What I mean by that is I am hearing very little credible criticism of theism from those I meet but am instead picking up on a heightened personal antipathy toward divine accountability. When I have pressed those who deny the existence of God, the conversation ultimately leads to the real reason for the denial, which is the fear of moral evaluation.

I find people today to be largely governed by their own self-determined ethical standards, and the surrounding culture only feeds this intrapersonal ethic by telling us that freedom means we have no responsibility in our lives except not to injure or offend others. We are told by the media elite and culture shapers that morality is entirely subjective and that no one has the right to tell us what to do.

And, atheism is on the rise in America today because it is easy to like the idea of having no authority but ourselves. There is something very attractive about doing what we like without any moral or ethical interference. So, when we are told that we might be wrong for thinking such things, we are inevitably and understandably offended by that kind of assertion.

Hence, it is not difficult to see why non-theists are so incensed by the suggestion. There is an obvious and increasingly blatant push for atheism in our country today which is gaining ground in American culture because their battle cry resonates so well with the rugged American independence we have so faithfully fostered. And, that independence increasingly seems to include moral independence.

As I survey the human landscape from my own corner of the country, it is painfully apparent that people are embarrassingly insecure and self-centered. Though it is somewhat stereotypical to suggest this, I cannot help noticing that this is largely indicative of our culture. I’m not surprised that so many other countries think we are a spoiled and selfish people given the unabashed display of American hedonism that pervades our culture.

At the heart of this hedonism is the central sin of pride, which has always been an ugly and corrosive agent within the human race. Pride, though somewhat latent for some periods in history, is proudly on display in America today. In fact, we tell our kids that personal pride is a virtue and work hard to instill that pride in them at an early age by giving them rewards and back slaps for even mediocre performance and meager accomplishment.

As postmodernism sets in to popular culture, children are led to think that they are independent moral agents and that no one has the right to tell them who to be or how to act. They really do start to believe that they are the center of their universe. Freedom and discovery are celebrated and self-worship is ingrained in the psyche of kids so that they grow up to despise authority of any kind, especially of the divine kind.

So, is it really any wonder that so many people are declaring themselves atheists and agnostics once they discover that believing in a God outside themselves brings moral and penal accountability? Of course, it is no surprise at all. What is surprising, though, is how ok we are with it. As a nation, we are overwhelmingly accepting of self-worship and are quite afraid of imposing anything on others that would lead to guilt, shame or even worse, judgment.

However, I believe that we are less loving toward others if we are too afraid to tell them the truth, knowing that their ignorance will lead to their condemnation. To merely dismiss the non-theism of others in fear of offending them is to essentially commit a greater sin than their own. After all, the law of love requires us to speak the truth, albeit winsomely, to those who are perishing.

That being said, I want to speak bluntly to those who consider themselves non-theists in an effort to fulfill the law of love taught by Christ. To them, I ask if you do not believe in a divine Creator, is it because you truly know enough about the universe to assert that there absolutely can be no God? And if your answer is yes, then who do you think you are? To definitively deny the existence of God for yourself and others is to go against the overwhelming evidence of order and design around us and place yourself over the vast majority of the brightest minds who have come before you.

Honestly, I couldn’t fathom thinking so highly of myself that I could categorically deny all the evidence of a Creator and assert that I am in fact more intelligent than the vast majority of the human race in every generation. The reality is that you probably do not really think this but you are inclined to disbelieve because you are fundamentally self-centered and deathly afraid of divine accountability.

It is true that if you accept that there is a God, then you are subject to His commands. And, if you are subject to His commands, then you are not your own authority. And admit it…that scares you. That admission takes courage and humility, and it is not easy. However, if you can just muster some humility, then you can find out how much better life can be knowing that we don’t have to be in control.

Truth be told, I cannot think of a reason for living if there is no God. If God is not there, then there really is nothing to prevent anarchy and chaos. We have no legitimate reason NOT to offend and hurt others, and that is not the kind of world that I want to live in. I would much rather live in a world where people are accountable to someone outside themselves for how they live and treat others.

A better world is one in which there is a God who loves us and cares enough about us to instruct us. A better life is one in which there is a God who holds us accountable to higher standards than our own and will judge us for not living up to them. This is in itself reason to believe. Even if you have other reservations about God, His Word or His followers, the simple reason of the common good should be enough.

The truth is that you do not need to understand everything about God in order to believe in Him. You do not need to settle all your questions in order to accept His existence, and your life will run out long before all the mysteries are solved. Believing in God simply requires faith…faith that He is and that He loves.

I invite you to consider these things and be painfully honest with yourself. Ask yourself if your disbelief is rooted in self-centeredness and if you have denied the existence of God simply because you want to. Have you truly rejected God because He isn’t real or simply because He makes moral demands on your life? If the honest answer is the latter, then the only reason you don’t believe is pride.

Therefore, I sincerely implore you to abandon your pride and give humility a try. Jesus told us long ago that humility is pride’s remedy and that it is required to know the God who created you. Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Now, truthfully, most of what he says about Jesus and the Bible is obscenely arrogant and ignorant, but his banter about how Christians find a certain glee in his hellish torment for his sworn unbelief is interesting and worthy of consideration. Apparently, many born again Christian folk have written scathing letters and emails to him venting their anger about his atheistic polemics and many actually express how much he ought to suffer in hellish torment for his outspoken atheism.

