Its been about 8 weeks now that we have had a puppy in our lives and in many ways it has been like having a toddler around again.They know very little, are completely self focused and the trick is to somehow train them to fit into your way of life rather than having them train you to their preferences.

Easier said than done. And I have done my fair share of reading and Youtubing to try and work out how to create a good dog rather than an out of control crazy mutt. There are plenty of opinions on the best ways to go about things, from the electric collar crew to the ‘just keep giving her treats until she figures it out’ mob. In many ways ‘parenting’ for dogs has largely taken on a similar tone to more recent forms of human parenting – no angry words, no hurting their feelings and definitely no smacking. Yeah right…

As I’ve read and observed about 10 different approaches, the one I like best is ‘Doggy Dan’ as his core idea is that if you want to communicate with a dog then you need to think like a dog. Dare i say this is not rocket science… But in the world of quick fixes, treats or smacks seem to be the most popular go to.

Central to Dan’s philosophy is the idea that the dog needs a ‘loving pack leader’ who takes control and gives order and structure to their lives. But to do that well you need to think like a dog. I won’t go into all of his methods, but in short it’s a framework built on trust, love and then consistent interaction in a way that the dog understands. As an example, if I come home at the end of the day to see a hole dug in my lawn there is no point in me smacking the dog there and then because she won’t understand why I am behaving like that. To her I just seem like an irrational, angry man.

Switch hats with me now to the core of why this blog exists – to reflect on missionary practices in the Western world, particularly Australia. We have to learn to ‘speak dog‘ much better than we do. And by ‘speak dog’ I am meaning we have to get a better handle on how our local people think and then communicate the message of faith in language that they can understand.

Caricatures of faith abound and they emerge from failed ventures at being the people of God in this world. Manning Clark’s autobiography (ironically titled The Quest for Grace) laments the various images that Christians took in his time. He writes of the wowsers, the straighteners, the joy thieves and also the smilers – a reference to his days on a University campus where the resident Christian group just seemed to be overly smily in a creepy kind of way.

In church we have often used both carrot and stick (treat and threat in dog language) to try and win people over. The simple heaven/hell paradigm comes immediately to mind, followed by promises of an insufficiently explained ‘abundant life’. Evangelistic crusades and rallies seem to have finally died an overdue death in the western world. My last memory is of the Impact World Tour that was written up in the local community news as a deceitful attempt at proselytisation. Shame on us for being willing to be part of it and even believing it may have ‘worked’ (whatever that may mean).

Of course we want people to meet Jesus and to be inspired to follow him and live in the way of the kingdom. If we are going to see that become a reality then we have to begin where they are at by speaking their language and understanding their current perception of the world. In recent times I have listened to a few random sermons from different churches around the city and been genuinely disturbed by the use of insider language and the inability to translate the message into language ordinary West Aussies would easily understand. (I have also seen a couple of examples of this done brilliantly which is encouraging – last Sunday at Yanchep Community Church a case in point where Ryan took some large complicated apologetic concepts and was able to translate them in such a way that anyone in the broader community would have been able to understand.

I’m not writing only to those who speak in churches on Sundays, although their voices are often heard the loudest in those settings, but rather to all of us and asking simply that we consider listening carefully to our communities questions, attitudes and fears before diving in with a one size fits all ‘Jesus fix’. When we come across the person at work who gets in our face and tells us that ‘there is no God and the Bible is a book of fairytales’, we could engage in some systematic apologetics to try and demolish their arguments, or we could try and understand why they are making those statements in that way. It involves asking questions and seeking to get a handle on how they arrived at those conclusions. Chances are the issue isn’t simply a disbelief in a higher power, but maybe a childhood hurt or a bit of religious trauma that has formed them. The ‘answer’ is not a smarter argument, but rather some grace, kindness and understanding. Perhaps they may discuss the issue further if they want to once you have proven yourself more than a crusader.

For those who may think that I am weak on evangelism – I would suggest that previously we have been in ‘aggressive’ mode. Knocking on doors and preaching in streets is a tone deaf response to this world we now live in. Sharpening our apologetic skills so we can be in shape for any ‘street-fights’ that come our way is akin to learning martial arts so you can win the fight.

Instead we begin by observing, listening and asking questions. We drop our assumptions and genuinely seek to understand the people around us – who by the way are not from one ‘monoculture’. While they may all be Aussies, they each bring their various histories, political views and personal experiences. I think of the people in my street and as I have got to know them I know that each one will listen in a different way. Each one already has a worldview and as I have got to know them and appreciate their take on the world I have been able to ponder how the Christian story may be best communicated to them. And while it’s slightly different for each of them it starts with relationship, trust and acceptance before they may choose to invite me into their thinking on why we are here etc etc.

As I’ve been reading books on dog training I couldn’t help but notice the one author who really grabbed my heart was the one who sought to enter the dogs world and see it from their perspective. In missional language we’d call this an incarnational approach a choice to enter another world and become a legit part of it, as all good missionaries do.

So if you’re just salivating at the idea of a bit of street preaching this weekend (and who isn’t? 🙂 ) maybe pause for a moment and listen to the people you are hoping to engage with. If you do you might realise that whacking them with a blunt instrument is a fairly futile approach to genuine evangelism.