We just finished an incredibly important conversation with Jay Seegert, founder of the Starting Point Project, about something many Christians get wrong – how to reach skeptics about God and the Bible. You see, the goal here is not to win arguments. The goal is to win PEOPLE. Jay said early on in his walk with God, he was a “facts machine.” He thought if skeptics just learned what he had learned, they would change their minds. But guess what? That almost never happened! Not because the facts were weak… but because the issue was deeper than information itself. We have to keep in mind that every skeptic comes to the table carrying life experiences, pain, distrust of authority, and a backstory. When Christians rush straight to facts and data, we often miss the real battlefield… Their soul!

Jay said everything shifted when he began focusing on worldview starting points. That is why he founded The Starting Point Project. Everyone has an authority. Christians stand on two foundational truths: God exists and the Bible is His Word. Skeptics stand on their own opinions and self truths. Until you uncover that starting point, you are often arguing surface claims while the foundation remains untouched. He emphasized listening first. Ask questions. Let them explain what they believe and why. You are not trying to trap them. You are helping them think.

He even gave a simple example of how this works in real life. Suppose someone says, “Evolution is a fact and the Bible is a myth.” Instead of launching into a lecture, you calmly ask questions and let them do the talking:

• “How do you know evolution is a fact?”
• “How do you know all scientists believe it?”
• “How do you define a real scientist?”
• “What is the evidence that’s so convincing to them?”

If someone claims, “The Bible has tons of contradictions,” simply ask, “Can you give me one?” Not aggressively. Just sincerely. Often they cannot. And if they cannot name one, it gently exposes that they may be repeating something they have heard rather than something they have examined.

Jay also reminded us that we are dealing with a spiritual issue. You cannot throw facts at someone and expect immediate surrender. He shared a story about an evangelist speaking with an atheist physicist. The physicist said he did not believe in God. The evangelist calmly replied, “You know He exists, and you hate Him because you fear His judgment.” The physicist responded, “You’re the smartest man I’ve ever met.” Many objections are smokescreens. Beneath intellectual resistance is often something spiritual.

He warned believers not to get dragged into technical weeds. Jay used an illustration of a car salesman bragging about a bolt while the car has no engine and no wheels. The bolt does not matter if the foundation is missing. In the same way, minor evolutionary examples do not answer the larger question of how life and information originated in the first place.

At the end of the day, Jay said this is about obedience and love. When we fail to share our faith, it communicates either that we do not truly believe it or that we do not care enough about others to tell them. Neither is acceptable. Biblically, we are commanded to speak, but to do so with patience, wisdom, and courage. Truth does not need to be abrasive. It needs to be communicated clearly and compassionately. When we listen well, ask thoughtful questions, and gently expose faulty assumptions, the gospel stops sounding like an argument and starts sounding like the answer it truly is.

Because in the end,Truth does not need to shout to win, it only needs a heart willing to hear it.

If you want to understand this approach more deeply and see how to reach skeptics effectively without compromising truth, take the time to watch the full conversation. It will equip you not just with information, but with wisdom on how to engage hearts as well as minds.

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