When it comes to preconceived notions and stereotypes of born again Christians, I find that most of them are off base and unmerited. However, there is usually a grain of truth that stereotypes are formed around, which means that there is something probably true about his accusation. As well, I know from personal experience that there are angry Christians among us who do vent their vitriolic frustration out in often ungracious and unwise ways. Unfortunately, those relative few who do this are primarily responsible for the negative views and stereotypes that have been created and perpetuated around the world.

So, his perception of Christians based on his experience is that we for the most part are an angry, judgmental bunch of people. This is an increasingly popular stereotype that has made its way from the philosopher’s classroom in the university all the way to the table discussion at the coffee shop. Chances are, if you ask people on the street what they think about Christians, they will say something to the effect that they are angry, judgmental, close-minded people. Although most of that is untrue and most who say such things have probably nothing in their experience to truly validate that claim, they can point to perpetuated testimonies like these to underline their accusations.

All this is to say that the negative stereotype of the angry Christian is on the rise, but what I just cannot appreciate is why some Christians continue to fuel this fire by proving their point over and over again. Clearly, Christians have to be smarter and better than this. How is it that we who claim to follow Jesus would ever communicate in any fashion a sense of smug glee or delightful satisfaction at the demise and eternal judgment of those who refuse to believe? This is simply unfathomable and a disgrace to the rest of us Christians who know the heart of God better.

As a pastor, I am especially concerned about this issue because it is becoming an inoculating excuse for people not to listen to anything Christians have to say, and it is quickly becoming an almost insurmountable roadblock for the gospel. When it was just a suggestion or a quip, it was something we could navigate around, but now that it is popular mantra, we find ourselves in a progressively isolating predicament. I, personally, can hardly interact with someone outside of the faith without this issue coming up in the first five minutes of any spiritual conversation, and too many people I have encountered are fixated on this excuse to the point where they just aren’t willing to even listen.

This is incredibly unfortunate for us. The fact that this stereotype even exists is cause for concern, but the fact that it is exponential now is really an indictment of the entire Church in the world. If we cannot communicate the gospel because ears are closed off to it, then we cannot effectively accomplish the task that Jesus has given  us. And, we cannot share the message of love and forgiveness if most don’t consider us to even have it.

If we look at the Scriptures, we do not see evidence of a God who is gleefully vindictive against those who reject or even spite him. In fact, God is famously known for loving the worst of all people at their worst moments and always extending his offer of forgiveness and conciliation to those who don’t deserve it. In the Old Testament book of Ezekiel it declares:  “As I live, declares the LORD GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.”

And, even Jesus as he was dying on the cross compassionately asked His Father not to hold anything over and against his tormentors and killers for their ignorant actions. We don’t see conspicuous evidence in the Old or New Testaments of a God or his people gleefully enjoying holy wrath being poured out on others. Though we do see evidence of those who called for God’s justice on evil and were thankful for that judgment, they did not dance joyfully on the graves of their enemies.

In my judgment, the relative but apparently outspoken few so called Christians who say such things are tragically far from the heart of God. Either they do not know God at all or they know Him very little. In my experience, those who don’t know God cannot evidence his heart and those who barely know him are not willing to. If self proclaimed Christians call for the gleeful extermination and torment of others who don’t agree with them, then they obviously are doing so out of a carnal faith.

I have also found that some people who claim to be Christians often are most critical of those who most resemble themselves or at least reflect their own sinful tendencies. I have counseled Christians who say they “hate” others and have told them that if the Holy Spirit of God truly lived within them that they would be incapable of hating others. So, the revelation that they are so angry at someone else is often an indication of either false or extremely immature faith. So, what they may be so threatened by is actually what they are struggling with themselves.

My belief is that if we truly understand who we are in Jesus Christ and have a correct view of God and His relationship with us and others, then we should never be angry or threatened by anyone’s disbelief. After all, why should we be so bothered by their unbelief if we are so secure in our belief? By not believing, all they are doing is acting as we should expect. They should be incredulous, skeptical and even mocking of what we believe, so why are we so bothered by that? My view is that they can rant all they want but it won’t change my secure understanding of who I am in Jesus Christ. That is, of course, unless my understanding is flawed or even non-existent.

I want to exhort my brothers and sisters in Christ to first concern themselves with their own spiritual condition, which is usually enough to keep us occupied. Second, I want to encourage them to fully understand and appreciate their own secured faith and standing in the body of believers. And third, I want for them to learn from and imitate God’s heart and love for all people who don’t share our belief but especially for the evil and wicked people in the world who despise it.

Jesus plainly told us to “love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us” so there really is no reason any one of us should not love or not pray especially for the avowed and outspoken atheists in the world who want to find more reasons and excuses to dismiss our belief in God, His Holy Spirit and His Son Jesus Christ. And, for the sake of the gospel, it is my sincere hope and prayer that we will not provide them any more reasons or excuses.