A Heartfelt Thank You to My Atheist Readers

Imagine my shock, when my staff sent me over 200 pages of responses sent to our ministry by atheist readers. But that was only the beginning...

A Heartfelt Thank You to My Atheist Readers | Article | AskDrBrown

Towards the end of the first week of July, a number of websites carried my article titled, “Some Honest Questions for Atheists.” What prompted me to write the article, seemingly quite out of the blue, was some of the material in the new book I’m working on. The book addresses the question of why so many Christians are leaving the faith today.

Why do people struggle with their beliefs? What causes them to leave the faith entirely? How many of them become atheists?

It was questions like these that prompted me to write the “honest questions” article. I wanted to have a better understanding of the atheist’s point of view, not to win an argument and not to rebut. Instead, as I stated at the outset of the article, it was simply to understand.

To explain further, I have often taught that for me, there are two key principles in doing solid apologetics work (meaning, the intellectual defense of the faith).

First, we must rightly understand what the other person is saying rather than simply responding, in which case we often pass each other like ships in the night. All too often I have seen this happen, as the response of Party B has little to do with the objection of Party A (and vice versa).

The best way to avoid this is to repeat back to the person what you understand their objection (or question) to be, using your own words. “I understand you to be saying this. Is that accurate?”

The second principle is much more difficult. In short, we must also feel the weight of the objection (or question) that is being raised, This requires empathy. This requires trying to see the world through the eyes of those with whom we differ. This requires trying to walk in their shoes, at least in theory.

To do it well takes time and can be very costly. Will my own views be changed in the process? Will I lose the sharpness of my convictions?

As a Jewish believer in Jesus in dialogue with rabbis for more than 50 years, I have lived these principles out very deeply – and with tears.

And as someone called into the culture wars, especially since in 2004, I have sought to live these principles out in terms of LGBTQ+ engagement, reaching out to the people with compassion while resisting the agenda with courage. This, too, has been costly. And this too, has brought me to tears, as I realized how deeply my words would appear hurtful to those I truly loved and wanted to help.

But I have not done the same with atheism or atheists, despite having countless conversations over the years with atheists and agnostics over the course of 50-plus years. I have not focused on debate and dialogue with atheists.

To be sure, my wife Nancy, herself a former atheist, has often discussed with me how an atheist would see the world or view our faith. And, on the rare occasions when I have formally debated an atheist or agnostic, I have presented my arguments to her in advance, asking for her input. (For the best known of these debates, with Prof. Bart Ehrman, see here – and yes, I weighed a lot more in that debate than I do today.)

On more than one occasion she has said to me, “That’s meaningless to an atheist,” or, “You just don’t get it.”

So, to say it again, it was the spirit of honest inquiry, not polemical argumentation, that prompted me to write the article, inviting atheist readers to respond, either in the comment section to the article (if there was one) or by writing directly to our ministry.

I have my perspective on how the world looks to an atheist, but I wanted your perspective as an atheist.

To be candid, though, I did not assume that many atheists would read the article, since I do not assume that I have a lot of atheist readers. And, while I expected some responses, I thought that very few would take the time to write out answers to the 7 questions I posed and email those answers to us.

Imagine my shock, then, when on Friday, July 8, my staff sent me a 45-page document compiling the responses sent to our ministry by atheist readers. Forty-five pages! And this was separate from the few pages sent in by Christians who were atheists in the past and wanted to share their perspective today.

But that was only the beginning. On Monday, July 11, I was informed that we had a flood of emails sent in over the weekend, resulting in a second document that my staff compiled. This one was 143 pages long. That means that, overall, we received almost 200 pages of responses from atheists (and roughly 100,000 words), all within a matter of days.

So, to all of you who took the time to read the article and respond, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am in the process of reading each of your responses, and, at my request, you should have received a personal email from my staff, conveying my appreciation to you for writing.

As soon as I get through the responses, I hope to write a follow-up article, not to debate but simply to synthesize your responses and to share them with all my readers. Then, I’ll share my reflections on what you wrote.

If you consider yourself an atheist today, or if you considered yourself an atheist in the past, I’d love to ask you some honest questions. I ask these questions so I can better understand your mindset as an atheist...

Some Honest Questions for Atheists | Article | AskDrBrown

If you consider yourself an atheist today, or if you considered yourself an atheist in the past, I’d love to ask you some honest questions. 

But I do not ask these questions to win a debate. Or to be antagonistic. Or to buttress my own beliefs by exposing alleged weaknesses in your position. 

To the contrary, I ask these questions so I can better understand your mindset as an atheist.

