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Surfing Lessons
- By Greg Stier
- Published 03/19/2008
- Theological Themes
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Greg Stier
Greg Stier was a senior teaching pastor and youth worker for almost 20 years. He specializes in motivating, mobilizing, and equipping teenagers for evangelism and is the president and founder of Dare 2 Share Ministries (http://www.dare2share.org) in Arvada, Colorado, which trains hundreds of thousands of students each year to share their faith.
View all articles by Greg StierRiding the Tricky Waves of Evangelism in a Postmodern Culture
When I began my first surfing lessons in Hawaii recently, I was surprised at how quickly I got up (on my first try) and rode my little two-foot wave toward the shore.
Of course I wasn’t “hanging ten” for very long before crashing into the rocky shallows and sustaining a deep, fist-sized, hip bruise. Nevertheless, I felt victorious—and receiving my black-and-blue trophy was worth the salty pounding.
You see, two main obstacles were stacked against me: 1) I may be the most physically uncoordinated guy on the planet; and 2) I can’t swim.
In fact, taking swimming lessons with my six-year-old boy may have been one of the most embarrassing activities of my 42-year-old life. What’s worse is that I didn’t finish them before I was whisked off to Maui to film a reality series, GOSPEL Journey Maui, that Dare 2 Share Ministries is set to release this fall.
For the shoot, we rented an MTV-style beach house in Kiehe and brought together seven youth (two 18-year-olds and five twentysomethings) representing seven religions. In addition, we had a crew of almost 20 to help pull off this intense production.
The “Cast”
Jasser, a Muslim high school senior and honor student, was excited to be part of this project so he could effectively represent Allah and the Koran as the pathway to ultimate truth.
Emma was the Buddhist from Boulder. This freewheeling spirit was full of quotes from Buddha and was excited to learn from everyone else while teaching us the latest Yoga moves.
Rachael believes God is a black woman who bakes cookies (a la The Matrix), embodies unconditional love, and would never allow a literal hell.
There was another Rachael who was Mormon—although she was raised in a Baptist church, went to AWANA as a child, and attended Disciple Now as a teenager.
Priscilla, a sweet-hearted Seventh Day Adventist, has been torn between her faith and what the world has to offer.
Jonathan, our Jewish participant, was a part-time model, part-time bouncer, and full-time partier. But he was no brainless brute—we later nicknamed him our walking encyclopedia.
And there was Zane, the straight-up Christian. Radically converted just five years ago, he was a strong proponent for Jesus as the sole way of salvation.
The Plot
The participants knew this would be a weeklong discussion caught on film focusing on the six greatest questions of life. Each day we would unfold a new category of questions that would trigger conversation—and we did so in different Maui locales.
On top of a volcano, we talked about the existence of God. On a catamaran about two hours from the beach, we discussed the purpose of life. In a Japanese garden in the Iao Valley, we asked why there are so many different religions. On a beautiful beach at sunset, we discussed the problem of evil. In front of the crashing waves on the Ke’anae Peninsula on the road to Hana, we talked about what happens after you die. And overlooking Molokai (home of the leper colony), we discussed who Jesus is.
The questions were catalytic, and the discussions were honest. The one thing that I guaranteed everyone from day one was that I wouldn’t coerce anyone to convert to Christianity—only that I’d paint a picture of the Christian message that they could choose to accept or reject. At the same time I challenged them all to paint their own picture of their spiritual beliefs that week.
And boy did they ever.
As I reflect on the lessons I learned that week concerning reaching the postmodern generation with the gospel message, I see all sorts of parallels with my surfing lessons.
The Waves are Waiting for Surfers
The morning we all stood on shore, looking at the waves, we were in awe. It was almost as though they were calling us: “Come and give it a shot!” So we did. We rode these waves so hard and so long that when we finally hit the beach we were all comparing our battle scars from being chewed up and spit out by the powerful surf.
Jesus told his disciples in John 4:35, “Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest?’ I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.’” Our Lord was reminding his disciples that the people around them were ready to hear and respond to the good news of his message.
To be honest, I get sick of postmodern whining. I notice many Chicken Little experts shouting, “The postmoderns are here!” as if the sky were falling on evangelism altogether. Suck it up. It’s not all that bad. As a matter of fact, I think we have a huge evangelistic opportunity before us.
I love this generation of young people. They are more open to engage in spiritual truth than any generation I can remember in my four decades on this planet.
