Listening and Sharing: A Christian Response to Atheism

By Rev. Tom Parkinson

Amid the piercing sounds of warning sirens signaling the impending arrival of a tornado, thirty-year-old Rebecca Vitsmun made a split-second decision. Rather than sheltering in place to ride out the storm, she decided to take her nineteen-month-old baby, get in the car, and flee. It was a decision that saved their lives. Within minutes an F-4 tornado leveled their home.

When a news outlet noticed Rebecca’s story, they sent a popular reporter to interview her. After telling her story, the reporter casually asked Rebecca, “Do you thank God for that split second decision?” She paused and stuttered, clearly caught off guard by the question. After a moment of uneasy silence, she smiled and said “Actually, I’m an atheist.”

Rebecca’s self-identification as an atheist is a window into the modern religious landscape of America. According to the Pew Research Forum, 20% of American Adults identify as atheists, agnostics, or religiously unaffiliated. While atheism used to be a phenomenon associated with academic elites, it is increasingly common among everyday, ordinary folks like Rebecca Vistmun.

For Christians, this raises an important question: how should we respond to atheism? In an increasingly secular culture, it is a timely question. If you do not already, the chances are good that you will someday encounter somebody in your life – a friend, co-worker, spouse, or child – who doesn’t believe in God. As followers of Jesus, how should we respond?

When I was in high school, one of my friends shared that she was an atheist. For some reason, my gut reaction was to make it my responsibility to convert her. I mustered every ounce of mental energy I had to make a rational argument for God’s existence. I quoted scripture, talked about intelligent design, and pushed her to decide to believe. Rather than converting her to the Christian faith, all I did was drive her further away. She said it was because of the coercive tactics of people like me that she had given up on religious faith in the first place. In the end, my attempts to convert her only confirmed her distaste for the Christian faith.

Through that encounter I learned that a Christian response to atheism must do better than trying to convert non-believers. Besides, Jesus never called us to convert anybody. Rather, Jesus calls us to love God with everything we have, and to love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:29-31). Regardless of a person’s religious belief (or lack thereof), she/he is still a neighbor whom Christ calls us to love.

Our response to atheism, therefore, must begin with love. How can we show love toward our neighbors who do not believe in God? True love for neighbors begins with healthy relationships. The way that we experience God’s love for us is in relationship. Since all love is from God, if we are to love our neighbors, then the place to start is by building healthy relationships. Healthy relationships are those that entail mutual listening and sharing.

Listening to our non-believing neighbors is a good starting place. Ask why they choose not to believe in God. In most cases, a person’s choice not to believe in God is made only after careful consideration. Maybe they had terrible religious experiences as a child. Maybe they have experienced difficult seasons of suffering and pain. Maybe they are fed up with the violence and hatred that has been spread in the name of God. Whatever the reason, listening to a person tell their story communicates that you honor and respect where they are in life’s journey. In my zeal to convert my high school friend, I never once stopped to listen and honor her for who she is. My response, well intentioned as it may have been, was not loving.

But listening is just the beginning. Forming healthy relationships with non-believing neighbors also requires our own sharing. Once we have heard their stories, and understand their reasons for unbelief, we can share our own story. Tell them what a difference Jesus has made in your life. Share how God has helped you through a tough time. Talk about your doubts and personal struggles in faith. Sharing your story is not meant to provide a rational case for why all people should believe in God, rather it is to provide a witness to how Jesus has changed you.

The goal of listening and sharing is not to convert our neighbors, but to love our neighbors as Christ has loved us. The work of conversion is never ours; it is always up to God. Our act of listening and sharing with atheists may be a means by which God’s converting grace is poured out. On the other hand, it may not. Either way, listening and sharing are the basic practices that enable us to respond to atheism by loving our neighbors, which is all Jesus ever wanted us to do in the first place.