In Athens, the “other religions” capital of his world, the apostle Paul was “invited” (verse 19 said “they took him into custody”) to speak to a curious, skeptical group. He didn’t criticize their “idolatry,” but gave us a model for dealing graciously and respectfully with people of different faiths while still declaring his own faith clearly. In verse 28, he even quoted a Cretan philosopher named Epimenides and the Stoic poet Aratus.

• When Paul showed enough familiarity with Greek and Roman writers to quote them spontaneously, was he “selling out” his own faith or finding creative ways to open doors in the hearts and minds of his hearers? How have you seen a spirit open to ideas, cultures and lifestyles other than your own allow you to move toward conversation rather than confrontation?
• In Vanishing Grace, Yancey said, “It makes a huge difference whether I treat a nonbeliever as someone who is wrong rather than as someone who is on the way but lost …Instead of condemning his audience to hell for practicing idolatry, Paul begins by commending their spiritual search, especially their devotion to an ‘unknown God.’” How did Paul’s approach echo the way Jesus himself lived out the heart of God (cf. John 3:16-17)? How can you share your faith with non-religious and nominally religious people without condemning them?