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In this episode John and Gregg begin by discussing John’s experience of explaining the Untangling Christianity podcast to co-participants at Podcast Movement 2015 and from this they consider when and how to tell someone that one is a Christian.
John notes that, while briefly explaining the Untangling Christianity podcast, he was asked if he was a Christian and he responded: “I don’t know.” John expresses uncertainty about how one should define the term (or whether typical definitions “work” anymore) and then asks Gregg how he would respond, if Gregg were asked this question, and wonders how Gregg would define the term “Christian.”
Gregg notes that he considers the context of the question (and it’s place in the conversation) to be an important guide to how he would respond to the person asking him. Gregg goes on to explain that often the focus of someone’s questioning, when asking if Gregg is a Christian, is to find out whether Gregg is an authentic human being.
As such, Gregg does not always assume that simply acknowledging his faith in Christianity or allowing the other person’s line of inquiry to direct the conversation is the best move, but will instead gauge the situation and reply accordingly with the aim of “earning a hearing,” which may only be possible over the medium or long term.