# Questions to ask non-Christians



## Toasty

I usually ask non-Christians these questions to get into a conservation about God and His plan of salvation.

What is your church or religious background?
What has your experience been with Christianity?
What do you think happens to people when they die?

What kind of questions do you ask non-Christians to get into a conservation about Christ? Are there any questions that would be appropriate to ask some people, but not to others?


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## RamistThomist

1) What do you think Christians mean by the term "God?" (This is huge and rarely asked?
2) How does the answer to (1) influence your view of the God revealed in Jesus the Messiah?
3) What do you think the Messiah's Kingdom is like?
4) Why do you think the current liturgical alternatives are preferable to Messiah's Kingdom?


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## rookie

Reading Greg Koukl's "Tactics" right now. Gives tons of ideas based on the situation at hand. And also gives the questions to "back them" in a corner so to speak with their thoughts. So far, best book I have read on defending the faith.


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## timfost

Since so many know something of Christianity, might a logical question be, "why are you *not* a Christian?" It seems to me that many have had bad experiences with people who are Christians in name only. This may create a segue into drawing out their misconceptions about Christianity so that the Christ of the bible can be offered without hypocrisy.


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## Herald

I like the two "diagnostic questions" that are part of the Evangelism Explosion program:

1. Have you come to the place in your spiritual life where you can say you know for certain that if you were to die today you would go to heaven?

2. Suppose that you were to die today and stand before God and he were to say to you, "Why should I let you into my heaven?" what would you say?

Those two questions can illicit a number of responses, all of which could lead to an opportunity to share the Gospel.


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## starchild1980200

Herald said:


> I like the two "diagnostic questions" that are part of the Evangelism Explosion program:
> 
> 1. Have you come to the place in your spiritual life where you can say you know for certain that if you were to die today you would go to heaven?
> 
> 2. Suppose that you were to die today and stand before God and he were to say to you, "Why should I let you into my heaven?" what would you say?
> 
> Those two questions can illicit a number of responses, all of which could lead to an opportunity to share the Gospel.




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## RamistThomist

Depending on the person's background and interest, and if those interests move towards "spiritualism," ask them

*How do angels fit in your worldview? What do they do? Who sent them? For whom do they work?


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## Philip

Are you lost in the cosmos?


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## mgkortus

rookie said:


> Reading Greg Koukl's "Tactics" right now. Gives tons of ideas based on the situation at hand. And also gives the questions to "back them" in a corner so to speak with their thoughts. So far, best book I have read on defending the faith.



Why does the author suggest backing someone into a corner? Personally, when I am backed into a corner I become defensive, irritable, and less willing to communicate.


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## Toasty

mgkortus said:


> rookie said:
> 
> 
> 
> Reading Greg Koukl's "Tactics" right now. Gives tons of ideas based on the situation at hand. And also gives the questions to "back them" in a corner so to speak with their thoughts. So far, best book I have read on defending the faith.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Why does the author suggest backing someone into a corner? Personally, when I am backed into a corner I become defensive, irritable, and less willing to communicate.
Click to expand...


I read that book. The author is saying that if someone makes a claim, then you ask him, "How did you come to that conclusion?" You are trying to ask the person to defend his claims without provoking him to become defensive.

If you are talking with a non-Christian about Christ and he makes claims such as "The Bible is full of errors", "There is no evidence that God created the world", or "There are no absolute moral values" then you can ask him, "How did you come to that conclusion?"


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## Ask Mr. Religion

Conversation starters:

1. What kind of God, if any, actually exists?
2. Is there anything beyond the cosmos?
3. What can be known and how can anyone know it?
4. Where did I come from?
5. Who am I?
6. Where am I?
7. How should I live?
8. What should I consider of great worth?
9. What is humanity's fundamental problem?
10. How can humanity's problem be solved?
11. What is the meaning and direction of history?
12. Will I survive the death of my body and, if so, in what state?


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## mgkortus

Toasty said:


> I usually ask non-Christians these questions to get into a conservation about God and His plan of salvation.
> 
> What is your church or religious background?
> What has your experience been with Christianity?
> What do you think happens to people when they die?
> 
> What kind of questions do you ask non-Christians to get into a conservation about Christ? Are there any questions that would be appropriate to ask some people, but not to others?



To add to Toasty's original questions - do others have recommendations for how to transition from a casual conversation to posing one of the many questions that have been suggested in this thread? It seems that going from a conversation about the weather to - "what happens to people when they die?" - would come across as forced. Are there ways to transition, or does it boil down to looking for opportunities within the conversation itself?


