heat of the battle
I talked with a former British elite forces soldier who had faced many battles and emerged unscathed. He said, “I don’t believe in God.” I challenged him by saying these familiar words: “There are no atheists on the battlefield.”
evil
The problem of evil is the No. 1 reason people give for not believing in God. They assume that a good God would not allow for evil to exist, and an omnipotent God would be able to keep it out, so the existence of evil means God is either not all-good or not all-powerful. And so they conclude that there is no God.
July 1, 2013
How have you effectively reached out to someone who turned from their faith in Jesus and said they no longer believed in Him?
hate to love
She hated anyone who believed in God. A self- proclaimed atheist, the young woman did everything she could to destroy the faith of believers in Jesus. She would even write vulgar things on the pages of their Bibles. But then, as the Holy Spirit worked in her life and Christians continued to reach out lovingly to her, her hard heart began to melt. Soon she considered herself an “agnostic.” Then came the day she fell to her knees and tearfully received Jesus as her Savior. Recently, I was privileged to have a part in her baptism. Faith had replaced disbelief. Love had conquered hate.
Jesus’ Father
I was recently reading through the book of John when my eyes fell on these words: “I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God” (John 20:17). This is the amazing declaration Jesus made to Mary Magdalene, just moments after she came to the stunning realization that He had risen from the dead.
gentleness and respect
“And what he still has left of his faith is such an anemic, mushy, and watered-down bowl of pap that he really has become a joke—a caricature of religious conviction. Any atheist or New Ager could come up with such grotesque nonsense.”
There is a place for stating things bluntly. But these words from a Christian blogger, describing a pastor…
a house divided
Janice is an attractive woman in her mid-30s. She has looks, friends and a successful career. A few years ago she also became a Christian—to the horror of her atheist father. Since then her visits home have become more and more difficult. Each week her father pummels her with reasons why she should abandon her ‘fairy tale’ faith.
This relentless…
hate your family?
I was invited to be a guest on a radio show last year to take part in a discussion with someone who called herself an ex-Christian. Rebekah had been brought up as a Christian, had attended Bible colleges and been on mission trips. But after growing doubts and a series of life events, she had given up on her faith.…
love and magic
When an atheist online reader of ODJ submitted a comment that called religion “anti-science” and Christianity “magic,” a fascinating online dialog ensued. I thought of the books authored by brilliant minds—articulating a reasoned and logical case for belief in God. I pondered the complexity of the human eye, the intricate design of a giraffe’s neck, and the oddity of the duckbilled…
proof of faith
The renowned atheist Christopher Hitchens was dying. By his own admission, decades of heavy drinking and smoking had given him cancer of the esophagus, and now he was facing a brutal regimen of chemotherapy and a bleak prognosis. His thinning hair, weary eyes, and parched, halting voice were signs of a beaten man—yet he softly reaffirmed his unbelief in God.…
