hadn’t had time to make dinner so she laid out ready-made food. Is she waiting for me to start? Shall I offer to say Grace? Will she be insulted? Should I start eating my own hand? She then explained that their custom was to serve the guest, and for them to eat first. She was waiting for me to start...

She had lots of questions about my faith and kept referring to Christians as “your people” which amused me. The evangelism door was wide open, so I took a deep breath… and told her the story of Jonah. Don’t ask me for a rationale -- there was none. I don’t know why it popped into my head but pop it did!

But something strange happened. As I told the story—judgement, sailors, storm and fish—she sat there wide eyed and listened intently. She had never heard such a story before; she laughed and was amazed.

When we arranged to meet for brunch a week or so later, I asked her what she would like to eat and she declared she was fasting…

Despite the cultural awkwardness and confusing feelings that were present during our first three meetings, we have subsequently become friends and laugh at each other a lot.

She has come with me to church and appreciates the joy and faith of “my people”.

What did I learn from this?

Be prepared: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” 1 Peter 3 v 15. This verse reminds me that if I don’t have a succinct or neat answer, I need to memorise one.

Say something: we don’t always get it right and it’s important to laugh at yourself in these situations. We may, at times, despair of ourselves, but God doesn’t. He appreciates our every effort to make him known.

Have fun: we still meet up, and we always enjoy our time together. As well as having answers for her questions, I need to remember to love her by just enjoying her company. 

When Culture is a Barrier to Evangelism  is a great book to have on hand for evangelistic conversations. It reveals the surprising truth that life with Jesus really does taste better than anything the world can offer us. Read it as a Christian and have a copy of it ready to give away. Available to buy now.