Truth in the Midst of Controversy

There’s nothing like a little controversy to get people talking about deeper things. More neutral, agreeable topics like the weather rarely drive anyone into profound conversation. You probably won’t be able to introduce the gospel based on a stranger’s “Hot enough for you?” greeting, unless you quickly rebound with “Hot?—Yeah, reminds me of the lake of fire, which is the fate of all who are without Christ.” Odds are even if you did use that one, it’s so obviously shoehorned that the other guy may dismiss you as a religious nut. Being someone who hopes to share the faith, you need a reasonable context in which to talk about Christ, not merely an inventive flair for hustling people into your “thing.”

Hot topics are a natural way in. These take people into philosophical, religious, moral, or ethical depth. And “hot,” of course, means that such subject matter can be provocative. It goes without saying that these matters, whatever they are, ought to be discussed carefully. Folks tend to lose control over them. Believe it or not, so do you.

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