A few weeks ago, journalist, cultural commentator, and atheist provocateur Christopher Hitchens issued a statement announcing the personally devastating news that he has esophageal cancer.  If all you know about Christopher Hitchens is the title of his bestselling book, God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, then you already have a considerable glimpse into his views on Christianity.  One of the so-called “New Atheists”, Hitchens has become a hero to the radical secularists—mostly angry young men—who want to see the eradication of Christian influence from society.  Hitchens has earned a global reputation attacking Christianity.  Indeed, we have debated him three times: Edinburgh, Scotland, St. Louis, Missouri, and Birmingham, Alabama.

And, yet, in spite of his blasphemous rants, I have a soft spot for Christopher Hitchens.  I certainly cannot speak for others, but in my experience Christopher has always conducted himself with honesty and fairness.  There is something rather disarming about a fellow who openly admits that he has been beaten, as he did before 1,400 people at the Edinburgh International Festival after his debate with John Lennox.  Furthermore, in my many private discussions with him, I often leave with the impression that he is not as far away from the Gospel as one might suppose.  Oh, I am not suggesting that Hitchens is near a conversion.  The fact is, I don’t have any idea.  Rather, I am saying that he often seems prepared to listen.  (To put this in some perspective, I have also had numerous conversations with Richard Dawkins, but he has never demonstrated anything but a hardness of heart toward Jesus Christ.)

So, given my relationship with him, it seemed appropriate to wish Christopher Hitchens well and a full recovery from his cancer.  I did that in two ways: in personal conversation with him and with a video blog (see it here).  The latter was released on You Tube the day after he announced his condition.  In addition to offering him an encouraging word, it was an effort to shape Christian public opinion.  The video is a mere two minutes long and simply states our desire to see Christians pray for him.  I also added playfully my desire to use him in a future debate where he represents the Christian position rather than the atheist one.  All in all, the video is nothing especially remarkable.

Within days, however, the video had several thousand hits.  If you watch the video, be sure to read some of the comments.  It will open your eyes to the hatred many have for God.  The level of hatred expressed by atheists toward Christians in general and me specifically is startling.  The irony is, these people assumed wrongly that Christopher would be deeply offended by the offer of prayer.  I knew otherwise.  I had talked to him.  As if to confirm what I had said, Hitchens gave an interview only today in which he said:

“… there’s some extremely nice people [who] have said that I’m in their prayers, and I can only say that I’m touched by the thought.” (For full interview: click here)

Of course, Christians are to pray for the lost whether they want it or not.  One misguided fellow who reckoned himself a Christian wrote that we should not pray for Christopher Hitchens because he deserves God’s wrath.  Indeed he does.  And so do we!  Colossians 1:21-22 says:

“Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.  But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.”

To desire to see someone punished by God is not Christian.  On the contrary, we must never forget how great is our salvation!  Christ gave his life for us and we are to boldly proclaim this hope to a fallen world!  Let us pray for Christopher Hitchens and for the many other people in our lives who have not experienced the grace of God.

Comments (2)

On the contrary...

I grew up in an evangelical christian household, and was endlessly told things like, "Christians today are persecuted even more than in the days of Roman emperors like Nero." Ironically, if you want to be persecuted in America today, you should try being an atheist. Only then will you understand the endless psychological beating that the secular mind person takes from the religious. Your post illustrates clearly the obvious point that Christians are receiving absolutely none of the so-called "grace" that should make them at least a tiny little bit better than the secular man. This complete lack of difference just another nail in the coffin of religion. In the end, it doesn't matter, people are religious because they want to be, not because it is truth.

anonymous , July 16, 2010

Agree with your adversary

Matt 5:25 has been dropped into my heart numerous times over the past several days. I think this was catalyzed by my first full on, written discussion with an atheist on my blog site. I tried to adhere to three main disciplines during our discussion: reciprocity, agreement, and logic. And the most effective of the three was agreement.

I will not begrudge Christopher Hitchens or any other atheist the right to question religion, cosmology, or any other though provoking frame of natural curiosity. If I am truly unafraid to speak truth, I will admit to having most of the same questions in my day. So, empathy fulfills my Christian heart, having abandoned egocentricity to a past of greater, albeit sticky, vanity.

I wish him all the best. I pray for all lost souls, and I hope that in the eleventh hour Christopher may come to know a God that loves him in spite of all that he has chosen to speak forth. He is, after all, still here.

After seeing what I can only describe as encroaching humility on Christopher's face, while being interviewed last night on Anderson360, I am even further resigned to pray. And I will offer this last point of disagreement to the thing I heard him say so distressingly.

He indicated that if anyone in the future should ever hear that on his death bed he had received salvation they should not believe it. He further said that if he did so, he would not be in a lucid state. Having experienced the power of our Lord first hand, I can say that were he to receive the Lord in those waning moments, he would most logically be in the most lucid and aware state imaginable. Though I am but a crumb from the Master's table, with only a morsel to offer, let that morsel be, "Christoper, you will be most pleased to leave this world so alive and most gratified to be lucidly incorrect in the departing."

Sorry I got so wordy. I think I have already type enough for my own blog post. So, a cut and paste is in order. With Larry's permission, I will also embed his video.

Thank you for the venue and your service to the Lord, Larry. I live in Birmingham and would be honored if you can find the time to stop by my blog at http://alogicalchristianity.org.

Be Blessed!

Max Richey , August 06, 2010

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