"Atheist author Christopher Hitchens energetic in debate at Birmingham Sheraton" by Greg Garrison

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.

A few days ago, I was jogging on a trail near my house.  As I ran around the loop, I continually passed an elderly man walking slowly in the opposite direction.  Possessed of a fairly outgoing personality, I often greet strangers with friendly remarks.  In this case, I would smile and say things like, “Keep it up!  You’re doing a good job!” or “Isn’t this where I hand the baton to you?”  He would chuckle and say a few words back.

Having finished, I was getting into my car when he pulled up in his pick-up truck and said, “Did you get your heart rate up?”  Sitting behind the wheel of his truck, his window was fully retracted and his arm rested on the door.  He smiled warmly.

“Yes, sir,” I replied.

He shook his head.  “I couldn’t do what you just did.  Running in this heat.”

“Well, I’ve got a few years on you,” I said, returning the smile.

“Let’s not get away, young man!” he said with mock anger.  “But you are right.  I have some accumulated mileage.”  He then went on to enumerate a number of surgeries: bypasses, stints, etc.  I decided that this might be an opportunity to share the Gospel, that is, the Christian message of hope. 

“It sounds like the Lord has been good to you,” I said.  Something like this is a good way to drive a discussion toward the spiritual.  It is something of a conversational fork in the road.  He may say something that indicates that he is already a Christian or he may say something that indicates he is not.

He looked thoughtful.  “It seems like someone has been looking out for me.”  I had my cue.  This was not the right answer for a Christian.  
He continued: “My brother and sister both died.  I think it is because they were ready.”

“Are you ready?”  I asked, shutting the door to my car and walking over to his truck.

“I don’t know.”

“I have a simple question for you: do you know Jesus Christ?”

“I’d like to think so.”  Wrong answer.

“It’s not like that.  Either you do or you don’t.”  I let that sink in before resuming.  “Do you want to know where you will spend eternity?”

He chuckled uncomfortably and gazed forward though the windshield.  “I’ve heard some say that you can know, but I’m not sure.”

I leaned in and spoke emphatically.  “Sir, you can leave this parking lot and know with certainty where you will go if you die.”  He looked at me, assessing my face, perhaps trying to determine my trustworthiness on such an important subject. 

“I have been a member of several churches,” he asserted.  This was offered as sufficient credentials for his heavenly acceptance.

“Not good enough,” I said.  “It has nothing to do with church membership.”

“That’s not what a preacher once told me.”

“Sir, if that’s what the preacher said, he was wrong.  Jesus said, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he that believes in Me will live, even though he dies.’”  That means that if we confess our sin—that is, our imperfection and need for his mercy—God is faithful to forgive us and to extend to us the hope of eternal life.  So again, I ask: Do you want to leave this parking lot knowing where you will spend eternity?”

“Yes, I do,” was his simple and serious reply.

“Then I want to pray for you.”  He looked uncomfortably at the people passing by.

“Ignore them,” I urged.  “Besides, we don’t have to close our eyes or bow our heads or look like we are doing anything other than talking.  I’m going to pray first and then, if you would like to, perhaps you will ask God to forgive you of your sins and tell him that you accept what Jesus did on the cross for you.  Do you understand that?”

“I think so,” he said earnestly.  Just in case, I explained what Jesus did on the cross and his resurrection three days later and why it mattered.  He seemed to “get it.”

“Lord,” I began my prayer, but he stopped me …

“Oh, by the way, what’s your name?” He asked.

“Sorry.  I’m Larry Taunton.”

“Nice to meet you, Larry.  I am Winfield Jones.” *  He extended a warm hand to shake mine.  I then resumed praying.

“Lord, thank you for Mr. Jones and for his desire to know you.  I pray that you will reveal Yourself to him and let him know that you love him.”  There was an awkward silence, and then he started praying.  Whatever his initial reluctance to close his eyes and bow his head was, it was gone now.

“Jesus?”  It seemed more like a humble question than an address.  “As you know, I haven’t ever killed nobody or stolen anything, but I have sinned.  Of course, everybody’s done that …” 

I had to suppress laughter.  His prayer was sweet and sincere, but just in case God didn’t know it, Mr. Jones wanted the Almighty to bear in mind that he wasn’t an especially bad sinner.

“… Jesus, I ask you to forgive me and to give me eternal life.” 

Finished, he looked up misty-eyed.  “Young man, do you know what I just did?”

“You just became a Christian,” I said, patting him on the arm.

“I just signed my death warrant!”  He was smiling broadly.  Now that he was ready for death, he figured God might claim his soul at any moment.  And, well, the Lord just might do that.

“No, sir,” I said.  “You just signed your life warrant!”

We talked for a few more minutes and I gave him my name and number before he left.  I don’t know whether I will ever see or hear from him again, but he left that parking lot a changed man.  He entered it fearful and hopeless.  He left it a child of God, confident in his hope and his future.  Not a bad day on the walking trail.
 

