Why Connect with People of a Different Worldview?

What does it mean for Christians to connect with people of a different worldview? Here’s what we mean: it’s cultivating relationships with and learning from people whose perspective differs significantly from yours, without losing Christian convictions about what is true and good. Let’s take a look at what happens when we don’t—and what happens when we do—take the time to connect with outsiders to Christianity.

If I don’t develop the habit of connecting with people of a different worldview . . .

If I can’t connect with people of a different worldview, I will come across as arrogant, apathetic, and awkward. None of these traits make for the kind of person people want to hang out with.

Arrogant. Being unable or unwilling to connect with people who believe differently from you comes across as arrogant. This is because you’re acting as though you have nothing to learn from them, as though there’s nothing important you could give or gain from being their friend.

Apathetic. Not caring to connect with outsiders shows apathy toward them. Did Jesus really come to earth and share the gospel just for the people you love and connect with? Let’s not forget the basics: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). When we don’t care to take steps to connect with people different from us, we show that we don’t really care about them. Unfortunately, this can make it look like the God we say we believe in doesn’t really care about them either—which couldn’t be further from the truth.

Awkward. Being unable and unwilling to connect outside our circles makes us culturally stale and socially awkward. Rather than being conversant with a wide variety of people and topics, we stay in a narrow lane of insider interests.

“Being unable and unwilling to connect outside our circles makes us culturally stale and socially awkward.”

If I do develop the habit of connecting with people of a different worldview . . .

Part of being a Christian is believing that Christianity is true. It’s the same for other worldviews: Part of being a Muslim is believing that Islam is true. Part of being an atheist is believing that atheism is true. Asking a Christian to believe a worldview that teaches beliefs that contradict Christianity is asking them to stop being a Christian.

Since Christians believe Christianity is true, they also believe a couple fundamental truths about humans: First, all humans are made in God’s image and are more valuable than anything else in creation. Second, all humans have sinned and fall short of the glory he created them for.

So is it possible to believe Christianity is true and yet treat people of different worldviews with gentleness and respect? It’s not only possible, but the one follows from the other! If we believe Christianity is true, then we believe that all people are worth our care and attention—and that we all have a sin problem and need Jesus (yes, that means us too!).

If we follow what Christianity teaches and develop the rhythm of connecting with people of a different worldview, we’ll find our lives enriched—and we’ll be able to enrich their lives too.

One evening, my family and I (Daniel) were eating dinner and listening to YouTube play in the background. YouTube was on Autoplay, and after dinner, it started playing a song by a choir in an old, dimly lit church. This caught my five-year-old daughter’s attention, and she started watching from the table. “Ooh,” she said, “creepy people.”

“Creepy people?” I asked. “What do you mean?”

She got closer to the computer, kept watching, and then remarked, “Oh, not creepy people. Just people.”

“Oh, not creepy people. Just people.”

As we connect with people and get closer to them, we often come to the same realization. They’re not creepy. They’re just people—like us. People Jesus came to seek and save.

I can develop the rhythm of connecting with people of a different worldview if . . .

If I want to develop the rhythm of connecting with people of a different worldview, here are some foundations that need to be in place:

Do I know the difference between disagreeing with someone and hating them?

A lot of people think that if you disagree with them, that must mean you hate them. But that’s not what disagreement means! Obviously, it’s possible to be a jerk when you disagree and act hateful about it. But it’s also possible to disagree and still be kind about it. Throughout your life, you’re going to meet people who believe very differently than you do about God, about the afterlife, about the Bible, about sin, about sexuality, and so on. It’s important to be able to disagree while staying friends and being kind.

Do I know the difference between loving someone and affirming their decisions?

It’s easy for people to think that if you really love them, you’ll affirm their decisions. For them, love basically means a thumbs up to whatever they decide to believe or do. But that’s not love, is it? That’s more of a nice form of indifference. It’s telling them that you don’t really care what they think or do as long as it makes them feel good in the moment. Nope, that’s not love at all. If you’re in relationship with someone who persistently makes wrong decisions, the most loving thing you can do is to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15a), when they give you permission to speak truth into their lives. James 5:19–20 says, “My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.”

“If you’re in relationship with someone who persistently makes wrong decisions, the most loving thing you can do is to ‘speak the truth in love.'”

Can I recognize the good in people with whom I disagree?

In Acts 17, the apostle Paul was traveling through Athens, Greece, and what he saw disturbed him. He saw idol after idol and felt the weight of the people’s lostness. Here the Athenians were, bowing down to fake gods while remaining ignorant of the living God who created them and wanted to have a relationship with them. Paul then had the opportunity to speak to the Athenians at a meeting called the Areopagus, located on a hill by the same name. (Four hundred years earlier, the Areopagus was more of a council, the same council that tried Socrates and found him guilty. By Paul’s day, it had become more of a philosophically minded group that met and discussed ideas.)

When Paul addressed the Athenians, he didn’t start with his disgust at their idolatry. Far from it! He actually complimented them on being so religious: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious” (Acts 17:22b). Then, using quotations from their own poets, he introduced them to their Creator and told them about Jesus. We can connect with people of a different worldview if we are able to recognize the good in them, and perhaps even in their views, even though we disagree in significant ways.

Can I ask questions and care about the answer?

A huge part of connecting well with people is being able to ask them questions and genuinely care about their answers. Stay curious, and you’ll have plenty to converse about. You’ll be surprised at the bridges—and friendships—built through genuine interest.