Okay… So, this might seem a little odd, but I just subscribed to the newsfeed for a website dedicated to Mississippi atheists. (The source of the quote in the title.) “Why?” you might ask. As a Christian and especially as a pastor, I need to know how others see us. What are their questions? What, about us, troubles them? Are there things that we say or do that keeps them from interacting with us? How have we hurt them? How have we helped them? Why can’t I stop referring to them as “them”? It sounds as if I am on some covert espionage mission, infiltrating the ranks of the enemy, in order to find their weaknesses and exploit them for our advantage. But really, that’s not it at all. I honestly want to know if there is anything I can do to help others experience God’s saving grace the way I have.
What are the barriers that we must dismantle if we are to reach our culture with the message of the Gospel? Maybe first, we should stop seeing “them” as the enemy and recognize that they are children of the living God, just as we are. We are no better and our being one of the insiders doesn’t make us any better, more intelligent, more spiritual, or anything else. It just means that we have more to thank God for and that recognition should humble us beyond words. At least they are being honest with their questions and doubts. We tend to hide them or sweep them under the rug. After all, to express doubt is surely a lack of faith, and we can’t have that, can we? But to deny or repress our doubts is to admit that we don’t have faith that God can answer our questions and alleviate our fears. So which is worse? My suggestion is to admit our humanness and trust that God can and will prepare for us a way that will draw us closer to God than we could have possibly imagined. So maybe in the end this is as much about “us” as it is “them”.
