Eternity in Their Hearts, by anthropologist Don Richardson, remains one of the most important books I have ever read; it has profoundly shaped how I view God, people and the world around me.
Richardson’s thesis is simple: God has given prior witness of Himself to all peoples — even pagan 
peoples. Because of this, primitive myths, legends and traditions often pre-figure and foreshadow the Gospel.
Of course, to the student of Scripture, this is not revelatory. Romans 1-3 tells us that every human possesses an intuitive sense of a Law and a Lawgiver. This is often called general revelation because it is a knowledge of God which is plainly available to all mankind. Thus Richardson highlights stories and prophecies from numerous cultures — Burmese, Chinese, Incan, African, even North American Indian — that reflect biblical concepts. The concepts of One True God, a universal Fall, Heaven, Hell, a Sacrificial Lamb and a sacred Book, have existed for centuries in hundreds of cultures — even ones with no previous knowledge of the Gospel. Along the way, Richardson weaves fascinating real-life stories from around the world. He writes,
This is surely a powerful extra-biblical evidence for the authenticity of the Bible as revelation from the one true universal God! It is also. . . the prime reason on the human level for the phenomenal acceptance of Christianity has found among people of many different folk religions worldwide. In addition, Scripture after Scripture has testified down through the centuries that our God has not left Himself without witness — even apart from the preaching of the gospel (see for example, Acts 14:16-17 and Romans 1:19-20 and 2:14-15). That witness — though different in kind and quality from the biblical witness — is still a witness to Him! How tragic then that Christians in general have been told almost nothing of this worldwide phenomenon of monotheistic presupposition underlying most of the world’s folk religions!
Even the most polytheistic of cultures tend to have a “monotheistic presupposition” in that they gravitate toward a “God of gods” or “Supreme God.” The Greeks propounded a plethora of deities, nevertheless Zeus was considered “the king of the gods.” Scripture even suggests this monotheistic impulse exists on a personal level — we instinctively intuit God, His attributes and the wrath to come (Rom. 1:18-20). Though we worship at many altars, there is a haunting sense that we are accountable to only One.
Far from being a sterile theological exercise, this paradigm can radically and practically affect missions, outreach and personal evangelism.
Just think of it: God is busily at work in the world around you! He has not left Himself without witness — 
even in the darkest of hearts and places. Because of this, we should look for His fingerprints. Though beliefs, myths and cultural idiosyncrasies can be crude and imperfect, they can often serve as springboards to the Gospel. Rather than having to rebuke paganism at every turn, rebut and reconstruct culture, we should mine out the divine elements and expose God’s loving, patient hand. Somewhere, even in the most reprobate souls, is the Imago Dei — the image of God — and we should ever seek to kindle those coals.
The account of the apostle Paul on Mars Hill, is often used as a a model of this.
Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.” (Acts 17:22-23 NIV)
The apostle went on to quote one of their own poets to illuminate the Gospel (vs. 28). Rather than pooh-poohing their pagan pantheon, Paul used the Unknown God and their own artists as a springboard to clarify the Real Story. He built upon the witness that God had left of Himself.
God still wants to reach different people groups. In fact, your neighbors, classmates and co-workers may be as far from God as the cannibal or aborigine. But take heart: He loves them far more than you and is preparing their heart for the Gospel. Of course, the language of the North American pagan is far less primitive than the cannibal or aborigine. But, like He did with the Greeks or Burmese, God speaks that language. Nowadays, films, pop songs, and cultural events often contain the imagery of Heaven. It is not our job to point out every indecency, every pagan ideal, every wrong-headed ritual. Instead, we should look for His fingerprints. Maybe, underneath the mortar, buried by pride or guilt or addiction, is an altar to the Unknown God. If so, rather than topple it, why not use it as a springboard?
This is great. Why DO we keep beating our heads against the wall? Trying to change everyone and everything. Why not just consider it all resourses? That’s what Jesus did, right? He’d just look around– look at the birds, look at the flowers, imagine if one of your sheep ran away…
Culture it there. we can just use it.
I’m going to start calling these what they are- Columns. Not thoughts or points or entries. So, with that in mind…
Good column, Mike.
In lieu of a face to face discussion, it may serve to bridge some misconceptions of our differences.
I agree with you completely. My only warning would be that springboarding can sometimes, rather easily, wander into participating or condoning.
Paul mentioned their religious ways but he didn’t assimilate them.
Jesus went to the prostitute, but he didn’t hire her.
When pop culture or cultural depravity presents a danger to our society or leads to an erosion of morality, it has to be called out and defended against. ( Who decides – the word of God, without poisonous misinterpretation. )
“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” – Edmund Burke
The most effective way to change someone’s mind is to present your case in a way that they arrive at the conclusion on their own. In a nutshell, no belittleing. Every human being deserves respect, at least until they become evil. (see Hitler)
So I say springboard away, just don’t fly too close to the sun.
