The famous apologist Tertullian once asked, “What does Athens have to do with Jerusalem?”[1]
While Jerusalem was known as the center of religion, Athens was a city of philosophy, known as a meeting place for new ideas. As Acts 17:21 describes, “Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new” (ESV). I picture a scene similar to that of the show Shark Tank, where the philosophers would sit around, while, one by one, other would-be philosophers would try to “sell” their philosophical ideas.
Athens was known for its famous residents such as Plato, Aristotle, Hippocrates (the father of Western medicine), and Socrates (the father of Western philosophy). This place was also known for worshipping false idols. Acts 17:16 says, “Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.” Athens was a very pluralistic society.
When I think about the culture in Athens, I am reminded of our current culture. I believe that many issues we are dealing with in our culture today are influenced by old philosophical ideas that still exist. We too live in a pluralistic society, much like Athens.
If Christians are to fulfill the Great Commission, then we must engage our culture, and one of the best examples we have for engaging the culture is the Apostle Paul’s approach toward the people of Athens in Acts 17.
Paul Went Where Lost People Were
Paul traveled to Athens on his second missionary journey. After arriving in Athens, he went to three places: the synagogues (v. 17), the marketplaces, and the Areopagus (v. 22). As Paul visited each place, he engaged the people he met in conversation and reasoned the truth of the gospel with them (v. 17).
Like Paul, we as Christians must live our daily lives on mission. As we go out into our communities, schools, and workplaces, we must always be on mission. The key to living on mission is to go where people are and build a relationship with them in hopes of having gospel conversations with them. Willis and Coe state, “When we combine our natural rhythms or passions with the gospel and use them to build relationships, powerful things happen. Our passions or placement (where we live, where we go) can help us identify opportunities for sharing the gospel.”[2]
Paul Took Time to Learn the Culture and Worldview Around Him
“Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.” (Acts 17:16)
The word “saw” as translated by the ESV, or “beholding” in the NASB, means that Paul stared long and hard. He took time to observe and get a good feel for the culture and worldview of the people around him. As Paul walked around the city, he noticed that it was full of idols.
“So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship. I found also an altar with this inscription: to the unknown god. What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.” (Acts 17:22-23)
As Paul walked around the city, he learned what we would call their worldview: a set of beliefs about origin, meaning, morality, and destiny. Everyone has a worldview. As we seek to engage cultures, we must first understand their beliefs and worldview. We must learn this in order to know how best to challenge those beliefs and build bridges to share the gospel.
The truth is that everyone we encounter has a different worldview, and we must first understand their particular worldview to connect to the gospel.
Paul Challenged the Culture and Worldview
The Greek word for “reasoned” means to converse, to argue, or to discuss. As Paul reasoned with the people of Athens, he seemed to intrigue them. Remember, the Athenians always wanted to be amazed and to learn something new. Verse 18 says that some of these called him a “babbler,” which refers to one who takes an idea from someone else and passes it off as their own (a plagiarist). Therefore, some were essentially saying, “Let’s listen to this guy who is going to take someone else’s idea and pawn it off as his own,” while others seemed intrigued that he was preaching about a foreign divinity and wanted to hear if Paul had something new to teach them. Either way, the people were intrigued and wanted to hear more. The text says they took him to the Areopagus or the court to listen to him more.
As we engage our culture, this is what we hope for. We hope that, as we engage people with gospel conversations, they will be intrigued and want to hear more. We must enter their storyline to understand what they believe.[3] This is what Paul did in Athens in Acts 17, and what we should do.
The truth is that if we cannot get a person to question their own worldview, then it will be hard to reveal the truth of the gospel. I was talking with a Christian counselor one day who shared about counseling someone struggling with gender dysphoria. He said the only effective way to counsel people in this situation—and many others—was to first get them to question their own beliefs. Only then would they be open to him sharing the truth with them.
Paul Revealed the Truth of the Gospel
Now that Paul understood the worldview of the people of Athens and had used that knowledge to challenge and intrigue them, it was time for him to share the truth of God’s Word. In Paul’s speech in Acts 17, he does not focus on Israel’s history or even quote Scripture but rather centers on creation and draws on philosophical languages. Paul basically meets them where they are and then connects them to the gospel.
Paul realized that these people had a wrong view of God and the world, beginning with creation. He therefore describes how God created the world and continues to sustain it. He reveals how God can be known and that he desires to be known and worshipped by his people. Paul also reveals how the people were ignorant in their beliefs, and that God has called all of us to repent of our sins and rebellion against God before the day of judgment. Paul then focuses on the resurrection of Jesus. He reveals the gospel, and how our hope cannot be found a philosopher or in philosophy but only in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only one who can save us and give us peace, hope, and happiness.
See what Paul did? He not only understood their worldview and challenged it, but he revealed the truth of God’s Word. As we engage the world, we must do the same. We must replace worldviews based on falsehoods with the true biblical worldview. We must speak the truth about creation, sin, repentance, and following Jesus. We must share the entire truth of the gospel, not some watered-down version of it.
Conclusion
As we engage the culture, there will be some who believe, and there will be some who will not. In Acts 17:32-34, some of Paul’s audience mocked him, some wanted to hear more, and some believed. Our role is to share the gospel. It is God’s role to convict and save. As we share the gospel, just as with Paul, there will be some people who believe—praise God! There will be others who want and need to hear more, and we will continue to share with them. There will be still others who will not believe, and we will continue to pray for them—but again, our role is to share, and it is God’s role to convict.
Questions for Reflection
- What are some ways you can live on mission in the daily rhythms of your life?
- What are some ways you can learn the worldview of people with whom you daily come into contact?
[1] Gerald Bray, Athens and Jerusalem: Philosophy, Theology and the Mind of Christ (St. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2024).
[2] Dustin Willis and Aaron Coe, Life on Mission: Joining the Everyday Mission of God (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2014.
[3] Sam Chan, How to Talk about Jesus Without Being That Guy (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2020).
