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Spiritual Formation Exercise

Apologetics is a tool to aid in evangelism. This week's spiritual formation exercise is about looking for the opportunity to talk with a friend or family member who does not show signs of being a Christian. It may be one of the people you prayed for in the first spiritual formation exercise.

For now, the idea is just to develop an interest in the person, get to know him or her better, and learn what he believes. If it makes it easier for you, you can explain that this is an assignment for the course you are studying.

First, ask typical questions, like where he is from and about his family. Then ask what his religious background is, if his family has been involved in any church, and what his experience has been like. Ask if he believes in God, in Jesus, or in the Bible, for example. Ask him to explain his beliefs: How did the world come into being? How did the world come to have so many problems? What happens after death? How do you know if something is true or not? How do you decide what is morally good or bad? Ask how he came to have his convictions.

Don't argue with the person. Don't try to show him the mistakes or contradictions of his views. This conversation is only to understand his way of thinking.

(If for some reason a conversation with an unbeliever doesn't work out, you can practice having a conversation with someone who takes on the role of an unbeliever.)

Journal of reflections

Open a new document (in Word or plain text format) that will be your reflection journal for this spiritual formation exercise. 

a. How did the dialogue go?

b. What did you learn about the experiences and convictions of the unbeliever?