Making Atheists

“The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle.  That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.” – Brennan Manning

It seems like everywhere I turn, I am confronted with anger, hatred, and lies.  Some days the torrent seems endless. It comes by mail, it’s every other commercial on TV and the radio.  It’s billboards and yard signs and bumper stickers.  People who say they are Christians, but are screaming louder than everyone else, not about God, but about hating the politician they don’t like.

“The greatest single cause of atheism…”

What depresses me most of all though is the constant onslaught of social media posts that scream louder and are most often meaner than anything in the outside world.  I’ve seen such vitriol posted from ordained elders and pastors it makes me physically ill.  People who lead worship, lead prayer, and preach about God’s love, posting things so awful it makes me sick even to think about it.

“…is Christians…”

I’ve stopped going on Facebook these days, I just can’t take any more of the hatred and filth being posted there by both church leaders and officials and folks who are in the pews every week, singing praises about God.  The Apostle James got it right when he exclaimed, “So blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!” (Jas. 3:10).  But every day, almost without fail, hateful things are spewed out and posted for all the world to see.

“…who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door and deny Him…”

I’ve stopped going to church, too.  I just can’t do it any more.  How can I find God when the people leading prayer and worship walk out of church and post hateful, vile things on the internet.  Maybe even FROM church, with smart phones and iPads and what have you.  If they can say such horrible things about our elected leaders, whom they’ve never met, what must they be saying about me?  And what does it say about the church? 

“That is what an unbelieving world simply finds…unbelievable.”

Jesus wasn’t like that.  Jesus loved people.  One of the final instructions He gave us before He died was “Love each other.  Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.” (Jn. 13:34).  That means, as Peter reminds us, “You must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, ‘You must be holy because I am holy.’” (I Pt. 1:15).  So why aren’t we?  Shouldn’t we be showing people the love of Jesus by how we treat each other?  Instead, we seem to be doing a lot better job of making atheists. 

“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’” (Matt: 25:40)

Encounter: In your speech, your online posts, and your lifestyle, are you making disciples for Jesus, or are you making atheists? 

-Todd G