On Tuesday, January 31, the Inter-European Division and Trans-European Division co-hosted the first of ten webinars taking place in 2023, to train and inspire Adventist communicators across Europe.
In this first seminar, Gabriel Begle, Digital Platforms director for Adventist Review, explained the mindset of secular post-church European society and how Christian communicators can find ways to connect.
How does a post-Christian think?
Firstly, reality is seen through personal lens. Thus, trying to understand reality is useless because it is too complex anyways. The truth? Truth is not an absolute value, it has to work for one’s personal needs.
A post-Christian thinks also that there are no simple answers to life's most complex questions. Furthermore, she/he believes that common values of the group and community are of high importance, because friends are derived from people that share common values.
A post-Christian deeply believes that tolerance is a key. Everyone must live the way they want to. Thus, there are no better belief systems than others, there's no reason to argue.
Eventually, Idealism is dead, and pragmatism and the finding of solutions are foundational. For a post-Christian, institutional religion is dead, it represents a failure.
The spiritual solution
While Begle recognised the need to have a strategy to understand the audience – using demographic data, observing trends and more aspects of various people groups – he believes that, ultimately, there is deeply spiritual solution to the problem of connecting with a post-church society, which is far more personal than many would like.
Begle continued his presentation by inviting Adventist communicators to connect with other people, find some common ground, build sincere relationships and friendships, and help people find practical solutions to meet their needs. Thus, he also underlined the importance of testimony: “Don’t talk about religion and institutions, tell the people what Jesus has done for you. Jesus is the answer. People are hurt, tell them how Jesus healed your wounds. Be sincere, be authentic.”
Begle concluded by saying that “a post-Christian society is a big opportunity for us. While Christian societies of the past were rooted in traditions and culture, a post-Christian society demands a sincere connection with a person, that is Jesus Christ!”
To download the PDF of Begle’s presentation, please go here.
To watch the video of the seminar, please go here.