When my wife Nancy and I met in 1974, I was a committed believer in Jesus, with my life dramatically transformed in 1971. She was a staunch atheist, looking down on religious believers as weak. And her atheism was firmly entrenched in her life, having concluded when she was no more than 8 years-old that there was no such thing as God. Yes, it would have been great if He was real. But clearly, she concluded, He was not. (For the record, Nancy and I are both Jewish.)

Nancy had her own, quite unexpected encounter with God in 1974, but she has always rejected the idea that “there is no such as an atheist.” And over the years, she has helped me better understand how atheists think and how they view the world.

It is in that spirit of genuinely wanting to understand the atheist mindset better that I ask these questions.

First, would you say that you are (or, were) an atheist based primarily on intellectual study or based on experience? Or did you never believe in God at all?

Put another way, was it the lack of answers to prayer or failures within organized religion or some other anti-faith experience that first caused you to question the existence of God? Or was it something you learned in school or your studies that caused you to doubt? Or were you raised without belief in God and you’ve never found a good reason to question it?

Second, would you say that even as an atheist, you still have a sense of purpose and destiny in your life, a feeling that you were put here for a reason and that you have a mission to accomplish? Or is it primarily people of faith who feel like this, since we are simply the products of an unguided, random evolutionary process?

Third, would you say that you are 100 percent sure there is no such being as God – meaning, an eternal, all-powerful, all-knowing being? Or would you say that, for all practical purposes you have concluded that this God does not exist, although it is impossible to prove such a negative with absolute certainty?

Fourth, do you believe that science can provide answers for many of the remaining mysteries of the universe, including: how the universe began (including where matter came from and where the Big Bang derived its energy); the origin of life; and DNA coding?

Again, these questions are not intended to “stump you” or prove that science can’t answer everything. Instead, I’m genuinely wondering if you feel comfortable saying, “We may not be able to answer all these questions now, but over time, we’ll get the answers – and we won’t need a God to fill in the gaps.”

Fifth, have you had any experiences in life that caused you to question your atheism? Has something happened to you that seemed genuinely supernatural or otherworldly? Or have you been confronted with some information that shook your atheistic foundations, such as a scientific argument for intelligent design? If so, how have you dealt with such doubts to your atheism?

Sixth, are you completely materialistic in your mindset, meaning, human beings are entirely physical, human consciousness is an illusion, and there is no spiritual realm of any kind? Or are you superstitious, reading horoscopes or engaging in new age practices or the like?

Seventh, if you were convinced that God truly existed – meaning the God of the Bible, who is perfect in every way, full of justice and mercy, our Creator and our Redeemer – would that be good news or bad news? And would you be willing to follow Him and honor Him if He were truly God?

I understand that no two atheists are identical, anymore than any two believers are identical, and that everyone has their own unique story. I also understand that some of you who are believers today were once atheists and that others who were once believers are atheists today.

Either way, whatever your own story might be, I’d love to hear your answers to these questions, even if you choose to answer only a few of these seven questions.

And if there’s no way to leave comments where you’re reading this article, feel free to send your responses to info@askdrbrown.org.

To say it once more: I have no ulterior motives in asking. What you see is what you get.

The Problem of Suffering, Atheism, and the Killing of Innocent Children

In the aftermath of the senseless slaughter of little children and schoolteachers this week, the question of “why” comes up again. If God is really there and if He is truly good, why does He allow things like this to happen?

The Problem of Suffering, Atheism, and the Killing of Innocent Children | Article | AskDrBrown

In the aftermath of the senseless slaughter of little children and schoolteachers this week, the question of “why” comes up again. 

If God is really there and if He is truly good, why does He allow things like this to happen? 

For some people, the answer is simple... Read the Full Article on Stream.org

When Bill Maher and Joe Rogan Make the Pro-Life Case

When talking with people who do not share our religious values or do not hold the Bible in esteem, there are common-sense, logical arguments we can raise that might just get people to rethink their position.

At the least, these arguments, especially when tied to people like Joe Rogan and Bill Maher, who are anything but Bible-thumping Christian fundamentalists, might just lower the temperature in the room, allowing for cooler heads to prevail.

Interestingly, it was the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, herself staunchly pro-abortion, who had warned back in 1992 that Roe was built on a flimsy foundation...

When Bill Maher and Joe Rogan Make the Pro-Life Case | Articles | AskDrBrown

A recent article posted on Red State pointed to abortion-related comments made by podcast giant Joe Rogan, suggesting that we can win the pro-life argument by listening to his approach. In the same way, recent comments by the very liberal Bill Maher point to ways that we can have a discussion with pro-abortion friends and colleagues without using religious-based arguments.

To be sure, in order to change hearts and minds, we need God’s help. And under no circumstances should we ever back away from our deeply-held, biblically-based convictions about the humanity of the baby within the womb.