Among our cast, open-minded Emma (the Buddhist) was willing to engage about spiritual truth. According to her beliefs, there is truth in every religion. But—and this may surprise you—our Islamic representative, Jasser, was just as willing to engage in this discussion. He had a definite point of view, but he was a learner as well.
I’m fully convinced that this generation is waiting to engage about significant spiritual truth. The problem comes when Christians view themselves as too sophisticated or educated to do the brute (and sometimes brutal) work of evangelism. Many would rather blog or philosophize or criticize than actually engage this generation with the raw truth about Jesus.
My challenge to you is to refuse to sit on the beach. Grab your surfboard and jump into the conversation. This wave of young people is willing to engage. So instead of waxing eloquent in a holy huddle with other Christians, try waxing your board and engage with real kids about the real Jesus.
You may take a pounding, but it’s a whole lot of fun.
Position Your Surfboard, Dude!
Kiko, our Hawaiian surf instructor, told us all to make sure our surfboards were perpendicular to the waves (yes, a surf instructor used the word perpendicular), or we wouldn’t catch the wave at all and could be wiped out by it. He emphasized that even if we aren’t facing the beach exactly, we had to make sure the backs of our boards were flat against the waves. Once on the waves we could worry about making it to shore.
But it all starts with making sure the surfboard and the approaching wave are in harmony.
I learned this lesson with the cast members on Maui. As an evangelist, I have a responsibility to position my surfboard to their waves of understanding before trying to take them to the shore of Christianity. To ensure this would happen, I spent time on camera (and off) digging deep into their spiritual views.
For example, it was interesting that Jasser, my Muslim friend, and I had very similar views of the creation story. And Jonathan, my Jewish friend, had a traditional evolutionary view. Emma, my Buddhist friend, hadn’t really thought much about it. But regardless of similarities or differences, I tried to start with their points of view and moved forward toward the shore.
Isn’t this what Paul taught us in Acts 17? With the philosophers of the Areopagus, Paul does an amazing job of starting with their perspective and moving toward the shore. He gains common ground by complementing them on their spirituality then refers to one of their altars dedicated to “The Unknown God.” He then uses that as a launching pad into a short talk that clarifies just who that unknown God is. Along the way, Paul quotes their pagan poets as he shares the story of the gospel to his skeptical audience.
What does all of this mean for our evangelism efforts with postmodern teenagers? That before we launch into a dialogue about the message of Jesus, we should take a few minutes (or more) to really dig into what they believe. And throughout it all, we should pray that God will help us truly understand where they’re coming from—and look for places in the waves of those conversations to position our surfboards. In other words, we need to start where they are before moving our dialogue toward the gospel.
If we don’t take time to do this, we could find ourselves in a rip current of their frustration.
Gnarly Balance Is Key
Kiko reminded us again and again that as soon as we’re standing on our surfboards, our feet have to be shoulder width apart and balanced. If we didn’t get balanced as soon as we popped to our feet, chances are we’d be face first in the surf.
How true that is in evangelism! What’s the shoulder width balance we need to seek when sharing Jesus with teenagers?
Speaking the truth in love.
George Whitefield, the powerful Puritan preacher from the 18th century, used to pray, “God give me the mixture of the lion and the lamb.” Too many times I’m way more lion than lamb. My courage to preach the truth trumps my compassion for the person with whom I’m sharing Jesus.
During GOSPEL Journey Maui, God gave me the grace and insight to find that balance. The participants felt listened to, appreciated, and respected—even after some of our most intense debates! This kind of balance isn’t easy to find, either; it takes an act of God in our souls to help us find and keep this balance.
Kiko also shared with us that once we were actually up and balanced on our boards, we could take one small step forward if we started slowing down. He said this acted as an accelerator. If we were going too fast, we could take one small step backward. This was our surfing brake.
The same is true as we share Jesus in conversation. Sometimes we need to throw out something more controversial (e.g., Jesus claiming to be the exclusive way to God) to keep the conversation accelerating. And sometimes we need to take a step back to slow the intensity of the conversation down.
The Spirit of God will help us find that balance and know when to accelerate and when to back down a bit.
Stay Behind the Line…or Wipe Out!
There was a long black line toward the top and across the width of my beginner’s board that acted as a warning: Don’t step across me, or you’ll wipe out! Kiko told us all again and again to stay behind the line.
