The time for polite debate is over. Militant, atheist writers are making an all-out assault on religious faith and reaching the top of the best-seller list, a sign of widespread resentment over the influence of religion in the world among nonbelievers.Many of these atheistic evangelists are drawing crowds debating theologians and other clergy. I find it fascinating that people are open to embrace a life devoid of God and that books like The God Delusion top best-seller lists. Could it be indicative of the fact that the church has little to say, or just won't? Or the fact that too much time is spent on church and not enough on Jesus?
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Atheism Gaining Ground
As regular readers know, I slogged my way through Richard Dawkins' magnum atheistic opus, The God Delusion. The extensive acceptance of atheism is a cause for concern and should give us a few moments pause. It also gives us a barometer to judge just how well the church is doing. OneNewsNow reports:
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2 comments:
tony...it could be that Christians, in the minds of atheists, have become so politically minded that it frightens them to think we might have a voice in what goes on in our country.
but then I really think it is because God wants to use their platforms to open dialog in a gracious, loving way in which Jesus can be lifted up and draw all men to him. I truly hope that it will be the result of debate with them. And I pray we will simply speak the "gospel" and our "faith" in the "gospel" which is the only thing that will penetrate the ears of those who need to hear.
Our actions must match our rhetoric or it will simply be rhetoric. More gracious spokesmen like Billy Graham in an interview is the best possible people to dialogue with the atheist. To dialogue with them in an antagonistic way to "prove" the "foolishness" of what only Christ reveals to the heart of a man convicted, is not going to accomplish anything in the world forum which these bestselling books provide. Just my out-of-the-box kinda thinking. I need some more lemonade. Got any lemons? :>) I'll bring the sugar. selahV
Mmmmm...lemonade...
I don't disagree. I think, like the post we have been talking about that American = Christian, the atheists are seeing the deleterious effects "religion" is having on America and they see a life devoid of it as simply more meaningful.
I personally have known only one atheist (I preached his funeral about three years ago), but from reading Dawkins' book, their argument is not so much against God Himself but organized religion.
One that has done admirably debating Dawkins has been British theologian Alister McGrath; I don't know if you are familiar with him. He always comes back to the Gospel. I can't wait to get my hand on McGrath's rebuttal to The God Delusion, The Dawkins Delusion?
And your words about dialogging with the atheist should be the tenor of our discussions with anyone, believer and unbeliever alike. Great thoughts, Mrs. V!
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