This morning I received an article from a friend who routinely emails me when he has read something that has challenged him or something that he thought may be helpful for fellow Christians to read. In, fact he has helped contribute many articles to our church blog, you can check that out here, tons of great resources!
Anyways, the title of the article he sent me was "Waiting for Lightning to strike: A Wobbly Agnostic among the Atheists" by Carolyn Briggs. It is the story of a woman who finds out the national Atheist convention is in her town and out of curiosity she goes. This woman is not an outspoken atheist, she knows the Bible, and is a self described agnostic and this article details her internal struggle while at this convention.
You can read it here. (read this or I probably wont make a ton of sense to you)
First let me say this was a beautifully written article, I was fully engaged with the struggle of the author and was captivated from the first sentence through the conclusion. And to be honest I have wrestled and struggled with this article all day and I am hoping my mind will be eased after writing my thoughts/response to this article.
Hypocritical Christians
People in general are awful at accepting truthful criticism from opponents. We try our best to discredit, bully, and ostracize apposing view points so harshly reaching desperately for the imaginary eraser to permanently brush away any truth that our opponents possess from our minds and the minds of those paying attention.
As I read the criticisms of christianity from the mouths of atheists in this article (there was quite a bit to choose from) some of it is spot on and we have to own that....let that settle for a moment....we have to own the fact that our actions and the actions of "professing Christians" have caused some to hate God and Jesus.
Here are a few quotes from the article that emphasize this:
"I too... hate the way Jerry Falwell blamed atheists and homosexuals for 9/11." - I agree with this statement. On the issue of homosexuality, there will always be a tension between the homosexual community and God's Word. However in many cases Christians have poured gasoline on this tension by posturing themselves as jerks (a stronger word is probably more fitting here). We have not loved these people and represented Christ well at all. This has been for some reason made the taboo sin and we need to own our shortcomings in how we have loved and treated the gay community.
"I want to deck some of the pastors I’ve seen on cable TV." - same here! There are so many churches and famous preachers who have so far slid from the gospel that it makes me physically angry to watch MOST televangelists/preachers... Mary doesn't let me do it anymore!
Quote by the author from Ghandi "I like your Christ, but I do not like your Christians. They are not very like your Christ.”
To varying degrees all of these statements are true and instead of becoming defensive Christians need to humbly examine where in our lives we living inconsistently with the gospel and with Jesus. The hope of the gospel is that we are sinners who have and will continue to fail but through Christ have been forgiven, been made new, and shown grace by God! Unfortunately however, it is not our humility, love and grace which we are known for.
Atheist Conventions and Hate Groups
As I read Briggs's description of the event she attended, I found myself confused about what was being accomplished with this convention. What was the point of atheists gathering together to affirm their atheism? It even seemed like their own mission statement and reason for gathering was inconsistent and confused. Again let me explain with quotes from people at the convention
"People go to church because they have social needs. Atheists are no different. Fellowship is not a religious word; it’s a human word."
“Our battle is against religion, not believers. They are sincere people who have been brainwashed since birth,”
“There are 435 members of Congress and almost all of them are our enemies.”
So on one hand the reason for the convention is to meet social needs, on the other hand it is to fight a battle with religion, but not religious people, and finally it is to battle religious people in congress! All of these statements seem conflicting. I think this is a broader issue atheism faces in the fact that it has no real endgame, there is no real reason for atheists to gather together like for example a group of Christians who meet to worship God, learn God's Word, and equip ourselves to follow Christ's call to make disciples. The DNA of atheism will make it unfocused and inconsistent in its mission!
What struck me most interesting/disturbing is that Briggs's description of this convention made it sound eerily similar to a rally put on by a hate group.
Some quotes to this point:
“We affirm life,” he writes. “We are not cramped and distorted by the pathetic need to adulate"
“Religion is weak. It cannot stand on its own. The invisible man in the sky has become weaker and weaker,”
“Anger can misfire badly. When we express anger, we get angrier,” she says. “But anger is the chief reason we know something is not okay; it motivates us to do something about it.”
“If we could take the brainpower of this room and pool it, it would be fantastic.”
"Flush out the hypocrites."
“The rapture: You know it’s nonsense. 2000 years of any day now.”
“That’s why we know more than they do. You need to tell your Christian friends to read the Bible. Reading the Bible makes atheists. Christian education makes atheists"
Make no mistake, this convention and this ideology is fueled and driven by genuine anger and hate towards God, The Bible, Jesus, and Christians. This article sheds light on the reality that atheists are not as loving, gracious, open-minded, and accepting as they have marketed themselves to be.
Final Reflections
So as a young pastor I walk away from this article with a few thoughts/convictions:
1. Why the hate? - If the atheists are right and evolution is true and God/religion is a made up refuge for the weak. Evolutionary law says we will eventually die off and take care of ourselves because we are the weaker of the species...Why the hate? What is it accomplishing?
2. I want to be about Jesus! - I believe that the Biblical account of Jesus is completely true and because of that he is the greatest news in human history. I don't want to be about anything else other than my Savior. I want to love like he loved, I want to be gracious like he was gracious, I want to be patient like he was patient, and I want to speak truth in boldness like he spoke the truth boldly!
3. I want Harvest Spring Lake to be about Jesus! - If our church ever becomes anything other than being about loving and making much of our Savior, Jesus Christ, than we have become unfaithful to our calling and have grieved God. I don't want to be about conservative politics, family values, tradition, or religion, ...There is no life in any of that stuff! Only in Christ are we given the power, grace, and motivation to live lives that glorify and please God!
4. My heart breaks for lost people! - It's hard not to be sad when you read about people openly shaking their fists at God knowing their eternity is sealed unless God miraculously moves in their heart. I don't ever want to be numb to that reality...as our love for Jesus grows our love, hurt, and desperation for the lost needs to be growing also.
I know that was a lot...sorry for downloading so much, but my heart was heavy and I am thankful for this outlet and hope it will have some kingdom value as well!
No comments:
Post a Comment