*  This is not his real name.  I have changed it for the sake of anonymity.

Over the last few years I have come to regard Christopher as something of an honorable opponent.  We have sponsored three debates with him on two continents.  I moderated one of them and interviewed him in Edinburgh, St. Louis, and, most notably, at Latimer House.  Indeed, I am scheduled to do so again on Tuesday September 7th when he is supposed to debate Dr. David Berlinski at a Fixed Point event here in Birmingham.  On each occasion, I have argued the Christian position with him and, to be honest, I have enjoyed it.  Christopher is articulate, formidable, and—in my experience—honest.  A rare combination.

Understandably, this news has come as a great shock to him and his family.  An on-again, off-again chain-smoker, Hitchens tried to quit the habit a couple of years ago.  I recollect with some amusement an atheist fan asking Christopher to autograph his Camel Cigarette box during a book signing at Powell Hall in St. Louis.  Without hesitation, he took the box and wrote boldly across it, “QUIT NOW.”  The man, puzzled, took his cigarettes back and walked away.  Hitchens knew the dangers and tried to address them.

At Fixed Point Foundation we have no small measure of affection for Christopher Hitchens, in spite of his atheistic rants.  Speaking to him last week before the matter was made public, he said, “I had plans for the next decade of my life.  I think I should cancel them.”  We hope not, Christopher.   On the contrary, we would love to use you in a debate where you are the one representing the Christian position!

To the Christian readers of this blog I ask a favor of you.  Pray for Christopher Hitchens.  Now.  Specifically, pray that God will soften his heart to the Gospel.  To face one’s mortality is a fearful thing for anyone, but to do so without the authentic hope of Jesus Christ is too much to contemplate.  God is real.  And we all must face Him, whether it is in this life or the next.

Both are wrong.

America is not now, nor has it ever been, a Christian nation.  That is very simply demonstrated.  Read our founding documents.  Christianity is nowhere specified as the official religion of the United States of America nor is it even referenced.  More than that, America’s Founding Fathers were a mixed bag.  Some were devout Christians (Patrick Henry and John Jay) while others were not (Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin).  But to suggest that America’s founding was without strong Christian influence is sheer fantasy.  At least half of those who signed the Constitution were serious Christians.

So, then, what is the answer to the question?

The answer is a bit more nuanced than either group would like to believe.  In fact, the United States was founded upon a combination of Enlightenment philosophy (which is decidedly anti-Christian) and Judeo-Christian principles.  That is to say, America was built upon a foundation of iron and clay, and the cracks in that infrastructure are beginning to show.

In all the fighting over this issue, perhaps a more important question is being overlooked: Historically, what has our government’s attitude been toward Christianity?  The answer is clear.  American government has traditionally taken a friendly view of the Church, encouraging Christian endeavors.  This is evident in our tax code, numerous traditions (taking an oath on a Bible, the Pledge of Allegiance, prayers in Congress, etc.), holidays, and our laws.  Even at its worst, our government has been ambivalent to the Christian faith.

But this is changing.  There is a growing hostility toward Christianity in this country; a resentment now being expressed by many that Christianity has enjoyed a “most favored” status for far too long.  As further evidence that America was not founded upon exclusively Christian ideals, these antagonists are using the Constitution to achieve their end.  Had the Constitution been a truly Christian document, we might be better insulated from these attacks.

One thing is certain: Christian influence in America will continue to wane if Christians are not themselves engaging the culture.  And by “engaging” I don’t simply mean voting or participating in the political process.  It requires a great deal more than that.  Christians need to be a positive force for good in their communities.  We need to take seriously the Gospel and demonstrate a willingness to share it with others.  We need to stop confusing America with Christianity.  And we need to realize that change, real change, is not found in political solutions, but in a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Two recent news items demonstrate the importance of a worldview.  According to CBS News, Joran Van Der Sloot is a self-described agnostic.  Many of you will know that Van Der Sloot was arrested for the murder of a Peruvian girl and is a primary suspect in the death of another young lady from Birmingham, Alabama.  Of course, I am not suggesting that agnosticism invariably leads its adherents to commit violent crimes.  I am, however, saying that it offers no compelling reason not to commit violent crimes.  After all, if you don’t believe that you will be judged in the next life for your actions in this one, then what’s to stop you?  Apparently, Van Der Sloot lives by just such a philosophy.

The other news report comes out of Germany, where a federally funded study of some 45,000 youths revealed that the more dedicated to Islam a male is, the more likely he is to be violent.  The same study also concluded that devout Christian youths were the least likely to be violent.

Do you think that one’s outlook on life matters?

To see some of the other "Big Brother" uses of consumer technology, read John D. Sutter's "Why games will take over our lives" at CNN.