Section 35 — First Steps for the Secular New Believer

The Christian Statement

The first steps for a person coming to faith from a secular background are similar to those in Volume III but with specific differences that reflect the secular starting point.

1. Read John's Gospel

Begin with John. Not because it is simpler than the other Gospels but because it was written specifically for people who are asking the questions the secular mind asks: Who is this person? What is His relationship to God? What does He offer? John addresses these directly, in language that both the philosophically trained mind and the spiritually hungry heart can receive.

2. Bring Your Doubts With You

The secular person who becomes a Christian often fears that their doubts will disqualify them from the community. The opposite is true. A faith that cannot survive honest questioning is not the Christian faith. Jesus Himself honored Thomas's demand for evidence. The disciple who accompanies a new secular believer should specifically invite them to bring their hardest questions — and should be prepared to sit with them honestly.

3. Find Francis Collins, Alister McGrath, or John Lennox

These are three of the most distinguished scientists and scholars in the world who are also committed Christians. For the secular new believer whose identity has been built around science and reason, finding out that the faith is held by people of this caliber is often transformative. They are not alone. They are not abandoning reason. They are following it to its deepest conclusion.

4. Find a Community That Welcomes Questions

Not every church is the right place for a secular new believer. Find a community that takes intellectual questions seriously, that welcomes doubt as part of the journey, and that will not require the new believer to perform certainty they don't yet have. Such communities exist and are often full of people who came from exactly where this person came from.

5. Expect the Relationship to Develop Slowly

The secular person who becomes a Christian has not simply changed an opinion. They have begun a relationship with a Person. Like all genuine relationships, it develops through time, attention, and the accumulation of shared experience. The early stages may feel uncertain and uneven. The prayer life may feel strange. The Bible may be difficult. The community may be unfamiliar. All of this is normal. The relationship is real even when it doesn't feel vivid. Stay at the vine.