Engaging Without Being Defensive

I saw this talk today on LDS. org by Elder M. Russell Ballard on how to share your beliefs. The talk was given at BYU's graduation ceremony on August 13th and it really opened my eyes! You can click here to view the full talk. Here's a few highlights that stuck out to me:

"He [Christ] knew what He wanted to say, and He said it without apology."

"But one thing is inescapable: it will be your century, one in which you have the opportunity to leave your mark for good or otherwise. You will try to influence others, and others will try to influence you. Either you will share and promote your core values, rooted in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, or you will allow others to define your values for you and your posterity."

"If we want to be respected today for who we are, then we need to act confidently — secure in the knowledge of who we are and what we stand for, and not as if we have to apologize for our beliefs. That doesn’t mean we should be arrogant or overbearing. Respect for others’ views should always be a basic principle for us —
when we act as if we are a persecuted minority, or as if we expect to be misunderstood or criticized, people will sense it and respond accordingly.
The apostle Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” (Romans 1:16)."

A couple suggestions he had for talking to others about the gospel:

"First suggestion: Don’t let irrelevant issues drown out the more important subjects."

"Now my second suggestion to you is to emphasize that Latter-day Saints follow Jesus Christ and what Jesus Christ teaches. We try to follow Him in all that we do."

"When all is said and done, the most important thing about you and your testimony is that you base your beliefs on what Jesus Christ taught, and you try to follow Him by living your life in a way acceptable to our Heavenly Father and to the Lord."

"This is your foundation.
Please remember you do not need to feel like you must justify your beliefs; you simply need to explain them in the spirit of love and kindness. The truth always prevails when true doctrine is taught."