In evangelism are two lines we must stay behind to truly make an impact: The lines of the mind (apologetics) and the heart (the why behind the what).
Any claims concerning the death of apologetics have been greatly exaggerated—I definitely used apologetics during my week in Maui. All the Josh McDowell-Lee Strobel stats and facts came in ultra handy, too.
Those who believe apologetics aren’t important for evangelizing postmoderns have misdiagnosed this generation as purely relational; these young people are rational, too. The biggest challenge was helping them understand that everyone can’t be right. Gravity doesn’t work one way for you and one way for me—and neither does the gravity of spiritual reality.
The second line to stay behind is the line of the heart—helping them understand the why behind the what of their belief systems. This is when the conversation becomes intensely personal.
For example, those who were part of GOSPEL Journey Maui who realized they probably believed what they believed because they came from a family steeped in that belief system were awakened to the reality that they’d most likely believe something else if they were raised in another family. This conscious awakening got behind their worldview wall and helped them begin wondering if they could be missing out on spiritual truth.
A book that was a huge help to me is Why Good Arguments Often Fail by James Sire. Get this book and read it slowly. Make notes in the margin and reimagine your evangelism and apologetics in light of this postmodern culture. This book will help you do just that. It should be read along with the classic apologetics books by the likes of McDowell and Strobel.
Keep Your Eyes on the Shore
“The most important thing to remember while surfing is this,” Kiko reminded us, “Keep your eyes on the shore once you’re up on your board.” He went on to emphasize again and again that those who look at the waves or at their feet on the board end up in the water instead of on it.
We must keep our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, as we share the whole story of the gospel with this generation. He will wave us in, coach us through his Spirit, and let us know when to step forward and step back.
Don’t be intimidated by the naysayers. The gospel message is alive and well. The Word of God is still sharper than ever. It can cut through the waves and bring non-Christian teenagers around us safely to the salvation shore.
So go for it! Bring up the significant spiritual questions of life and God, and let the conversation begin. Instead of waxing eloquent with other Christians, wax your surfboard and ride the wave of evangelism.
Jesus said, “The fields are ripe and ready to harvest.”
Maybe if he ministered in Maui instead of the Middle East he would’ve said, “The waves are big and ready to surf.”
Cowabunga, dude!
Of course I wasn’t “hanging ten” for very long before crashing into the rocky shallows and sustaining a deep, fist-sized, hip bruise. Nevertheless, I felt victorious—and receiving my black-and-blue trophy was worth the salty pounding.
You see, two main obstacles were stacked against me: 1) I may be the most physically uncoordinated guy on the planet; and 2) I can’t swim.
In fact, taking swimming lessons with my six-year-old boy may have been one of the most embarrassing activities of my 42-year-old life. What’s worse is that I didn’t finish them before I was whisked off to Maui to film a reality series, GOSPEL Journey Maui, that Dare 2 Share Ministries is set to release this fall.
For the shoot, we rented an MTV-style beach house in Kiehe and brought together seven youth (two 18-year-olds and five twentysomethings) representing seven religions. In addition, we had a crew of almost 20 to help pull off this intense production.
The “Cast”
Jasser, a Muslim high school senior and honor student, was excited to be part of this project so he could effectively represent Allah and the Koran as the pathway to ultimate truth.
Emma was the Buddhist from Boulder. This freewheeling spirit was full of quotes from Buddha and was excited to learn from everyone else while teaching us the latest Yoga moves.
Rachael believes God is a black woman who bakes cookies (a la The Matrix), embodies unconditional love, and would never allow a literal hell.
There was another Rachael who was Mormon—although she was raised in a Baptist church, went to AWANA as a child, and attended Disciple Now as a teenager.
Priscilla, a sweet-hearted Seventh Day Adventist, has been torn between her faith and what the world has to offer.
Jonathan, our Jewish participant, was a part-time model, part-time bouncer, and full-time partier. But he was no brainless brute—we later nicknamed him our walking encyclopedia.
And there was Zane, the straight-up Christian. Radically converted just five years ago, he was a strong proponent for Jesus as the sole way of salvation.
The Plot
The participants knew this would be a weeklong discussion caught on film focusing on the six greatest questions of life. Each day we would unfold a new category of questions that would trigger conversation—and we did so in different Maui locales.
