1. CLarify

To understand where your friend is coming from, here are some questions you may ask:

·       What are some ways in which Christians around you have behaved hypocritically?

·       What are some issues over which you have seen Christians disagree?

·       How do you think Christians should behave and relate to one another?

 

2.    Explore (Context) 

Your friend may have observed a gap between what Christianity teaches and the way Christians live. Perhaps he or she has heard Christians say that God is loving and kind while failing to demonstrate these values in their lives. Such experiences naturally raise doubts about whether Christianity can be trusted. 

Your friend may also have observed how Christians are split across denominations even as we claim to believe in the same God. He or she may ask: “How can the teachings of Christianity be true when Christians can’t even agree among themselves?”

Certain media portrayals of Christians (perhaps in movies or drama serials) may also contribute to misunderstandings and unrealistic impressions of what Christians are like. 

 

3.    Agree 

It’s important to acknowledge your friend’s observations and apologise if they’ve had negative encounters with Christians.

It’s true that Christians often fail to live up to what we believe. We can have moments of weakness or lack maturity. We may even have a poor understanding of some aspects of our faith. 

The Bible records examples of Christians acting hypocritically even at the beginning of the church. Ananias and Sapphira, a married couple, were exposed for pretending to be more generous than they really were (Acts 5:1–10). 

Even apostles were not immune to hypocrisy. Peter had freely eaten with Gentiles, but when Jewish believers came, he avoided doing so. His withdrawal was hypocritical because it denied the unity he had already embraced in Christ (Galatians 2:11-13).

It’s also true that our many denominations give Christianity a fragmented appearance. While most denominations share core beliefs, such as the Trinity and the lordship of Jesus, their different approaches to the faith can make us seem very divided.

 

4.    Reveal

On the other hand, Jesus Christ is the central focus of Christianity, and not His flawed and divided followers.

Christians are called to imitate Christ, who lived a perfect life and died an innocent death so that we could be forgiven and reconciled to God. But even as we strive to love others as God first loved us, we often fall short, which is why we look to Jesus for salvation.

The Bible is also realistic about divisions among Christians. Such divisions will exist because we are imperfect. But Christians are called to find our unity in Christ (1 Corinthians 1:10-17). Jesus himself prayed for our unity (John 17).

Christians are flawed, but the credibility of Christianity ultimately depends on Jesus, who is perfect. Still, with Jesus’ help and the power of the Holy Spirit, Christians can grow to live lives that reflect God’s love, even if we do so imperfectly.