3 Ways to Theologically Tackle the Trolls of Your Faith

We live in a world controlled by social media skeptics. 

As social media presents more scams and mirages of cleaned-up versions of whatever we want to see, it’s no wonder that our trust in anything is steadily decreasing. 

Scroll for thirty seconds and you most likely will run into a social media troll which could be viewed as merely a skeptic casting stones.

Turns out we might have people who try to troll our faith in real life too.

I’m going to throw out some sad statistics here that State of Theology reported indicating the state of today’s spiritual climate: 

• 52% of US adults think that Jesus was a great teacher, but He was not God.

• 30% of evangelicals think the same.

• 60% of people in the US think that religious belief is about personal opinion not objective truth.

With these stats, it’s quite possible that you’ll run into some skeptics who are ready to troll your faith.

What if a teacher or an employer asks you, “Is Jesus the only way to heaven?”
What if a friend asks you why do you believe in Jesus guy, anyway? 

Sometimes these questions can feel like you’re being interrogated or questioned or snubbed for your faith, making you stop and think, “Wait, is God really Who He says He is?!!” Sometimes, it might even feel like you’re being confronted by a real-life troll. 

Today, we’re going to take a look at not only how Jesus is the Way, but how He is the only Way, dissecting different theological scenarios that might threaten your faith. 

So hang tight! We’re going to tackle some tough theological situations that can help prepare you as you interact with those anti-Christian trolls.

1. Know Who Christ Is 

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.”
Colossians 1:15

What is something in your life that you can think of that there is only one right way of doing something?

We’ve got to settle in our minds and in our hearts that the only right way is Christ. The end.  

Let’s stop and recognize the significance of what Paul is establishing Christ’s nature: 

Eternal Nature: Probably most of you can quote John 14:6 by heart: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but through me.” But have you ever studied this verse in Greek? Now before you throw up your hands and say, “It’s all Greek to me!” In this verse, the Greek word for “I AM” is EIMI, which reveals Christ’s eternal nature. Not to take you back to grammar school, but verb tenses matter here because here John supports Paul’s revealing that in the beginning of creation Christ was, today He is, and He forever will be to come. 

Image of God: That’s not all. “He” refers to Jesus is the image of God. Jesus is the image of God, God reincarnated into flesh and blood. As John 1:1 states, “And the Word (Jesus) became flesh and dwelt among us.”

Firstborn: Jesus is the beginning and the end, as Revelation 22:13 states, "the Alpha and the Omega.”

Created All Things: This phrase is significant because it establishes that Jesus is not a part of creation. He is an eternal non-created Being who created all things, rules over all things in heaven and earth, and oversees every throne, dominion, ruler, and authority that dominates the world. Basically, if something exists in our reality and in our spectrum on earth it falls under the authority of God.

Why is it so important to know exactly Who Christ is?

Because whatever shapes your thoughts on Who Christ is what forms the foundation of your life— how you view the future, how you build your identity, how you talk, and where you go. Because Christ as the Creator of all things, is before all things.

2. Know What You Believe & Why You Believe It

If someone asked you if Jesus the only way to heaven, what would you say?
How would you respond if someone states that there are plenty of ways to get to God?

People’s beliefs shape the future of their eternity. As Christians, we know that only Christ qualifies us, but those who maintain an “all roads lead to heaven” mentality actually meet a dead end. 

Let’s take a look at some big words that describe these opposing camps of reasoning: Christian Particularism and Religious Pluralism/Universalism.

Christian Particularism refers to the exclusivity of the gospel and that there is only one way for a person to have eternal life and that is Jesus is the O-N-L-Y way to God.

Religious pluralism/universalism states that there are many different religions and that they all teach the same thing and lead to a prosperous eternal life.

All of us fall into one of these two camps. There’s no middle ground.

Joshua said point-blank to the Israelites, “Choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:14-15). 

Knowing not only what you believe but why you believe it helps you take a stand against opposing thoughts and philosophies.

Now that we know that people fall into one of these either camps, we can better combat certain traps that may trip up your faith. 

