From Athens to America
Acts 17:22-31
by Rev. Richard Gehring

We live in a time when the Christian faith clearly does not hold the same status and influence it once held in the Western world. In recent years, a number of outspoken atheists have gained great notoriety. Some of the best selling books in the past few years have included Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion and Christopher Hitchins' God Is not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything. A few years ago, a survey of some 35,000 Americans found that nearly one in six claimed no religious affiliation. The study counted more atheists than Episcopalians, nearly as many agnostics as Presbyterians, and more people who identified themselves as “nothing in particular” than all the Methodists, Lutherans and Mennonites combined. (religions.pewforum.org)

Many churches have responded to this antagonism and apathy by trying to engage the culture in more creative ways. One church in Seattle, for example, has thoroughly embraced technology. The church currently consists of congregations on 15 campuses in five states. All are connected by high definition video that allows one pastor to preach simultaneously at all 42 services in each of the 15 venues. But while the medium may be cutting edge, 21st century, the theology is a throwback to the “old time religion” of a hundred years ago. Women, for example, are not allowed to speak from the pulpit in this church. And many have criticized church leaders for dealing harshly with anyone that has any dissenting opinions.

Another congregation in Grand Rapids, Michigan has taken a decidedly different approach to making the ancient Christian faith meaningful in a post-modern world. This congregation places little emphasis on high-tech production. For example, a pastor I know who visited a few years ago tells of a sermon on the Parable of the Ten Virgins that was illustrated not with video clips and PowerPoint, but with ten girls dressed in white who followed the pastor around the auditorium as he preached. The theology of this Michigan church is also quite different than the one in Seattle. In fact, the former pastor caused quite a stir in evangelical circles when he published a book called Love Wins in which he suggests that hell may not be a literal place of eternal torment.
As different as these two churches are, however, they have some things very much in common. Each attracts more than 10,000 people to multiple services every weekend. Each is held up as an example for how the church might engage contemporary North American culture. And each, interestingly, has chosen the same name: Mars Hill.

Mars Hill—the original Mars Hill, that is—is found in Athens. It is a large rock located on the Acropolis—the high point in the city once home to many temples to Greek gods and Roman emperors. It was also the site where the city elders would meet in ancient times, acting as the final court of appeals for Athens. And it is here as well that we find Paul in our scripture reading for today.

The fact is that the apostle Paul was not actually planning to go to Athens. He had been at Bereoa, some 200 miles north of the city, when things began to get ugly for him. So the members of the church there decided it would be best for Paul to simply leave town. Some of them escorted him all the way to Athens. And he waited there alone until his companions, Silas and Timothy, could rejoin him.

Athens was the most important city in the entire Greek world. Under Roman rule, its political influence was rather minimal. But it still held great importance as a cultural and religious center. Many people still came to the temples of Zeus and Athena and Augustus, among others, to offer their worship and sacrifice. But for an increasing number of folks the ancient myths about the gods and goddesses were losing their importance. The old stories of heroic battles were simply no longer meaningful. They did not address the questions that the people of the day were asking about the meaning of life.
And so for a growing number of Athenians, a wide variety of philosophies and religions were gaining popularity. Chief among these competing philosophies was Stoicism. According to the Stoics, the world was ruled by divine reason. God was seen not as a personality who interacted with humans, but as the fundamental principle of cosmic logic. The main goal of Stoicism, then, was to learn to accept that all things are controlled and directed by this divine reason. Once one accepted that the universe existed as a rational place, then one could live a life detached from the cares and concerns of the world.
This is the physical and cultural setting, then, in which Paul found himself. Paul, of course, was not one to wait idly. He did not simply bide his time and take in the sights until Silas and Timothy got there. Instead, he went to the synagogue, as he almost always did when entering a new town, and he began to proclaim the message of Christ's death and resurrection. He also went out into the public marketplace and debated with the philosophers there.

Given Athens' acceptance of many different philosophical and religious traditions, it is no wonder that Paul's message was greeted with some curiosity and interest. The people of Athens think that he is talking about two gods whom they have never heard of before—gods named "Jesus" and "Resurrection." As consumers of new religious ideas, they are intrigued by this teaching. So Paul is invited to share more about what he means on Mars Hill—referred to in our text by its Greek name: Areopagus. In today's text, then, we read his speech before the "high council" of Athens.

