WHAT LEARNED
The SUMMARY below focuses on the most important findings from street interviews and the biggest communication problem facing the church.
This information is helping Christian communicators craft meaningful messages to become more effective in presenting the gospel to unbelievers. See example in bottom panel.
SUMMARY
Predominant thinking
Based on 95 street interviews, here's the prodominant thinking about spiritual matters:
- No creator-God, but maybe a higher power of some kind; our origin is through evolution, beginning with the Big Bang.
- Purpose of life is to help one another and create a better and more just society.
- Bible is an ancient collection of stories for some religious people who still find it helpful.
- No absolutes except government law; everything else relative to the situation; no sin against God in the biblical sense (mostly just human mistakes).
- No hell – maybe some kind of heaven – but no one can know before death.
- Spiritual but not religious; pick-and-choose, design a personal spirituality that works for you.
Communication problem
This thinking poses a huge communication problem in presenting the gospel today:
If there's NO creator-God ... NO absolute truth ... NO sin ... and NO hell ... then why need a Savior?
APPLICATIONS
Secular millennials – especially those raised in families with no religion – do not go to church ... do not read Christian literature ... do not watch Christian media. And news coverage of Christians is usually distorted and derogatory.
QUESTION: So how will secular millennials – our future – ever understand the gospel enough to make a decision about it?
ANSWER: Generally, the only way is through personal dialog with Christians they know.
PROBLEM: But most Christians are unprepared to talk intelligently about their faith or give coherent answers to hard questions.
NEED: The biggest need – and the best strategy for evangelism – is more Christians prepared to talk confidently and persuasively about their faith with family, friends, neighbors and co-workers and able to give strong answers for hard questions.
HOW: Better training and communications for Christians, in language that is relevant and makes sense to unbelievers.
The insights gained from Street Interviews is helping Christian communicators craft meaningful messages for reaching secular people in the modern world.
EXAMPLE
Here is one example of how insights gained from Street Interviews are being used on a new training site to help Christians talk confidently and persuasively about their faith with family, friends, neighbors and co-workers ... and to prepare them for giving strong answers to hard questions:
With help from Street Interviews, this website is being built fresh from the bottom-up to address the real questions ordinary people on the street are asking today.