Christian, Do You Know an Atheist?

After reading Dr. Moore's post/review of Dan DeWitt's new book Jesus or Nothing, I pre-ordered the book for delivery to my iPad Kindle app on April 15. I think you should, too.

If you read the article here you might notice toward the end a phrase that caught my attention. It makes me think about my "daily traffic patterns" as Rex Horne calls it. Where do I go each day? Am I traveling safely within a bubble guarded by Christian people and Christian things?

"if you don't have any atheists in your life, you might should wonder why"

I'm sure I pass by people every day who do not believe that God exists. I'm sure a handful of my contacts on social media would claim atheism - if not verbally, at least in practice.

Dr. Moore brings my thoughts back to something I've pondered but never really done much about: Why have I insulated myself from those who need to know the stunning truth of the gospel? All I need to do is look at Jesus' life and I'll see that he didn't stay away from those who held different beliefs than the truth he taught. Jesus didn't avoid skeptics. He didn't feel uncomfortable around them or worry about debates and arguments.

Jesus clearly had a mission. He came to die for the sins of all people, and he came to seek and save those sinners. The mission is clear for Christians: seek out those who need the gospel and tell them the good news! Having purpose - being committed to the mission - goes a long way in bringing Christians like me out of the "safe house" and into the lives of those who live on the dangerous edge of a eternity.

It's one thing to lob volleys over the wall (i.e. post Christian-ese sayings on social media), but it's something altogether different to be a friend to those so far from the salvation Jesus died to provide.