Religious Atheists

According to the Pew Research Center, the share of Americans who self-describe as atheists has roughly doubled since 2007. Interestingly enough, though the literal definition of “atheist” is a person that “does not believe that God exists,” 8% of those who self-describe as atheists, also say they believe in some sort of universal spirit. 

This discussion of the existence of a higher power is one that is constantly present in the media. Pop culture utilizes religious concepts and imagery to convey one idea or another. Popular atheists and religious apologists seem to have some major debate from time to time. There has even been a resurgence of biblical epics in Hollywood. World religions are constantly in the spotlight, and their historical context seems to be always causing some controversy or another. Even Adventism has been in the forefront as a result of the current election cycle.

We as Adventists are in a particularly interesting position. I once had a conversation with the spouse of a coworker who asked me if I was part of any religion. When I mentioned I was an Adventist, he told me about an Adventist he knew in his theology program who was obsessed with eschatology and last-day events. I said to him, “Well, if you take our [Adventist] beliefs out of context, they sound pretty wacky.” 

I probably shouldn’t have said that, but I think it can seem that way sometimes. So maybe rather than talking explicitly about religious doctrines and beliefs, we focus on doing good works, which is something I think the church absolutely should engage in more and more. Christ Himself time and time again urged His followers to feed the hungry and clothe the poor. Political and natural disasters are producing much suffering; at this point, it is not only a good thing to do, but our imperative duty. But how about the message? What about the faith as part of the equation? What about the work within?

Often we live our lives as Sabbath Adventists. It's good that we have the custom of attending church on a weekly basis; otherwise we might turn into Christmas and Easter Adventists. But even the frequency of our church attendance is not doing much in our ranks. Why not? Because we have lost sight of the grand scheme of things; we have lost our sense of purpose. And as a result too often we live our lives as religious atheists. 

Francis Chan, an author and religious leader, shares the following illustration: Imagine a rope with a beginning but with infinite length. The length of the rope is our life’s timeline. The first few inches of the rope are our time here on earth, and the rest of it is our life in eternity. Most of us are preoccupied with what happens in that short time, trying to live the most comfortable life we can without thought to the rest of the infinite length of the rope. But what we do in the first few inches determines what happens in the rest of the length of rope!

Do we really believe that what we do now will determine our eternal future? The thought is foolishness to certain people: “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

The gospel message is not a comfortable one, so it’s easier to ignore the hard bits. There’s a reason why the last church in Revelation is the Laodicean church. It is the church where “everything is fine.” “I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing” (Revelation 3:17). We keep our end of the bargain, so to speak: “I've got to make money to tithe and give offerings so that the pastor or Bible worker can do the work. . . . I’ll go to church and listen to the sermon and thank God for the beautiful message. . . . Hey, maybe, I’ll invite my friend to church. . . . I’ll participate and even volunteer in that church program!” and on it goes. These things are great. They are part of our profession as Christians. But what about the things that are a little bit more difficult to swallow? How about the part when Jesus told His disciples, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me”? (Matthew 16:24). How about: “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart”? (Jeremiah 29:13). How about: “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God”? (John 3:5). 

Self-denial, seeking God, rebirth—these are the things God really wants us to do. Otherwise, we will not be able to have the deep conviction of Joseph who, despite all the suffering he endured, stayed true to God because he believed in Him. We need the steadfastness of Daniel and his friends who stayed true to their beliefs and trusted that God was with them, and that the Babylonians would witness God’s greatness. We need the courage of Elijah who, on pain of death, challenged the pagan priests and believed that God would honor his sacrifice. And even when, despite God’s grand demonstration, Elijah allowed fear to overwhelm him, this tender God came to his rescue and comforted him. This is the God we should believe in. This is He who is gently calling us to spend time with Him. God is trying to wake us from our slumber because our eternal destiny hangs in the balance. This is He who patiently waits for us to stop hitting the snooze button and come to terms with what is really happening around us. Our churches need revival and reformation because there are many people who need to hear this message. But that requires people who really believe in it: “The message for this time is positive, simple, and of the deepest importance. We must act like men and women who believe it. Waiting, watching, working, praying, warning the world—this is our work.”—Evangelism, p. 219.

So can this happen? God begins this work with one person. “When churches are revived, it is because some individual seeks earnestly for the blessing of God. He hungers and thirsts after God, and asks in faith, and receives accordingly. He goes to work in earnest, feeling his great dependence upon the Lord, and souls are aroused to seek for a like blessing, and a season of refreshing falls on the hearts of men.”—Christian Service, p. 121.

So, do what you believe!