Andy Stanley: Assume People Are Biblically Illiterate (But Not Dumb)

And when we use phrases like “The Bible says,” we miss teaching opportunities. For instance, Every time I teach from Paul, I say, “Hey, if you’re new to church or Christianity, you will love this guy, because Paul hated Christians. If you hate Christians, Paul’s your guy. Paul hated them so much he wanted to put them in jail. I bet you know Christians you wish you could have arrested.” Everybody laughs. “That’s Paul. And then he became a Christian. Isn’t that interesting? Now let’s see what he has to say.” To me, that’s way more engaging than saying, “The Bible says.”