Taking every thought captive for obedience to Christ (2 Cor. 10.5)

The Question
What does someone mean who claims to be an atheist? (4)
It’s quite possible that someone may have concluded the non-existence of God by observing – or claiming to have observed – what he might describe as the shallow, hypocritical, and inconsistent behavior of those who claim to believe in Him.

If we press our friend on this, we need to resist the temptation to become defensive. Whether or not he personally has observed such failings on the part of our Christian brethren is irrelevant. We both know they are real. The scandalous behavior of many Christian leaders, the fact that Christians seem so whiney and self-righteous in political matters, and the reality that so many Christians live indistinguishably from their unbelieving neighbors are certainly grounds for questioning the reality, at least, of their faith.

This is the first point we might like to make: That such scandals and inconsistencies may be evidence more of faulty faith than of the non-existence of God. And if this is the case, it simply goes to demonstrate a cardinal tenet of Christian faith, revealed by God in His Word, which is that believers remain sinners all their lives and should always be striving to improve their walk with the Lord, lest they fall into shallow, inconsistent, scandalous ways.

We do not deny our unbelieving friend’s claims. We can simply employ his observations to demonstrate the reliability of God’s Word and, hence, the probability of His existence.

At the same time, the mere citing of such evidence indicates that our friend has thought about this question, and that one of the criteria by which he reached his posture of belief in the non-existence of God is the lack of evidence demonstrating God’s existence on the part of those who believe.

But this is not a problem of evidence; there are plenty of Christians who lead loving, giving, caring, and even courageous lives for the Lord. This is not a problem of evidence. It is, rather, a problem of the selection of evidence our friend has chosen to cite.

Here we have two excellent opportunities. First, we can confirm our friend’s desire to see living proof of the reality of God. This is not an unreasonable demand, and he is certainly not unreasonable to have arrived at his conviction by this route.

However, we will want to invite our friend to consider evidence beyond what he may have observed to this point, and here we need to be prepared to provide examples of people and ministries, past and present, that represent the ideals of the Christian faith in ways suggesting their faith is not a delusion.

Second, here is an opportunity to introduce your unbelieving friend to some of the Christians in your life – assuming, of course, that meeting them will add fuel to yourfire, and not his. Invite your friend out to coffee with some of your believing friends. Let them talk about all kinds of things, so that your friend can see that Christians are real people who enjoy life, are interested in many things, and can talk freely about their faith out of what will be seen to be a real experience of the Lord.

The fact that some Christians have proven to be a stumbling block for your unbelieving friend should not be the last word on the matter. The Christian community – past and present – provides many excellent examples of Christ-like devotion, service, and courage. We can benefit from being aware of such examples, and their witness can serve well in countermanding the failed witness of other believers, whether or not that witness has actually been observed.

For reflection
1.  What examples would you present to countermand your friend’s objection?

2.  Do you have some Christian friends you would be willing to introduce to your unbelieving friend?

3.  Why is it important to try to maintain a dialog with unbelievers? What role can your own life example play in this?

Talk to some Christian friends. Would they be willing to host a discussion/conversation group where unbelievers were invited to come and just talk? How would you prepare for that?

Why not start a reading group? This can be a very helpful way of becoming a more interesting person. An excellent book to use in starting a reading group is T. M.’s The Ground for Christian Ethics. It’s brief, conversational, and deals with foundational ideas relating to how we are to follow Jesus as His disciples. Order your copy by clicking here.

The Week features insights from a wide range of topics and issues, with a view to equipping the followers of Christ to take every thought captive for Jesus. Please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452.