-dayle
Men of the Green Party. I see that you’re commited to the environment, to preserving and protecting nature, and in fact, the planet. I’d like to tell you about someone who cares for it all, even more than you do.
Hey, Mike, I like this. No doubt, it’s an approach that would revolutionalized evangelism.
BTW, if you haven’t read Don Richardson’s Peace Child, I recommend you read it. It’s the perfect illustration of the principle you’re discussing.
Becky
To expand on Rebecca’s pitch to the green party:
Would you like to meet the guy who did the landscaping?
-dayle
dayle, your cautions are well founded. In fact, a new book is out called Idolatry in Their Hearts which is, obviously, a direct rebuttal (if not spoof). I haven’t read the book and, by the looks of the endorsements, probably won’t. They describe Richardson’s approach as “extreme missiological error,” one that “wrongly identif[ies] the God of the Judeo-Christian scriptures with pagan deities in the name of an unbiblically redefined evangelicism.” All that to say, this approach definitely has its detractors.
Whereas the “old approach” of missionaries was to bring a westernized gospel and “deconstruct” primitive societies, the new model allows for a degree of synthesis. You wrote, “My only warning would be that springboarding can sometimes, rather easily, wander into participating or condoning.†As I understand it, Richardson is evangelical and would not endorse the assimilation of paganism with Christianity; he affirms all the basics. But, as you suggest, there is a fine balance between employing pagan imagery / language and affirming it.
It would be the same as saying Star Wars or Harry Potter contain biblical parallels. In doing so – as with anything – you run the risk of appearing to condone the entire thing. Nowadays, people have such black and white views of the Gospel that they view any identification with something non-evangelically endorsed as anathema. Only “Christian sanctioned†films / books / music, they say, should be drawn upon. It is a legalistic, “don’t touch this / don’t touch that†approach. From my perspective, this view puts God in a box and fails to appreciate the larger scheme of things. Everyone is not privileged with a well-defined, Judeo-Christian worldview. To force one upon them – or chastise them for not embracing it – is to burn an important bridge.
Lewis and Chesterton both saw pagan myth as incomplete constructs of a greater, universal Myth. But, as you can guess, they were often misunderstood and criticized for articulating the parallels. To what degree rebuttal and rebuke is needed for “pagans†may have as much to do with the individual listeners as anything. When speaking to children, we must use simplistic terminology and imagery. Of course, at some point, Christians must “put away childish things†(I Cor. 13). But until that faith matures, we should learn to tolerate fairy tales, crayon stick men, and immaturity.
Amen, Mike.
Exactly right. I was the worship leader of a wonderful church, that is until they got rid of the old “great guy, but boring” pastor and brought in a new “younger pastor with some fire”
Well, that church immediately went to “insert explative of your choice here”. One of the first things he said to the youth group was that if Jesus comes and your at the movies, you’re going to get left behind.
WOW!!! well, being young and not as outspoken as I am now, I just walked out and never went back.
All that to say that legalism begats a gestapo mentality. Everyone is propogandized into finding someone who has broken the rules. I saw it ferment in that church first hand.
But back to your point. This may breed the type of person who might land on a island where the native women go topless and he starts stoning them for indecent exposure. (There is a cultural context there) Behavior that is deviant in one culture may be innocent in another. The reality is that the missionary who goes to that island would be in danger because of his cultural background. It is he who is affected and feels the need to act, but he targets the wrong soul.
Most of the code of conduct discussed in the New Testament is for Christians. Not for people who want to be Christians. A relationship with Christ begats good conduct. (hopefully, and not to the same degree in everyone) But good conduct does not begat a relationship with Christ.
I had to write this quickly. Hope it makes sense.
– dayle
Amazing subject. I love the ways God chooses to reveal Himself. I love that He will even use our evil and stupid and pitiful choices to bring us back to Him.
We forget He is the Father to the prodigals, that He desires that none should perish. I wonder if we even make “salvation” more difficult and convoluted than what He set out.
In my experience, people are so careful to make sure that the “right” prayer is said, that the t’s are crossed, the i’s dotted.
When Jesus dealt with those He healed or forgave – He didn’t make them bow and say scripted words, or walk an aisle. His evangelistic sermons or experiences were not identical, some not even close. He knew their hearts.
I’ve even heard of places where the gospel hasn’t been freely preached and yet people talk of dreams they had about a man. Jesus invading a dream. Wow.
I’m becoming more and more convinced that many lost, even rotten people can be and are saved at the very last second with just the simple utterance of the word “Jesus.”
We need to be Him, and live Him, and love what He loves – and we’re going to be part of this process of saving souls.