Yesterday I wrote a post that generated a lot of traffic. Not everyone was happy with it but it was something I really felt needed to be said. I was angry about how a group of pastors decided to boycott a bus company because the busses had a slogan on the side that they disagreed with.
I spent a lot of time today reflecting on the comments that were made about my post. There were a couple of people that commented who were self proclaimed atheists or non-believers. I loved what they had to say. But, it also shook me up because I realized that most of them had never had a pastor free them up to admit their doubts and concerns. And most of them had never had someone like me just sit and dialogue with them about spiritual things.
Here's the truth: I am tired of talking to Christians.
Let me explain what I mean by that statement: I'm a huge fan of people who believe in Jesus and are living a life following him. I get to be with a bunch of those people every day at my church. There are some amazing families and students who are walking with Jesus. I also work with an incredible church staff that love Jesus too and are reaching out to the world. But, there is a difference between claiming to be a "Christian" and following Jesus with your life.
My friend Adam wrote a blog post a few weeks back that rocked me pretty good. He is a youthworker and a dad and wrote a blog to his church telling them essentially to go and reach the lost and not to worry about his kids because they were growing up in a home with parents who loved Jesus.
So here's my challenge: We are entering a Holiday season that is all about Jesus and his birth. But, we have to be really careful in the Church that we don't make make this season about us. Our Christmas programs and events are often inward focused. So, how can we look outside the walls of our churches and ourselves? I am a fan of reaching out to Christmas/Easter Christians and want them to know that we'd love to engage with them the rest of the year. But, I'm less interested in them because they've at least heard the good news. I am mostly hoping we can engage people who are willing to admit they don't believe.
I want to be fully honest here and say I know that I'm a failure in this area. I'm really good at talking to Christians. I'm great at propping myself up with my education, degrees and knowledge. But, I'm just not as comfortable sitting next to someone on a bench and asking them what they believe and why. Have I become that which frustrates me? Probably. But, I hope that these blogs will force me out of easy simple world. I'm thankful that people who don't believe what I believe read this blog. I want us to stay in dialogue.
I ended yesterdays blog with this statement:
So if you don't need God I'd love to talk to you. Not to "convert" you or "change" you but to just have a conversation and to share some of my honest thoughts about all of this. If you want to get on a bus and go for a ride I'm cool with that.
Here's a challenge to the Bus company with those signs. Let's actually fill a bus with people and have a dialogue about faith. Let's provide a place where those who fully doubt all of this to be free to express those doubts. I hope that I can be a person that they will want to talk to. I love Jesus but I also realize that many of them don't and I'm ok with that. But, let's talk. I promise to listen and to think and to engage. It's not my goal to covert you. But, I do want to listen.
Wow.
I think you make some excellent points, and I do believe there are many, many people who struggle with belief because of being disenchanted by what I also think is a skewed view of Christianity.
Once I gave myself permission to say “Nothing about this makes sense to you. The whole idea is asinine to you. If there is a higher power you don’t have the ability to understand it” it was very freeing.
I’m not one of them. I am fond of your moral tales and I think your Jesus was an awesome man. But I do not believe in any gods. I spent years trying to believe and it just didn’t take. Either there is no God, or your God doesn’t want me.
Thus, I take exception to your friend’s comment- “go and reach the lost and don’t worry about his kids because they were growing up in a home with parents who loved Jesus.” You needn’t worry about my kids either. We are not lost, we just don’t believe the same things you do. My sons are straight A students with a father who is a teacher, a mother who is home with them full time, and all the love they could ever need. They are raised in the Unitarian Church and are free to believe whatever they chose. (One is a deist, thus far.) Go out and do good works, preach the gospel to those that are hungry for it. But all who wander are not lost.
Amanda. Great point. I oversimplified his argument. He was really just saying weve got our kids dont worry. I think you raise great points and Im sorry if I oversimplified my thoughts. Ill add a bit more in the comments later.
Typed with my thumbs. Typos guaranteed.
I think you’re pretty brave to bring this up.
I’d love to see you take it a step further and get some time to get on the bus and make this a reality. Your intention is clear… now make it a reality!
Hi, Lars:
I’m a member of Metroplex Atheists, which is one of the groups behind the Fort Worth “T” bus signs.
You seem like a decent guy, and I enjoyed reading your blog posts. I appreciate your interest in talking with us. But we atheists have already been talked to death by Christians. They want to convert us, want to know what single event caused us to decide we hate god, [we don't hate god - we don't believe in gods!] and want to beat up on us. It’s just a phase we’re going through, they insist.
Lars, we’re normal people — no horns. We live good lives, love our children, have jobs, pay taxes, everything. We cherish life and aren’t all that different from you.
Cheers, William
William. Thanks your reply. I appreciate your taking the time to do that. Just to be clear I dont have an agenda. When I say talk I dont mean convince. Im dont believe that talking gets us anywhere either. My apology if it seemed I had an agenda. I fully agree about the decency, normalcy, morality and values of many people who believe differently than me. Ive got several friends who are atheists. My only point in my article was that I wanted to affirm your statement as a valid place and not boycott a bus line for sharing something that many people believe is their truth. Make sense? Im affirming you for your place and taking the church to task for not allowing you to be who you are
Typed with my thumbs. Typos guaranteed.
Hi, Lars:
You wrote:
I’m affirming you for your place and taking the church to task for not allowing you to be who you are.
Absolutely, Lars, and I appreciate it. I should have said so before!
William