3. Know Your Tactics

God doesn’t allow us to wage war unprotected. He states that His Word is “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Investing in the study of the truth helps us discern what is true and what is false, allowing us to disarm seemingly harmless beliefs. 

Below I’m going to give you some false statements and scenarios that you might face as you navigate some trollish conversations: 

True or False?

All world religions are equally valid, and Christ is just one of many ways. All world religions teach basically the same thing, so they all prove true. 

False. Many religions contradict each other. 

For example, look at how Islam compares to Buddhism. 

Islam—Muslims believe there is a personal god (Allah) who created the world and that man is sinful and will spend eternity in heaven or hell. One attains salvation by faith and by performing good works.

Buddhism—denies the assumptions of Muslims. They believe that ultimate reality is not a person, that man was not created, that man is not sinful, that man is not enduring self, and that the goal of life is not salvation but annihilation. 

John Hick was a philosopher and theologian who said, “There is one light (God) but many lampshades (religious expressions).” All religions are equally valid, but equally false cultural expressions of mankind’s search for truth. But my question is why could not one religion be true out of all of them?

Result: The assumption that all world religions correlate is clearly false since all world religions do not teach the same thing, as seen through Islam and Buddhism. Since these two contradict each other all world religions can’t possibly be true. 

Response: When looking at most of the objections for religious pluralism or universalism you will see that many of them fall into textbook examples of logical fallacies. 

A Logical Fallacy is a clearly defined error in reasoning used to support or refute an argument, excluding simple unintended mistakes.

__________

True or False?

Anyone who believes that Christianity is true and exclusive is a bigot, arrogant, and ignorant. Therefore, Christianity is false and Jesus isn’t true. 

False. This here is a perfect example of what an Ad Hominem Fallacy is.

An Ad Hominem Fallacy is trying to show someone’s view is false by attacking his personal character. 

But truth is independent of the character of the person who holds to the belief of it. 

Result: Think about if an arrogant jerk of a person found a cure for cancer. Just because the inventor of the cure is an arrogant jerk does not mean that his claim is false. You would not want to refuse the treatment just because he is egotistical. That’d get you nowhere. 

Response: Look at the claim the pluralist is making on Christianity: if he believes that arrogance leads to discrediting the view, then he himself is being arrogant in his view. Ultimately, he is guilty of the same problem, therefore his own view is false.

__________

True or False?

Religions are culturally relative. If you had been born in Pakistan you would likely be a Muslim, or if you were born in Ireland you would probably be Catholic. 

False. Even if religious beliefs are culturally relative, this does not make them automatically objectively true. This is a great example of a genetic fallacy. 

A Genetic Fallacy is a fallacy trying to invalidate a view by showing how a person came to hold the view.

The truth of a view is independent on how a person came to believe it.

Result: If you had been born in ancient Greece you would have believed that the sun revolved around the earth. However, in modern day you believe that the earth revolves around the sun. Does that make your current belief invalid, or false?

Response: Flip it back on the skeptic. If someone had been born in Pakistan or Ireland, they would most likely be a religious particularistic. But because the skeptics belief in religious pluralism is just the result of his being born in contemporary western society; therefore, it is not objectively true.

_____________

We dove into some pretty heavy topics. But my hope and prayer are that this gave you a quick look at how these statements that are often made in arrogance can be proven as mere ignorance. 

But what’s really important is this: Do YOU believe Jesus is the only way?

There’s a day when it is vitally important that we know what we believe and why we believe it because everyone will acknowledge Christ’s preeminence, an attribute that describes His outstanding, supreme, and paramount rank and dignity. 

So suit up and prepare yourself to give a defense.

We can’t argue people into the Kingdom, but we defend what we know.

And knowing Who Christ is, really knowing why you believe what you believe, and forming tactics to fight the fallacies—these are the ways you can disarm a skeptic’s struggles before their philosophies disarm you. 

Have you been trolled for your faith? Comment below with a time you’ve had to defend your faith.