This post is written by Andrew Hall as a companion for Unit 34, Session 2 of The Gospel Project for Adults, Volume 12: From This World to the World to Come (Summer 2024).

In 2007, Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor released his significant work titled A Secular Age. Taylor wanted to explore the question “Why does it seem improbable to believe in God today whereas 500 years ago it seemed improbable to be an atheist?”

With the rise of the “nones”—people who hold to no religious belief and are indifferent about it—we face a moment in time that requires some reflection on the changes around us. If we want to be effective for Christ, Christians will need to think about how to be a witness in a rapidly changing world. And we have much to consider today.

1. Like the ancient world where there was a plethora of gods, the plethora of information for the modern secular person makes it difficult to form decisions about the validity or invalidity of faith. Living in the realm of contradiction doesn’t bother the modern person. Everything is in competition. Claims to truth are no different, and people feel unable to validate facts.
2. The constant distraction of technology means that there is little time or room for reflection. Can you make it to the end of this post without switching to a different app? What about that text message you just received?
3. People make decisions about religion’s validity based off experiences of how they feel. It’s about perception. Do they feel welcomed and loved? Truth claims are validated by how one feels.
4. People want to feel “safe.” Understanding what “safe” means is different than feeling physically secure. The language of “safe space” simply means “permission to express doubts.” People want a place to feel like they can explore beliefs.
5. No one realizes how they are a product of the dominant beliefs of their culture. Trying to critique the air we breathe can feel like we are suffocating ourselves. People need to see the benefits and the challenges to their beliefs in a gracious, patient way.
6. People are very concerned about their “label” or their “brand” and feel the need to discover themselves, who they really are. They feel the need to define themselves by looking inside and trying to figure out who they are. Religion is viewed as another tool to self-actualize in order to become better.
7. The inability to have any coherence to meaning, self, and the world leaves people feeling the need to perform and creates high levels of anxiety. People are looking for places where they don’t have to perform but can just be themselves.
8. People are deeply formed in their teens and early 20s and want to find a community apart from those who know them and are part of their background.

We face a profound moment of change. Smart phones and constant connectivity mean that we live in a world with an abundance of contradictory truth claims and distractions. If we are to be effective for Christ, we will have to slow down and consider how we live as citizens of a different kingdom with a focused attention on the One who has grasped our hearts and minds.

As much as our cultural moment is different, we have the witness of the early church. Paul could go into Athens and see the many gods around him and yet could proclaim Christ clearly in the public square. Distraction, a plethora of options, and cultural assumptions are not new. Neither is the gospel! We have the good news of Jesus Christ that cuts through the noise and distraction and can capture the hearts and minds of those who hear. We have to be thoughtful, ready, engaging, and prepared to go with this good news!

Andrew Hall is the lead pastor of Community Bible Church, located in Ilderton, Ontario, Canada. He is a graduate from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Melanie, have four children.