There is a very real sense in which non-rational objections to the gospel presents the greatest challenge we face in witnessing to Jesus Christ in the academic milieu of the west. Caricatures and confusion about the nature of Christianity form a significant part of non-rational objections that need to be understood and addressed.
A great deal of western culture in Europe is post-Christian and has little memory of either a vital and healthy Christianity or its estranged cousins, dead orthodoxy or authoritarian legalism; a vague residue of Christian cultural influence remains of an outdated and outmoded form of that cultural order that is now virtually gone with the wind. You see this most clearly in the imposing but now largely empty great cathedrals that used to dominate the cities in western Europe. In many ways even their architectural dominance has been supplanted by great governmental houses and business centers. However, equally important is the domination of secular ideas and secular ideologies which preceded and accompanied the change of order.
In America, which for various reasons has remained more religious than its western 
European counterpart, there is, however, a caricatured memory of Christianity that is palatable. This memory is not entirely a caricature; in part, it is a nineteenth century image of an intellectually disengaged, populist movement which was thought to be on the wrong side of nearly every issue from the Civil War on and especially since the middle of the twentieth century where there was an even sharper cultural turn away from it.
This cultural turn was induced partly because it was in some ways (rationally) justified given the cultural expression of Christianity at that period and partly due to the wave of lampooning and caricatures which seized upon these short-comings. Unfortunately this vulnerability manifested itself as legion in books, plays and movies and many other forms of high cultural expression. It has insinuated itself into virtually every cultural nook, cranny and backwater in America.
However, some of the caricatures can be seen to contradict each other, like Christians have been portrayed as too weak and at times too aggressive and war-like. Christianity has been criticized as too effeminate and within a generation perceived and caricatured as anti-feminist. So, there is a sense in which the hyper-criticism, stereo typing and caricature are indicative of a non-rational objections.
But to understate things a bit, from a public relations standpoint, such a legacy is an indeed unenviable position to be found in.
So the question becomes, what things can we legitimately do to deal with the well-founded critiques, the stereotyping, caricature and propagandizing at both an individual and cultural level?
Here are some suggestions:
- Realize that getting your ideas through to people is both an art and science. There are principles involved (science), but some people seem to have an instinct or gift for timing and the manner in which accomplish those objectives (art). What you say is the science part, but how you say it is the art!
- Realize that first of all you want to learn the principles, but it’s getting beyond that to the level of art that makes one most effective. That is, the level you want to eventually reach is highly developed skills and instincts in your communication style.
- Ask questions to uncover the stereotypes that exist in their mind, for instance:
- What are the Christians like that you know best?
- Were your parents Christians? What were they like? How did you feel about they lived out their religious beliefs?
- What is it about Christianity or Christians that puts you off the most?
- Since you cannot change history and people’s perceptions tend to change incrementally, your attitude and life-style can have much to do with connecting to your audience. On an individual basis this is what the Greeks called ethos (ethical appeal), logos (logical or intellectual appeal), and pathos (relational appeal). How you are perceived by your audience in these categories often shapes how much they will hear of your message. For further discussion on these three things, see resources, Section 1 under the “Delivery” tab.