Digging Deeper – Earning the Right: Predispositional Evangelism

I am pretty sure that Hollywood doesn’t understand Christianity. I know that’s not news to you, but the perception that popular culture projects makes it more challenging to share the Gospel. Whenever I see a portrayal of people of faith on TV shows, they seem to fall into a few categories: clueless comic relief, judgmental holier-than-thou antagonist, or life coaches full of pithy sayings. I’ll admit, I’ve encountered people in churches who might fit those categories, but what Hollywood rarely presents is that we have the best news ever and want to share it with the world! That’s a problem.

Lately, I’ve been reading a lot about how our brains work because I find that fascinating. Think about it: everything you experience outside your body in the world around you is being processed inside your brain (mind-blowing, right?). In The Expectation Effect, the author, David Robson, presents the idea that our brains are “prediction machines.” The brain uses previous information to process current information, and in many cases, our brain will fit new information into what it is already expecting. One example the author gives is that a mixture of isovaleric and butyric acid has an acrid odor. If the substance is labeled “parmesan cheese,” it causes salivation when sniffed, but if the same substance is labeled “vomit,” it causes a retching reaction. The same smell is interpreted in different ways through the lens of expectation.

People sometimes have negative or indifferent views toward God and the church, which can create expectations of what we Christians believe. Maybe the expectation comes from the way popular culture portrays faith, or it may stem from negative experiences in the past that have left an impression that the church is not a good place. Why would someone want to come and hear the good news if they already think they know what we have to say? And with that perspective, even if they did come to church, they would look for ways to affirm what they think they know.

That’s why what we do in the community matters. Every time we run a concession stand at a football game so some parents can see their kids on the field, we change the expectations of what the church is about. Whenever we host a banquet, sponsor a club or sport, provide gift cards for teachers, take Starbucks to chemo patients, or feed families during the holidays, we show Jesus’s love and change the expectations of what a church is and does.

When Ryan Hoffer and I discussed this idea, he jokingly called it “Predispositional Evangelism.” I think that’s a great description. We are preparing the field of people’s minds and hearts to receive the seed of the Gospel by changing their negative predispositions. Their expectations of what NorthStar is as a church move past those negative assumptions. Hopefully, it also inspires curiosity about why we do what we do—enough that many even become curious enough to come on a Sunday.

Today, pray and ask God if He is calling you to serve. Our community has many opportunities to serve and change how people view the church and, by extension, God.