This is one of the most famous sermons preached in the entire New Testament. It is often studied as an example of how to do evangelism. And, indeed, Paul demonstrates in this speech a high level of understanding of the context in which he is preaching. He is able to speak to the Athenians in terms that they should be able to understand. He relates what he has to say with the customs and traditions and teachings that they are familiar with.
Paul opens by complimenting the people of Athens on their extreme religiosity. He tells them that he has admired the many temples in their city. This should have appealed to them given their pride in the tolerance they show to various religious teachings and in the great works of art and architecture that were found in those temples.

Later on in his sermon, in verse 27, Paul also talks about "searching" for God. He says that we as humans "grope" and attempt to "find" God. These certainly would have been familiar concepts as well to the people of Athens. They prided themselves on their unending search for truth, their constant groping for understanding. They spent much time and effort in exploring as many different avenues as possible for enlightenment and knowledge.

And, finally, Paul even quotes from Greek poets and philosophers. In verse 28, he quotes a famous line from the Stoic poet Cleanthes, "For we too are his offspring." It should not come as a surprise that Paul was familiar with Stoic poetry, for his home town of Tarsus was a center for Stoic teaching. Many modern biblical scholars, in fact, believe that Paul's theology was greatly shaped by Stoic thought.

Paul's familiarity with Greek thought and culture is certainly apparent in what he says in this speech. But it is also evident in what he does not say. One of the most curious things about this speech is that there is no actual reference to "Jesus" or "Christ." There is no mention made of the cross, which is so central to Paul's teaching and theology. There is no allusion to the resurrection, either.

Paul most likely didn't want to confuse the Athenians who might think that there were several gods named "Jesus," "Christ" and "resurrection." He knew that talking about things that had happened in far away Palestine would have probably had little or no meaning to people who thought that everything important happened in Athens, or at least in Greece. And he knew that the Stoics at least would not have cared about some historical events, for they believed that one should remain detached from time—both past and future.
Instead, Paul used the familiar customs and teachings of Athens and skillfully wove his message into them. He used all the citations I've mentioned, but in each case he ultimately contrasted them with his understanding of God as revealed through Jesus. When, for example, Paul compliments the Athenians on their religiosity, he notes that they have even gone so far as to erect an altar "to an unknown god" just to make sure that no deity would be offended for being inadvertently overlooked. Paul then claims to know who this so-called unknown god is.

He proclaims the one true God, the maker of heaven and earth. This God, says Paul, has no need for such temples or offerings. God has created all things, including people, and is not dependent upon them for anything. People do not manipulate this god through prayers and sacrifices. Rather, God is ultimately in control of these people.

Next, when Paul speaks of the search for God, the groping to find truth, he very subtly adds that one does not really need to look far to find the true God. God, he says, is very near to us at all times. It doesn't require great learning to uncover God. For God is, in fact, not hidden at all. God is very near to each person.

And, to illustrate this, Paul even uses the language of the Stoics themselves. He calls upon them to recognize that it is this God in whom "we live and move and have our being." It is this God whose offspring we are. Of course, when the Stoics used those phrases, they were referring to the divine principle of cosmic rationality. Paul, however, says that the one who truly fulfills these words is the God of Israel, the God who was revealed in the person of Jesus.

Furthermore, to reach this God one does not have to have some special knowledge or understanding. To relate to this God one does not have to go to certain shrines or pay homage to certain images. This God desires repentance. This God wants righteousness. This God seeks relationship. This God, it seems, is vastly different than any with whom the people of Mars Hill were familiar. For the God that Paul speaks of is an active God, not a god that must be moved to action through sacrifices to some gold or silver effigy. The God that Paul speaks of is a relational God, not an impersonal force or cosmic principle that regulates the universe.

It is indeed a brilliant speech. The message of Christ is preached in a manner that should appeal to the people and culture of Athens. Paul has taken the conventional wisdom and the accepted customs of the city and skillfully woven them together with his insights into the God which he follows and proclaims. In doing so, the traditions and teachings of the Athenians are turned on their heads. The wisdom of the philosophers is refuted. The practices of the people are called into question. The truth is revealed.

