How to Talk to Atheists

by

Special to United Methodist Insight

“I have a whole classroom of adult learners who think I’m dumb because I believe in God.”

This was the opening line of a sermon I heard recently from Janet Ray, who serves on our church staff as Minister of Discipleship. She got everyone’s attention immediately. An intriguing story followed:

Janet said, “This was in 1987. I had just completed my first year of teaching English at a private Christian school and I really wanted to travel over the summer break. But as a private Christian school teacher I didn’t have a lot of extra money. So I found a group that sent folks to teach English to high school foreign language teachers in Asia.

"We were encouraged to stick closely to the approved English as a second language curriculum and go off book only in response to student-initiated questions. My class was full of bright adult learners who didn’t know much about the United States, but they had heard of Harvard University and were clearly impressed that I was taking classes there for my master’s degree. Although I was younger than most of them, this gave me an extra measure of respect and deference.

"These 23 teachers cruised through the chapters on elevator etiquette, though none had ever ridden an elevator, and ordering at a restaurant, although you couldn’t have found chicken and waffles within 2,000 miles.

"When we got to the chapter on celebrating Western holidays, they were fascinated. No Lunar New Year, no Tomb-Sweeping Day, no Lantern Festival? They had heard of Christmas and were very interested in this holiday, which they all understood to be an orgy of Western capitalism. So I explained St. Nicholas and then I explained Jesus’ birth. They had no idea this bourgeois, consumer-driven holiday was, in any way, linked to the Western god, Jesus, and they were intrigued.

"At some point, one of them asked me point-blank whether I believed in this Jesus god. My answer brought mixed reactions, none of them very encouraging. About one-third of the class burst out laughing. About one-third of the class protested in clear dismay, ‘But you are so intelligent!’ And the other third, practically in unison, asked me a question: ‘Do you believe your god can do anything?’

"I didn’t know exactly what to do with those still chuckling, or those shaking their heads over my wasted intellect, so I decided to tackle the question: ‘Yes, of course I believe God can do anything.’

"Boy, did I walk into that set-up! To a person, the class sat up straight and challenged me, ‘Can your god make a rock so heavy he can’t move it?’ Clearly, the government propaganda in this officially atheistic country had been quite effective.

"Maybe you’ve also been asked this question. I hadn’t. Now (years later) I know this classic question even has a name: ‘The Omnipotence Paradox.’ You can Google it and find theologians and philosophers with complicated and intricate explanations. Most say, ‘No, God can’t make a rock too heavy for God to lift because that’s outside God’s nature – just like God can’t lie and God can’t die.’

"C.S. Lewis, the author of the Narnia series, once answered a similar Omnipotence Paradox: ‘Can a mortal ask questions which God finds unanswerable?’ He answered: ‘Quite easily, I should think all nonsense questions are unanswerable.’

"‘Can your god make a rock so heavy he can’t move it?’ my class demanded. I said I didn’t know the answer to that question. But, I said, I do know other things about what God can do. God can make despair become hope. God can make someone inconsequential become a person with purpose. God can make indifference become compassion.

"I was shaking. I was uncertain. I was praying hard. If someone challenges your faith, it’s hard not to get defensive. But you’re not likely to win a debate about faith. Because the message of the cross is foolishness if you aren’t open to the WHOLE message of the cross, which includes not only death, but also grace and forgiveness and new life.

"Instead of giving answers, ask them to tell you more about their own beliefs and why they believe what they do. Questions like, ‘Why do you ask? What do you mean by that?’ or ‘Could you be wrong?’ will help you understand what they really want to know. You may think of a story from your own life that illustrates your perspective. But your arguments or logic or reasoning isn’t going to be enough. Only the Holy Spirit can change someone’s heart or mind or belief.”

Janet concluded with a story:

“Lee Strobel, former legal editor for the Chicago Tribune, might disagree with me. A confirmed atheist, he was surprised, and a little dismayed, when his wife declared one day that she had become a Christian. Lee decided to use his legal training to correct her foolish notion and make a case against Christianity. He examined first-hand documents (in other words, the Bible) and consulted with religious experts all over the country – essentially building a case the way a lawyer would.

"After two years of considering the evidence, he was convinced. And he had become a Christian. If you’ve never read Lee Strobel’s book, ‘The Case for Christ,’ I recommend it highly. But I suspect that even Lee Strobel would concede that intellect, logic, and argument alone are not enough to convince someone of the truth of the gospel. Because it just doesn’t make sense from the perspective of what the world values. Sharing with those in need? Becoming a servant? Laying down your life for people who don’t even appreciate, much less deserve it? This kind of love truly surpasses all understanding.

"Even as a lifelong Christian, I am sometimes brought to tears, and brought to my knees, when I consider the love and grace God has given me. I can’t wrap my head around it. But I know I don’t have to fully understand it to be grateful for it. I let it wrap around my heart and try to let the overflow pour out on others so they can share that grace and love. No one ever thinks I’m dumb for loving them too much.”

The Rev. John Sumwalt is a retired pastor and the author of “How to Preach the Miracles.”