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## Toasty

Ask Mr. Religion said:


> Conversation starters:
> 
> 1. What kind of God, if any, actually exists?
> 2. Is there anything beyond the cosmos?
> 3. What can be known and how can anyone know it?
> 4. Where did I come from?
> 5. Who am I?
> 6. Where am I?
> 7. How should I live?
> 8. What should I consider of great worth?
> 9. What is humanity's fundamental problem?
> 10. How can humanity's problem be solved?
> 11. What is the meaning and direction of history?
> 12. Will I survive the death of my body and, if so, in what state?



Those are some great questions. I'll keep those in mind.


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## Toasty

mgkortus said:


> Toasty said:
> 
> 
> 
> I usually ask non-Christians these questions to get into a conservation about God and His plan of salvation.
> 
> What is your church or religious background?
> What has your experience been with Christianity?
> What do you think happens to people when they die?
> 
> What kind of questions do you ask non-Christians to get into a conservation about Christ? Are there any questions that would be appropriate to ask some people, but not to others?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> To add to Toasty's original questions - do others have recommendations for how to transition from a casual conversation to posing one of the many questions that have been suggested in this thread? It seems that going from a conversation about the weather to - "what happens to people when they die?" - would come across as forced. Are there ways to transition, or does it boil down to looking for opportunities within the conversation itself?
Click to expand...


What do you think about the following?

Ask the person what they do during the weekends. After he tells you, you can say what you do on the weekends. You can say that you go to church on Sundays and then ask if he has any church background. If he says that he doesn't then, you can invite him to church. You can ask if he has ever thought about who Jesus is, why He died, and so on.


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## Philip

It'll come up. Doesn't need to be forced. Trying to segue a conversation is usually pretty obvious and makes the other person uncomfortable and that shuts down any real discussion.


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## mgkortus

Toasty said:


> mgkortus said:
> 
> 
> 
> To add to Toasty's original questions - do others have recommendations for how to transition from a casual conversation to posing one of the many questions that have been suggested in this thread? It seems that going from a conversation about the weather to - "what happens to people when they die?" - would come across as forced. Are there ways to transition, or does it boil down to looking for opportunities within the conversation itself?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> What do you think about the following?
> 
> Ask the person what they do during the weekends. After he tells you, you can say what you do on the weekends. You can say that you go to church on Sundays and then ask if he has any church background. If he says that he doesn't then, you can invite him to church. You can ask if he has ever thought about who Jesus is, why He died, and so on.
Click to expand...


Perfect! And at the same time, a sad reminder that almost every week I squander a perfect opportunity to witness by highlighting everything else I did over the weekend and tacking on that I went to church as though it was an afterthought. In considering good questions to start conversations about our faith, we should consider the need for God's enabling grace in order that we seek His Kingdom rather than our own and pray for that grace.


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## Toasty

ReformedReidian said:


> 1) What do you think Christians mean by the term "God?" (This is huge and rarely asked?
> 2) How does the answer to (1) influence your view of the God revealed in Jesus the Messiah?
> 3) What do you think the Messiah's Kingdom is like?
> 4) Why do you think the current liturgical alternatives are preferable to Messiah's Kingdom?



Those are some good ones. I've never thought of those.


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## JoannaV

"When you hear Christians talk about "the Gospel", what do you think they are referring to?"


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## rookie

Toasty said:


> mgkortus said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> rookie said:
> 
> 
> 
> Reading Greg Koukl's "Tactics" right now. Gives tons of ideas based on the situation at hand. And also gives the questions to "back them" in a corner so to speak with their thoughts. So far, best book I have read on defending the faith.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Why does the author suggest backing someone into a corner? Personally, when I am backed into a corner I become defensive, irritable, and less willing to communicate.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> I read that book. The author is saying that if someone makes a claim, then you ask him, "How did you come to that conclusion?" You are trying to ask the person to defend his claims without provoking him to become defensive.
> 
> If you are talking with a non-Christian about Christ and he makes claims such as "The Bible is full of errors", "There is no evidence that God created the world", or "There are no absolute moral values" then you can ask him, "How did you come to that conclusion?"
Click to expand...


My apologies if I sounded like I was trying to back someone in a corner. What Greg essentially says is "if you believe x, can you support x". And naturally, when someone can't support their own belief system, they may become abrasive, but not because of you, because they know they have nothing.


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## Andrew P.C.

Well, I'd just like to suggest a book that is very good. This book by Greg Bahnsen is a great guide to biblical apologetics.


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