We’ve heard the admonishment all our lives: It’s not polite to talk about politics or religion in social or business settings.
That advice seems to be most liberally applied to matters of faith, as a recent Pew Research Center survey reveals that most Americans rarely, if ever, discuss religion with anybody but family.
Avoiding certain topics
“Judging by the results of our recently released survey on religion in everyday life, religion does indeed seem to be a subject many people avoid,” the survey stated. “About half of U.S. adults tell us they seldom (33 percent) or never (16 percent) talk about religion with people outside their family. And roughly 4 in 10 say they seldom (26 percent) or never (13 percent) discuss religion even with members of their immediate family.”
The survey goes on to show that “two-thirds of highly religious Americans — defined as those who say they pray daily and attend religious services weekly — report that they talk about religion with their immediate families at least once a week, and 43 percent say they talk about religion with people outside their families each week.”
Evangelical Protestants and members of historically black Protestant churches are most likely to have religious conversations outside the family, the survey indicated, but even those conversations were likely to be among fellow evangelicals and others with shared beliefs — in essence, preaching to the choir.
“Despite the common assumption that evangelicals are eager to persuade others to adopt their religious beliefs,” the Pew survey noted, “that’s not what most say they do.”
Can’t keep quiet
So how does this deeply ingrained reticence square with biblical mandates to “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15) and “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:19)?
It doesn’t, according to Miguel Echevarria, assistant professor of Christian ministries in the School of Christian Ministries at the University of Mobile.
“You can’t be afraid of sharing the gospel,” Echevarria said. “If you keep your faith to yourself, you’re actually being disobedient to that command.”
Christians too often try to isolate their lives of faith — including church, prayer, Bible study — from the everyday world, Echevarria said.
“We try and keep it too compartmentalized,” he said. “At the University of Mobile, we try to teach that you incorporate your faith into everyday life. That Christian worldview should permeate everything we do.”
While students at his faith-based university are encouraged to speak out about matters of faith and religion, Echevarria said, they are being restricted from doing so in other, secular settings. “In the North Carolina State University student union you can no longer talk about Jesus without a permit,” Echevarria said.
Grace Christian Life, a religious student organization, filed suit against the university April 26 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, claiming the university’s “Student Speech Policy” violates their rights to free speech.
Lawyers for the group assert that the policy has been selectively applied in a way that inhibits religious student groups’ speech more than that of other student groups.’
Echevarria blames a current culture that tolerates all manner of nontraditional views at the same time it punishes the expression of traditional Christian values.
“While we are becoming more open to alternative lifestyles we are becoming less open to people openly talking about religion, less tolerant to the gospel,” he said. “There should be room to disagree.”
As an example, Echevarria points out that new workplace rules set in place to protect the rights of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) employees are now restricting the free-speech rights of Christians.
How do Christians express their views without igniting a firestorm?
That, too, is becoming more difficult in today’s combative, “my way or the highway” culture, when even presidential politics have devolved into schoolyard taunts and name-calling.
Whether the argument is between students debating the morality of gay “marriage” or high-ranking faith leaders challenging their peers to speak out against a presidential candidate, it pays to be polite.
Besides, Echevarria said, that’s what the gospel calls for in 1 Peter 3:15: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”
Respectful discourse involves some discretion, Echevarria suggested. “You want to pick your opportunities and pray that God opens doors.” Still, even if conflict is unavoidable, Christians must not shy away from expressing their faith.
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