So all, it is after Christmas. We have baked and eaten our cookies. Our presents have been bought and opened. Now we are reading our books, wearing our new sweaters, and playing our new Wii games. I am sitting in my self-made coffee shop- a mug of tea, a book, and iTunes on shuffle. Or Pandora.
Now that we are removed from all the bustle and trying to find a seat in the pew at Christmas Eve service or mass, and we have some time to think, I'd like to share something I'm thinking about. (I think a lot- sorry!)
I happened upon this article about the Lincoln Tunnel's billboard "War on Christmas."
The American Atheists put up a billboard with the nativity scene that said "You KNOW it's a myth. This season, celebrate REASON!" The Catholic League responded in turn with their own billboard featuring their own nativity background and stating, "You Know it's Real. This Season Celebrate Jesus."
The Atheists spent $20,000 for their billboard and the Catholics spent $18,500.
Why did the Catholic League spend $18,500 on a billboard? Jeff Field of the Catholic League said, "This is the time of year that the secularists, these atheists, choose to assault our Christianity and our religion. We decided that we're not going to let that happen."
People, I ask you- is it worth $18,500 to defend Christianity with a billboard? Did that prove that Jesus is the Savior of the world?
This brings me to reflect upon what appears to be more of a war on culture than actual Christianity. Come on, what is Christianity about if it can be debunked with a billboard? Or defended by one for that matter. What are we really trying to defend? The NAME of CHRIST? Does Jesus need us to defend his good name against the atheist billboards?
If the birth of Christ and the basis for our entire faith can be assaulted by claims that it's a myth, then what is a good way to fight back? Hello, prove that Jesus lives! We're not defending religion, or doctrine, or even the Scriptures. We're loving and serving a living Savior. So let's show them the resurrected Lord in our love, in the fact that Christ still does miracles today, and the fact that we don't have to sink down to the same vacant debating.
If atheism is all about reason, we need to present them a God who defies reason. We don't win in the intellectual arena with atheists, I'm sorry. We are ill-equipped in our evangelical apologetic training that only serves to arm us with enough to make us dangerous. Like seriously in danger of looking ridiculous to the atheists. I work with an atheist. She's great. She knits hedgehogs. But for fun one day she brought in some Jews for Jesus tracts and we all laughed at how ridiculous they were.
The problem oftentimes is that all our faith has boiled down to is religion. And doctrine. We've lost the sense of wonder at the miraculous. So doctrine must be defended and it all becomes this great argument over absolute truth and reason. I think it's all an indictment on the Church that we have become the sort of people that Paul warns Timothy to have nothing to do with- people who have a form of godliness but deny its power (2 Timothy 3:5). I don't even want anything to do with religion. 2 Corinthians 3:6 says: "He has made us competent ministers of a new covenant- not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."
So people... Catholic League- lets offer the Atheists something better than debate. Let's offer them LIFE.
PS- If this is something that interests you, I highly recommend going to the link for Joel2Generation and listening to the podcast called "What is the big deal about Christmas?"
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