“Life is a narrow vale between the cold and barren peaks of two eternities. We strive in vain to look beyond the heights. We cry aloud, and the only answer is the echo of our willing cry. From the voiceless lips of the unreplying dead there comes no word….”
– Robert Ingersoll
This quote from the nineteenth century atheist Robert Ingersoll rings with the sound of a deeply depressed human being searching for meaning in life and finding none. Life with no hope of a resurrection would indeed be a depressing reality lived between the “barren peaks of two eternities.” For the person who doesn’t believe in God, that’s pretty much what it comes down to – no word of hope, no word of life beyond the grave.
There’s a been lot of internet chatter about a new radical and militant form of atheism. Many see this on the rise. It seems fueled in part by the hypocrisy of some who wear the name Christian. “Militant” atheists fall within the more classical definition of those who don’t believe in God. The most radical of the militants seem bent on removing any vestige of God from our culture. They see Christians as evil enemies who want to force their beliefs on others through, for one thing, politics. Believers, in their thinking, are lunatics. They view Christianity as a cancer that should be removed from the face of the earth. They’d like to see it stamped out, and they are actively trying to accomplish the task! They spew hate and sarcasm toward belief in God. Communist states, of course, have a long history of repressing religious belief, but we’re now seeing a militant hatred of all things Christian in our own country.
The enemies of Christ have always used hate tactics and propaganda in attempting to demoralize God’s people. It’s worth noting, however, that not all atheists fit that category. Some are on a genuine search for truth. It’s not that they hate Christians, they’re just searching for a rational worldview – something that makes reasoned sense of life. Men like C.S. Lewis (a faith hero to many of us) were once in this crowd.
The teachings of Jesus Christ offer the most reasoned of all world views. People on a genuine search for truth will see this when we show them the authentic thing. Seekers need to see those who profess a belief in Jesus living-out His teachings. We need to live like our Master; that’s what a disciple does! Anything less is counterfeit. When Christ lives through us, truth-seekers will be drawn to Him.
Relative to all this, I’m attaching the following link from Christianity Today. I just read it and wanted to pass it along to those of you who are proactively practicing discipleship. It’s short and worth taking a few minutes to read. Here’s the link: When Athiests Believe
Keep the faith. Fight the good fight!
– Mike
This causes me to ask myself: “How would I respond if my faith is attacked?” Is my faith and belief strong enough? Part of me doesn’t want to be challenged, but I also know I have to be challenged in order to grow. I’m learning not to defend myself or Christ for that matter, but I need to reply with God’s love. I don’t think Christ or God need us to defend them. I need to just recall what God has done in my life. I need to share with others that I was where they are now, seeking and trying to live life on my own; and failing without God. If I can share that and make a difference in just one person’s life, Wow!!!! We need to know how to respond with love when attacked, not judgement, not forcing belief. We just love and share and let God work through us…
Mike,
This blog speaks about what I face at work on a daily basis. Just the other day I was speaking to a athiest. Well, I wouldn’t say that he is an athiest, but rather takes the stand point that it really doesn’t matter if there is or isn’t a God (what’s gonna happen is gonna happen.) It was very hard to find any common ground on this subject, and I could tell that he was going angry. I was proud of myself (this time) for not “arguing” Jesus, but just simply explaining who He was. When I saw that the conversation was taking a turn for the worse, I explained that it was not my intentions to make him become angry.
In the past, I would have dove right into the dirt with him and fought it out with a battle of words. Now, I realize that this banter does not accomplish anything in helping show people who Jesus is. You are absolutely right…we must “fight the good fight.” This means that we must act how our Lord would act, and not self-serve our own desires and instincts.