Evangelical Atheism: Evangelical in Word, Atheists at Heart

Years ago, friends and I experimented with designing listening groups. These small groups with three or four participants met once a month for seven months.

Basically, we listened to one another for two hours. After a time of centering prayer where we became stilled and focused, the first person would begin and share where he or she was in life. When the first person was done, we would go back into silence, and the only way we could respond to the one who had spoken after those short moments of quiet was to ask questions. This pattern continued until we had gone around the group.

Over seven years, I led some 250 people in listening groups and was amazed by the remarkable growth I saw in many of the attendees. I also was transformed in unexpected ways; I certainly became convinced of the healing power that exists when humans feel heard and understood.


We always take the first session of a listening group to get to know one another a little so that we are not complete strangers. One woman sitting in my living room started her story with these words: “I guess you could say that I was raised by parents who were Evangelical atheists…”

Whoa, I thought. Now that’s strong! Evangelical atheism?

The woman explained that her parents adhered to conservative Christianity but that their lives were a dysfunctional antithesis to what Scripture explains are the fruits of belief. Over the next month, I kept mulling over this apparent oxymoron: Evangelical atheism. Evangelical atheism.


Go here to know more about Gospel for Asia: GFA | GFA.org | Facebook | YouTube | Twitter | Lawsuit

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Our Attitude Towards Suffering

Image
In 2 Timothy 2:3, the Apostle Paul writes to Timothy, “Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” Everyone, at some point or another, faces suffering, the soldier especially. However, it is not so much what we suffer, but how we suffer that matters. The way our heart responds to suffering is crucial, because by it we will either advance or become stagnant. To suffer like a good soldier is to willingly endure all for the sake of the call. To suffer like a bad soldier is to grumble when difficult situations and hardship arise. Instead of throwing our lives into what God has called us to, we can try to hold on to our lives, wanting to get away with as little suffering as possible, paying as little price as possible. We have forgotten that we are under the orders of our Master and that we willingly gave up our lives. Christ’s Example of Suffering Christ lived with the expectation of suffering. Throughout the Gospels, He repeatedly referred to
Read more

What Is the Poverty Cycle?

Image
The question, “What is the poverty cycle, or cycle of poverty?” is one that must be answered to address and end poverty across the globe. Put simply, the term refers to the trend where the vicious effects of poverty and deprivation pass from one generation to the next, with no seeming way out. [1] Someone born into poverty has fewer opportunities than their wealthier peers. They must focus on survival above all, leaving little room for anything else. One illness can wipe out a family’s savings, but the unclean water sources and lack of protection available to them invite sickness. Walking to retrieve water can be time-consuming yet must be a daily priority, and many children must work alongside their parents for the family to afford food. Thus, school is often a far-off dream. Having had few opportunities to acquire skills, the kids grow up to repeat the cycle of poverty with their own children. This story was all too familiar for Nalah. His father worked in the tea fields, trying to e
Read more

In Which 10/40 Window Countries Does GFA Work?

Image
GFA World has ministries in over twenty nations, many of which are in the 10/40 window. Countries like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal are largely poor and desperate for the Gospel, and GFA is working to address these problems. Bangladesh is a lush, green landscape marred by brutal poverty, corruption and unrelenting natural disasters. Though it was once among the wealthiest areas of South Asia, it is now one of the poorest, with over a third of the population living below the poverty line. [1] About 387 people groups, adding up to 155 million people, call Bangladesh home. Of that number, only one percent is considered Christian. [2] Compounding the nation’s issues are a low literacy rate—just over 50 percent—and persecution of the few Christians who live there. [3] The island nation of Sri Lanka is world-famous for its tea. Its sandy beaches and lagoons make it a popular tourist destination; however, this beautiful land is scarred by years of internal strife and natural disaster. A
Read more