And what exactly is the result of this masterful sermon? Was it similar to the Pentecost sermon that Peter preached after which some 3000 people were baptized? Or was it like Peter's later sermon to the friends and family of Cornelius, after which all of them were baptized as the first Gentile Christians? No, the response to Paul's message was much less enthusiastic. We are told that some scoffed, some were interested enough to want to hear more, but only a few actually believed what Paul had to say. The end of the chapter mentions only two people and an unspecified number of “others with them” who joined Paul and became believers.(v. 34) And nowhere in the New Testament is any mention made of a church in Athens.

In many ways, ancient Athens is a lot like our post-modern North American society. Like the people of Athens, we claim to hold an "open" and "tolerant" view of different religious and philosophical ideals. Like them, we place a very high value on reason and logic. And like the ancient Athenians, our society is in the midst of a great spiritual quest, struggling with questions of meaning and purpose truth.

So it should come as little surprise that our culture tends to react with some skepticism as well to the radical claims of Christ. We doubt anyone who claims that there is something such as "The Truth." We distrust a god for whom relationships are a higher priority than reason, who proclaims love over logic. And so we continue to struggle to find meaningful answers to our deep questions.

Paul desperately tried to address the questions and concerns of the people of Athens. This master wordsmith and prominent theologian gave a brilliant sermon that day. But the Athenians simply could not comprehend the sort of God that he was talking about. That God did not fit into their ideas about religion and philosophy and truth. Paul's words, no matter how well-spoken and how well thought out could not change their mindset conditioned by generations of custom and tradition. It seems to me that the only thing that could have convinced them of the reality of this relational God would have been to be in relationship with one who personally knew God.

Unfortunately, that was something that Paul didn't have time for right then. He hadn't even planned on being in Athens. He had just come there to escape some troublemakers in Beroea. And we are told that soon after his famous speech at Mars Hill, he left town and headed to Corinth. There, he met Priscilla and Aquila. Silas and Timothy also soon joined him. And for a year and a half they all worked together as a team, demonstrating in deed as well as in word the love and mercy of the God of Jesus Christ. There a church is founded, with which Paul would have extensive correspondence.
Ultimately, the lesson we can learn from Paul's wise but rather unsuccessful venture into Athens seems to be that it takes more than words alone to change peoples' lives. It takes deep engagement. It takes time. It takes commitment. It takes relationship.
Like ancient Athens, our society wants logical explanations. It wants to know the answers to questions about life and meaning. But it seems to me that those answers are not found in rational analysis or intellectual debates. They aren't found in the latest technology or in feel-good worship. The answers to the ultimate questions are found in relationships, and in particular in relationship to God through Jesus Christ. What society really needs, whether it knows it or not, is relationship, not rhetoric.

So perhaps we as a church should maybe spend less time trying to convince people and more time trying to connect with them. We should be less concerned with saying the right words and more concerned with living the right way. We should model ourselves less like a corporation or a university or a media outlet and more like a family—a family that lives and laughs and loves together; that works and worries and weeps together; that disagrees and debates and differs with each other but always remains a family. We are indeed sisters and brothers in Christ. We are, as Paul told the Athenians, children of the one true God, adopted through the work of the Holy Spirit into a single family.

As the family of faith continues to grow and expand, it looks different than it did almost 2000 years ago. Some of the challenges that Paul faced at Mars Hill are similar to what we still face in America today. People are still looking for a faith that can stand up to reason—a faith that makes sense. People still have a lot of spiritual options from which to choose; and we need to make sure that our message is one that gets through in the midst of all the other competing claims about who God is and is not. We still need to look for ways to engage our culture in a meaningful manner.

Yet as we live out our faith together here, our witness will look and sound and feel different than what has been proclaimed at Mars Hill—whether we're talking about the one in Athens or in Seattle or in Grand Rapids. Our witness will seek to address the questions being asked by us and by our neighbors. It will look for ways to live as God's family in this particular time and this particular place. It will find expression in the lives of those with whom we engage, those who are part of our relationships, those whom we welcome as brothers and sisters and fellow seekers.