How do you respond when someone publically refers to “father sky and mother earth,” as happened recently in a speech given at the memorial services in Arizona for the victims of an insane man’s rampage? Yes there were times when the prophets of God called down fiery judgment against false prophets, like in the case of Elijah on Mt. Carmel in the Old Testament. In that case, there was a conscious depravity that needed to be dealt with directly and miraculously. One needs to be sure one is truly a prophet of God before one calls down God’s judgment, or else a would-be Elijah could end up looking pretty foolish!

Another reaction to the Arizona speech can be seen in the example of the apostle Paul interacting with Greek philosophers. His approach was not one of acerbic denunciation but of careful tact. He said, “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about” (Acts 17:22-23).

Notice, he addressed them respectfully. He complemented them on being “very religious.” Further, he spoke accurately about what they believed, he didn’t accuse them of something they did not believe. The “unknown God” designation was a catchall for polytheistic Greeks who believed in many gods. The altar to which Paul referred was designed to cover themselves just in case they had missed a god or were ignorant of one god.

Also, Paul acknowledged that in this “unknown God” they were worshipping the true God, albeit “without knowing.” Then he goes on to give them a more accurate understanding of the true God “whom you worship.”

Could it be, that if the apostle were here today, he might say concerning that individual who invoked “father sky and mother earth,” that in some way he is worshipping the true God, Who made the earth and sky, but that the man needs a better understanding of Him? Wouldn’t that be a better way to get a conversation going that could possibly lead to salvation?