Ray Ciervo Ministries

Several times I’ve heard the “arenas” for the place of ideas are the university, the media, and the “water cooler.” Ravi Zacharias uses this illustration to explain the flow of ideas and their impact. Although, I have always admired Ravi’s ability to articulate truth in defense of the gospel, this illustration has particular merit.

Recently, I had the privilege of traveling to Athens, Greece to minister. Not only was it an opportunity to minister, but I also had the opportunity to visit some of the ancient sites. Personally, for me the moment of significance was ascending “Mars Hill” the Areopagus from Acts 17:16-34. The words of the Apostle Paul suddenly became alive. You could see him motioning to the various temples easily within sight as the Acropolis is just there. As an amateur history buff I like to visit battle grounds, etc. But this was something more. I was standing on a piece of biblical history that related directly to apologetics.

The Acropolis rises above the city of Athens, Greece and was a center of the Ancient Greeks. The Parthenon is a massive structure that would have been at the center of Greek worship on the Acropolis; inside was a huge statue of Athena for who Athens is named. The Parthenon is a magnificent structure even in its disassembled state. Up on the Acropolis are also several other temples, one devoted to the goddess Nike who would have been credited for the Greek victory over the Persians at Marathon.

The structures are all representative of some value the ancient Greeks held. I was struck with the presence of not one, but two amphitheaters beneath the Acropolis, on the west side. Looking down on these artistically designed outdoor theaters I was told the larger one, the Theater of Dionysus, was the birth place of theater itself. Thousands could gather in the larger amphitheater and not miss a word. The acoustics are truly a marvel.

So now, the wheels of my mind start to spin. Up on the Acropolis is the place of worship, the place of beliefs, the place of ideas. Below are the theaters where the ideas and beliefs are acted out. Beyond the compound of the Acropolis would be the “agora” the meeting place. Almost always interpreted as a “marketplace” the agora was the place where everyday life took place. Citizens would assemble in the agora for a number of reasons, not the least was discussion about life, the plays, the beliefs. Yes, merchants sold their goods in the agora, but it was much more then that. From Acts we read: Now the Athenians and strangers visiting there used to spend their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something new. (Acts 17:21)

The beliefs and ideas flowed from the heights of the Acropolis, through the media of the amphitheaters and into the “agora.” When they heard Paul, the brought him to the place where the ideas were hammered out. This was the place that debated the veracity of the claims. Hearing Paul’s “strange” ideas, they brought him to Mars Hill, The Areopagus. 

Ravi’s idea of how ideas are formed in our culture began to hit home as I began to see the resemblance in our culture. Instead of the Acropolis, we have universities. It’s there that ideas are hammered out, adopted, and then spelled out. The Theater of Dionysus was enormous in its day, but it doesn’t compare to the power of media today. Out multifaceted media disseminates those ideas in a multitude of means which find their way to the water cooler conversations.

As most conversations take place at the third level, few if any meaningful dialogues climb back up the mountain. Turn your attention again to Acts 17:16 and see this was not so with the Apostle Paul. He was taken from the third level up to Mars Hill where the ideas were formed. And in his courageous inimitable style his addressed the situation. “Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects,” he began. He went on to declare that their religion was in ignorance and that God had declared the end of ignorance as far as worship was concerned. 

Some believe Paul’s address on Mars Hill was a failure with few converts. I think differently. Although, I don’t believe it is beyond God to record failures in ministry and church, there is much more to this story. Acts 17 particularly shows how Paul dealt with different audiences. To the Jews he argued from the Scripture. With the unbelieving Greeks he used their own religion, switched to God’s revelation in Creation and presented the same Jesus. From an apologist viewpoint, it was brilliant. Paul found the common ground and proceeded to bring truth to their understanding. In effect he said, “How can you worship something you’ve made with your own hands?” It was the resurrection that made most of them cry out against him and scoff. However this was not the end. Paul had at least two converts.

The two people Luke mentions who responded positively are Dionysius the Areopagite and Damaris. Both have streets in their name at the bottom of the Areopagus. Dionysius appears in tradition as someone who took note of the “dark” day when the sun was hidden. It is reported he believed something happened of universal proportion. Upon hearing Paul he identified it with the day Christ died. The point here is that Dionysius was someone seeking and who’s name now continues with us in Scripture and on street signs. One would have to believe a church soon began in Athens to continue this tradition.

The lesson from Acts 17 with regards to apologetics must keep our attention. As Paul went to those who were hammering out the beliefs of the day, so should we. Admittedly, it was by divine appointment, but should we expect anything less? God made a way for Paul to strike at the heart of pagan religion which had spread to Rome and was reinterpreted to their own lusts and desires.

Today, there is no end to water cooler conversations taking place in real life and cyberspace. This does little to affect anything more than our emotions. The real place of influence is to begin to climb the mountain. Getting into the place where the ideas, or the ammunition is made is the best tactic. Producing apologists who will question the unrestricted atheist professors with intelligent and cogent inquiries and arguments is a beginning. Beginning support groups that study apologetics and its methods is another way to begin. The university was a place of free debate and is only now beginning to see the rise of interest in sponsoring Christian apologists. We must adopt a strategy that plants dynamic groups of young people on the campus to debate the ideas being formed there. We must support Christians who learn philosophy and apologetics so that they can voice their perspective into a “one sided” conversation.

The arts are another place we must influence. I hear about Christian artists who play music, act in sitcoms and movies, but do not really express the Christian message. What I have seen is not representative of the gospel. Where is the Christian art? Where are the artists who can explain the beauty of dance from a Christian perspective. And, where are the movies and plays that portray the values of a Christian worldview? It seems what we see is Christians who successfully perform with pagans but express the pagan worldview. Where is the testimony in this? If all we are doing is seeking to succeed in the world, then - mission accomplished. 

Witnessing with our character to other artists is important, but not all there is to do. It is admirable for someone to successfully work their craft in a hostile environment and remain true to their values.

However, there must be more. We want to influence the ideas, no we want to confront the ideas and declare the day of ignorance is over. If we take this page from Acts 17, this is the day of declaration. The day of ignorance is over - Christ is risen, Christ is Lord.

Going back up the incline of ideas is not easy and as I mentioned earlier, must be appointed by God. However, I believe we are witnessing more than one appointment pretty regularly. The opportunities are presenting themselves and people of honest intellectual integrity want to know the truth. Our responsibility is to declare it and do it in terms they understand. Such is the job of apologists.