What?!... No God?!....

                                                                            

Guest Blog Post: This post was written by my friend and fellow Bible searcher, Jan Craig.

What?!!! There is No God?

Today the big question being tossed around is: “Do you believe in a Holy God with whom you can have a personal relationship?”  This is the true Christian’s challenge.  A true Christian is one who believes Christ has forgiven her sins and has committed to following Christ the rest of her life. A true believer believes in the existence of a Supreme God and puts her trust and faith in him. 

• Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…. 1 Cor. 15 (NIV) 

• I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Gal. 2: 20

• Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, Who is in you, Whom you have received from God?  1 Cor. 6; 19a

The New Atheist movement believes there is no God and wants to destroy this “myth” by convincing people there is no such thing as a God of the Bible; therefore, you cannot have a personal relationship with Him – because HE doesn’t exist.  They want to persuade people that the God of the Bible is dangerous and evil because He does not like those who don’t believe in Him.  The New Atheist puts a big emphasis on reaching the intelligent elite.  They use math, science, history, and religion to sway a person away from their faith in God.

This isn’t really new.  King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia did the same thing with many Jewish teenagers who were very intelligent and of the elite class in Israel.  He wanted to use these teenagers in the ruling of his country. (This was a common practice when one nation defeated another nation.) So King Nebuchadnezzar used the same tactics with the teenagers that The New Atheists use today.   

He wanted them to be well taught and to believe in his gods. However, some of these boys’ faith could not be destroyed because they were well grounded in their belief in God. Read the book of Daniel for an example of how this played out. King Nebuchadnezzar believed he could easily change these boys’ minds.  

It is the same today.  How well grounded are our children in their faith? The New Atheists like to target our young people, especially those not deeply rooted in their Christian faith.  The Atheists are everywhere in today’s culture. They are in the public schools, on TV, in movies, and in other places where they can easily spread their message.  

As we have observed, The New Atheists are doing everything they can to spread their false teachings.  This should be a serious wakeup call to the true believer in Christ.  Remember who is a true believer?  (look back to the first paragraph).  When we are challenged by a New Atheist, (and trust me, we will 

be) as believers we must be ready to defend our faith.  1 Peter 3:15 says, Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have. (NIV)  So, here are some ways we can prepare ourselves:

1. We must know our faith.  We do this by being in God’s Word daily, memorizing verses, praying, and meditating.  But some of you may be saying, “The Bible is boring, and it is hard to understand.”  But one way I have found that helps me is to write a brief summary of the passage I just read.  Then I look to see what God wants me to learn or what I had forgotten, and write it down in a journal.  You’ll be amazed at how alive the scriptures will become!

2. Pray for God to speak through you with the Holy Spirit’s help. (Remember He is in you.)  

3. Since God demonstrated His love for you, then we must demonstrate God’s love to those we are speaking to.  This is very intriguing to them, because you are showing unconditional love for them rather than hatred, which they think Christians have for them.

4. We are to let God do the work through us.  We are God’s servants in sharing the gospel message.  

5. Don’t pretend to know all the answers.  They can “read” us faking our answers just as we can tell if someone is faking something.  If you don’t know the answer then say so, but also tell them you will get back with them when you have the answer.  Then do your research immediately (preferably from the Bible).  Then plan to get back with them soon.  You’ll be amazed at their expression of shock that you actually spent the time to answer their question. They will be very impressed with you.  It’s kind of fun to see their reaction!

I don’t know all the answers in how to respond to the New Atheist belief system.  In fact, I still have a lot to learn.  But I know God will help me in giving a defense for the gospel of Christ.  AOne book that can help in getting started in understanding The New Atheist is Atheism Remax by R. Albert Mohler Jr.   I plan to read more books to help me understand their belief system. Hopefully, your curiosity has been stirred enough that you will want to read up on The New Atheist movement as well.  

The Atheists are stepping up their campaign to spread their ideology.  Let us as true Christians make it our goal to step up and share the gospel message with the people around us.   They need to know there IS a God – and He loves them more than any of us can comprehend!