Here is a hypothetical conversation that probably happens every day:
Christian: Do you know what happens to you after you die?
Atheist: I get buried in the ground and become worm food.
Christian: Don’t you believe in heaven?
Atheist: No!
Christian: What if heaven does exist? What if hell really is eternal torment? Wouldn’t you want to know how to avoid hell and go to heaven?
Atheist: There is no heaven, nor is there a hell. I’m going to be buried in the ground where I cease to exist, just like you will be. Even if heaven & hell existed, I would choose to live my life just as I do now and suffer the consequences of hell. However, if I did meet God before being sent to hell, I’d ask him why he made it so difficult for me to find him if he really wanted to be known to me.
Christian: Oh, well you’re wrong and I will pray for you that you open your eyes to God someday.
As you read the dialog, did you find either position convincing? As a Christian, does someone telling you that when you die you cease to exist forever convince you that it’s true? As an atheist, if someone tells you that God is real and that there is a heaven and a hell and you will be present in one of those two places for eternity convince you? I believe the answer to this is no in both cases, so why do we keep having the same discussion with the same end result?
As Christians, each of us should be called to share the message of Christ to those that are not familiar with it. It’s an act of love that we can do for others. We are not credited with the end result, but evangelism is a teaching that Christ left us with and the majority of the new testament is part of the story of how the church grows as a result of it. As atheists, one is compelled to dispute the teachings of Christ as (atheists believe) there is no convincing evidence that Christ existed, let alone that he was God.
In watching a recent video from Penn Gillette (of Penn & Teller fame) I was intrigued. He talks about a man showing up at one of the Penn & Teller shows and giving Penn a bible. Please take a moment to watch the video:
After seeing the video and Penn’s sentiments, it’s kind of nice in that he seems to offer respect for the man that gave him the bible. However, in the end the Christian is viewed no differently than others in the world. Penn says he is “a good man.” In the world, all people are seen as good. Atheists believe that one does not need to believe in God in order to be good. You know what? They are right. I commented on this in my last post. Give a guy a bible and be considered by the recipient to be good. Christians, it’s time that we change our ways and instead of being seen as good, we need to be accepted as relevant!
I submit a challenge to all atheists reading this post: If a Christian showed why God is real and why it would change your life in a positive way if you believed in him, would it open your mind to really seeking God rather than reciting the same old cliche phrases that you have used in the past to derail Christians? I’m not saying that you need to accept God as fact on-the-spot, but wouldn’t it cause you to stop and ponder the question of whether maybe, just maybe, God could exist if someone was so changed before you?
To the Christians reading this, my challenge to you is this: Won’t you actually put yourself in a position where you believe that God does love others and wants to see them come to know him through your actions and do something relevant that shows the world you are different? We are called to be fishers of men. Did you know that in fishing, when you throw a bait to a fish and it bites it, repeated casting of the same bait to the same fish desensitizes the fish to striking that bait? Why do we keep giving the same presentation to people hoping that they’ll bite? If knowing God is not a religion, but a relationship then shouldn’t we as Christians show the world this by first starting in developing a relationship with someone? Anyone can say a could of sentences and walk away, but we all have a unique story and a unique personality and therefore we should learn to share this in unique ways. Cookie cutter evangelism will be met with the words, “keep it to yourself.”
Related posts:
- Atheist vs Christian: Morality only comes with Christianity?
- Atheist vs Christian: Smackdown!
- Atheist vs Christian: God is Love?
- Atheist vs Christian: California’s Proposition 8
- Atheist vs Christian: Is God A Murderer?
Tags: atheist agnostic humanist relative truth penn gillette evangelism
I see that many of the Christian evangelism has also become cookie cutter and cliche. Too many programs, systems and methods when people have different needs and have different circumstances. Jesus never healed the same way twice, so why would we try to evangelize using one method? Just a thought.
Great analogy Sambi! Thank you!