On top of a volcano, we talked about the existence of God. On a catamaran about two hours from the beach, we discussed the purpose of life. In a Japanese garden in the Iao Valley, we asked why there are so many different religions. On a beautiful beach at sunset, we discussed the problem of evil. In front of the crashing waves on the Ke’anae Peninsula on the road to Hana, we talked about what happens after you die. And overlooking Molokai (home of the leper colony), we discussed who Jesus is.
The questions were catalytic, and the discussions were honest. The one thing that I guaranteed everyone from day one was that I wouldn’t coerce anyone to convert to Christianity—only that I’d paint a picture of the Christian message that they could choose to accept or reject. At the same time I challenged them all to paint their own picture of their spiritual beliefs that week.
And boy did they ever.
As I reflect on the lessons I learned that week concerning reaching the postmodern generation with the gospel message, I see all sorts of parallels with my surfing lessons.
The Waves are Waiting for Surfers
The morning we all stood on shore, looking at the waves, we were in awe. It was almost as though they were calling us: “Come and give it a shot!” So we did. We rode these waves so hard and so long that when we finally hit the beach we were all comparing our battle scars from being chewed up and spit out by the powerful surf.
Jesus told his disciples in John 4:35, “Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest?’ I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.’” Our Lord was reminding his disciples that the people around them were ready to hear and respond to the good news of his message.
To be honest, I get sick of postmodern whining. I notice many Chicken Little experts shouting, “The postmoderns are here!” as if the sky were falling on evangelism altogether. Suck it up. It’s not all that bad. As a matter of fact, I think we have a huge evangelistic opportunity before us.
I love this generation of young people. They are more open to engage in spiritual truth than any generation I can remember in my four decades on this planet.
Among our cast, open-minded Emma (the Buddhist) was willing to engage about spiritual truth. According to her beliefs, there is truth in every religion. But—and this may surprise you—our Islamic representative, Jasser, was just as willing to engage in this discussion. He had a definite point of view, but he was a learner as well.
I’m fully convinced that this generation is waiting to engage about significant spiritual truth. The problem comes when Christians view themselves as too sophisticated or educated to do the brute (and sometimes brutal) work of evangelism. Many would rather blog or philosophize or criticize than actually engage this generation with the raw truth about Jesus.
My challenge to you is to refuse to sit on the beach. Grab your surfboard and jump into the conversation. This wave of young people is willing to engage. So instead of waxing eloquent in a holy huddle with other Christians, try waxing your board and engage with real kids about the real Jesus.
You may take a pounding, but it’s a whole lot of fun.
Position Your Surfboard, Dude!
Kiko, our Hawaiian surf instructor, told us all to make sure our surfboards were perpendicular to the waves (yes, a surf instructor used the word perpendicular), or we wouldn’t catch the wave at all and could be wiped out by it. He emphasized that even if we aren’t facing the beach exactly, we had to make sure the backs of our boards were flat against the waves. Once on the waves we could worry about making it to shore.
But it all starts with making sure the surfboard and the approaching wave are in harmony.
I learned this lesson with the cast members on Maui. As an evangelist, I have a responsibility to position my surfboard to their waves of understanding before trying to take them to the shore of Christianity. To ensure this would happen, I spent time on camera (and off) digging deep into their spiritual views.
For example, it was interesting that Jasser, my Muslim friend, and I had very similar views of the creation story. And Jonathan, my Jewish friend, had a traditional evolutionary view. Emma, my Buddhist friend, hadn’t really thought much about it. But regardless of similarities or differences, I tried to start with their points of view and moved forward toward the shore.
Isn’t this what Paul taught us in Acts 17? With the philosophers of the Areopagus, Paul does an amazing job of starting with their perspective and moving toward the shore. He gains common ground by complementing them on their spirituality then refers to one of their altars dedicated to “The Unknown God.” He then uses that as a launching pad into a short talk that clarifies just who that unknown God is. Along the way, Paul quotes their pagan poets as he shares the story of the gospel to his skeptical audience.
What does all of this mean for our evangelism efforts with postmodern teenagers? That before we launch into a dialogue about the message of Jesus, we should take a few minutes (or more) to really dig into what they believe. And throughout it all, we should pray that God will help us truly understand where they’re coming from—and look for places in the waves of those conversations to position our surfboards. In other words, we need to start where they are before moving our dialogue toward the gospel.
If we don’t take time to do this, we could find ourselves in a rip current of their frustration.
