God is Dead
March 16, 2009
God is Dead. And we killed him.
In our parents generation, the main question was, “Which church is correct?” These days, the question for a growing number of people is simply, “Is it correct to believe in God at all?”
In 2008, militant atheists in the UK, US, and Spain kicked off a campaign to question the existence of God. Prominent writers Ariane Sherine and Richard Dawkins teamed up with the British Humanist Association to raise money for a series of irreverent slogans like the one shown here. In just 3 days they raised over £100,000. The slogans have been trundling through cities on the sides of buses all over the UK, US, Spain and now Germany and Canada as well.
It’s an interesting time to be alive. Atheists have taken on an evangelical tone that is mildly oxymoronic given their belief system. Or non-belief system. Some Christians are alarmed. Others, including some pastors, think the Atheist Bus Campaign may be “starting a valuable discussion about God”.
Apparently, there’s no such thing as bad press, even when it comes to God and maybe especially when it comes to God. He ought to be used to it by now anyway.
If you enjoyed this post, be sure to read the rest from this author. Marc is a local writer, musician, and physician. He is a regular contributor to ConneXions and has written reviews for Spectrum: Adventist Forum. He loves words and music, windsurfing, and going on adventures with Janine and the kids.(Read more from this author) 
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A valuable discussion about God Indeed! Many in our post modern/secular society are burned out on “church,” tired of religion, but have not given up on God, or on the God-man, Jesus Christ. They are eager for discussion and open to learning more. They are more interested, it seems, in REALLY living out the life of Jesus than most people I share a pew with. It is these children of God that I have a burning passion for, and who will probably never respond to the traditional SDA evangelistic “campaign.”
I attended nearly all of our recent evangelistic meetings, and while I loved the speaker’s ability to connect with the audience, his love for people, and his humor, I noticed a few important things about this method:
1. It assumes at least some level of Biblical literacy.
2. It assumes one believes in God, and believes the Bible to be true.
3. It even assumes on some level that the participants are already converted to Christ. .
After all, what good would is it to argue the 28 doctrines if a person is not already a Christian, or at least already believes the Bible is true?
Although many Bendites fit the above description, enjoy old fashioned music, and will respond, to such as series, what about the majority that are left unreached? Those who would never respond to slick brochures with beasts? To arguments from a book they are not even sure is true or relevant to their situation?
Post-moderns and secularists have important questions to ask, questions the church has ignored or brushed off for too long. I believe that as a community of believers desiring to make a life in the way of Jesus, we have answers. Real answers that are more than just a a pat cliche’ or the throwing out of a verse.
Will we respond with empathy? Compassion? Open arms? Confession of our own and our church’s failures to live out the life of Christ and His Kingdom right now? By sharing our personal journey, our Story? Will we provide a venue for open, honest, transparent discussion?
How will we respond?
Interesting thoughts. I think that the voice of atheists is a natural reaction to the fundamentalist and self centered state of religion today. Atheists see nothing positive from people being religious. Religion brings wars, bigotry, and corporate judgment against the “unsaved.” If their campaign is against religion, then I would say they are correct: religion has failed.
But God has not.
God is alive and well. God is working everyday to bring strength to the weak, food to the hungry, and freedom to the oppressed. God works through anybody whose spiritual discipline includes listening to that still small voice. God works through doctors, teachers, artists, Christians, Muslims, and dare I say . . . . . . . Atheists? Can God speak through atheists? I simply ask. I don’t think God is constrained to speak only through those who are self-anointed to be God’s voice on earth.
Atheists have legitimate gripes about religion. The trouble is, they’ve crucified the wrong Jesus. And now they’re wiping their hands on their pants and saying, “Well that’s that.”
They have not engaged the Gospel–any more than religionists have.
[...] Something is dying out there, but it probably isn’t God. (See earlier post: God is Dead) [...]