Gnarly Balance Is Key
Kiko reminded us again and again that as soon as we’re standing on our surfboards, our feet have to be shoulder width apart and balanced. If we didn’t get balanced as soon as we popped to our feet, chances are we’d be face first in the surf.
How true that is in evangelism! What’s the shoulder width balance we need to seek when sharing Jesus with teenagers?
Speaking the truth in love.
George Whitefield, the powerful Puritan preacher from the 18th century, used to pray, “God give me the mixture of the lion and the lamb.” Too many times I’m way more lion than lamb. My courage to preach the truth trumps my compassion for the person with whom I’m sharing Jesus.
During GOSPEL Journey Maui, God gave me the grace and insight to find that balance. The participants felt listened to, appreciated, and respected—even after some of our most intense debates! This kind of balance isn’t easy to find, either; it takes an act of God in our souls to help us find and keep this balance.
Kiko also shared with us that once we were actually up and balanced on our boards, we could take one small step forward if we started slowing down. He said this acted as an accelerator. If we were going too fast, we could take one small step backward. This was our surfing brake.
The same is true as we share Jesus in conversation. Sometimes we need to throw out something more controversial (e.g., Jesus claiming to be the exclusive way to God) to keep the conversation accelerating. And sometimes we need to take a step back to slow the intensity of the conversation down.
The Spirit of God will help us find that balance and know when to accelerate and when to back down a bit.
Stay Behind the Line…or Wipe Out!
There was a long black line toward the top and across the width of my beginner’s board that acted as a warning: Don’t step across me, or you’ll wipe out! Kiko told us all again and again to stay behind the line.
In evangelism are two lines we must stay behind to truly make an impact: The lines of the mind (apologetics) and the heart (the why behind the what).
Any claims concerning the death of apologetics have been greatly exaggerated—I definitely used apologetics during my week in Maui. All the Josh McDowell-Lee Strobel stats and facts came in ultra handy, too.
Those who believe apologetics aren’t important for evangelizing postmoderns have misdiagnosed this generation as purely relational; these young people are rational, too. The biggest challenge was helping them understand that everyone can’t be right. Gravity doesn’t work one way for you and one way for me—and neither does the gravity of spiritual reality.
The second line to stay behind is the line of the heart—helping them understand the why behind the what of their belief systems. This is when the conversation becomes intensely personal.
For example, those who were part of GOSPEL Journey Maui who realized they probably believed what they believed because they came from a family steeped in that belief system were awakened to the reality that they’d most likely believe something else if they were raised in another family. This conscious awakening got behind their worldview wall and helped them begin wondering if they could be missing out on spiritual truth.
A book that was a huge help to me is Why Good Arguments Often Fail by James Sire. Get this book and read it slowly. Make notes in the margin and reimagine your evangelism and apologetics in light of this postmodern culture. This book will help you do just that. It should be read along with the classic apologetics books by the likes of McDowell and Strobel.
Keep Your Eyes on the Shore
“The most important thing to remember while surfing is this,” Kiko reminded us, “Keep your eyes on the shore once you’re up on your board.” He went on to emphasize again and again that those who look at the waves or at their feet on the board end up in the water instead of on it.
We must keep our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, as we share the whole story of the gospel with this generation. He will wave us in, coach us through his Spirit, and let us know when to step forward and step back.
Don’t be intimidated by the naysayers. The gospel message is alive and well. The Word of God is still sharper than ever. It can cut through the waves and bring non-Christian teenagers around us safely to the salvation shore.
So go for it! Bring up the significant spiritual questions of life and God, and let the conversation begin. Instead of waxing eloquent with other Christians, wax your surfboard and ride the wave of evangelism.
Jesus said, “The fields are ripe and ready to harvest.”
Maybe if he ministered in Maui instead of the Middle East he would’ve said, “The waves are big and ready to surf.”
Cowabunga, dude!
Spread The Word
Comments
Comment #1 (Posted by Karen)
Rating:
Truthfully, I almost did not read this. I am kind of "done" with D2Share type evangelism and started reading with a level of uncertainty and distrust. I stand corrected and am pretty amazed at the willingness to sit down with this group of students to film the show. I appreciate the open dialogue and the promise of not trying to coerce and convert, but to listen and to learn, and I really appreciate it from someone I normally consider to follow a pretty tight formula. Thanks for sending this our way..