At the same time, when talking with people who do not share our religious values or do not hold the Bible in esteem, there are common-sense, logical arguments we can raise that might just get people to rethink their position.

At the least, these arguments, especially when tied to people like Rogan and Maher, who are anything but Bible-thumping Christian fundamentalists, might just lower the temperature in the room, allowing for cooler heads to prevail.

Interestingly, it was the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, herself staunchly pro-abortion, who had warned back in 1992 that Roe was built on a flimsy foundation.

As pointed out by New York Times columnist David Brooks on the PBS NewsHour on May 5, “Ruth Bader Ginsburg made this point back in 1992, that that decision was so big, she said it’s fragile. It’s — and then law professors, even very pro-choice law professors, have always said, we’re worried about this decision. It’s not a great decision. They liked the outcome. They worried about the decision. So, it was fragile. And so, hanging all that on that decision was always going to be — it was waiting to go off. And then Alito just ran through it. I — personally — there are two separate issues here: Should abortion be a right that people get to enjoy? Should — does the Constitution guarantee that right? And it’s important to separate those two things.”

In Ginsburg’s own words, “Doctrinal limbs too swiftly shaped, experience teaches, may prove unstable. The most prominent example in recent decades is Roe v. Wade.”

As for saying that Justice Samuel Alito “ran through it,” I take Brooks to mean that Alito exposed these very weaknesses in his devastating, leaked opinion. (Prof. Jay Richards rightly noted that, “Because of the outrage of the leak, etc. Alito's opinion has not [yet] gotten enough credit for being an utterly persuasive and accessible piece of legal reasoning. Notice the social media screamers aren't engaging his arguments.”)

To quote Alito directly, “Although the Court acknowledged that States had a legitimate interest in protecting ‘potential life,’ it found that this interest could not justify any restriction on pre-viability abortions. The Court did not explain the basis for this line, and even abortion supporters have found it hard to defend Roe's reasoning. One prominent constitutional scholar wrote that he ‘would vote for a statute very much like the one the Court ended up drafting’ if he were ‘a legislator’, but his assessment of Roe was memorable and brutal: Roe was ‘not constitutional law’ at all and gave ‘almost no sense of an obligation to try to be’. . . .

“As Justice Byron White aptly put it in his dissent, the decision represented the ‘exercise of raw judicial power,’ and it sparked a national controversy that has embittered our political culture for a half-century.”

And as a legal colleague of mine mentioned after reading Alito’s 98-page document in full, Alito also cites the views of other liberals who recognized the deficiencies of Roe. Those arguments should be part of our arsenal as well.

Getting back to Joe Rogan, he said, “I am 100% for a woman’s right to choose. But as a human being, just a person observing things, there’s a big difference between a little clump of cells and a fetus with the eyeball and a beating heart. And for anybody to pretend there’s not.”

Rogan’s guest, comedian Doug Stanhope asked, “Where do you draw the line?”

Rogan replied, “Right. Where do you draw the line? Yeah, that’s the question. It’s what I call a human issue. It’s a very complicated issue. It’s so fraught with emotion. And it’s so political.”

Again, Rogan’s musing represents just one step in the right direction in the midst of his other statements, with which we strongly differ as pro-lifers. But his words do point to the fact that a strong majority of Americans want some limits on abortion. (On a related note, I believe that if Americans were asked if the states should make their own abortion laws, thereby representing the will of the people in each state, most Americans would agree with this. When they’re asked if Roe should be overturned, most say no, but in my opinion, it’s because they think that would mean a national ban on abortion.)

As for Bill Maher, he said on his Real Time broadcast on May 5, “This whole [expletive] argument about, well, it’s settled law, so was segregation. Plessy v. Ferguson was settled law in 1896 and thank God somebody said, let’s unsettle it. So, it’s not — that’s a [expletive] argument. It’s what you think, if you like babies, then you’re pro-life, and if you like women, you’re pro-choice. I like women.”

So, even Maher recognizes that, if your emphasis is on the wellbeing of the baby, then you’ll be pro-life.

He added, “I just — I feel like…abortion is unique. It is. Because people either — you just have this view that it’s murder — I could put the argument on a hat when people talk about a woman’s right, murder isn’t a right. If you think it’s murder — I don’t — again, crazy me.”

At the least, using his logic (and quoting him directly), we can ask, “So, what do you think about what he said? What if you really believe there’s a little baby in there? Would that affect your viewpoint?”

Again, there’s nothing new in these arguments at all, nor do they provide unique insights into the controversies surrounding abortion.

But they do remind us that plenty of non-religious people recognize the complexity of abortion and that more and more Americans recognize that the standard pro-abortion talking points are not aging well.

If you have accepted God’s calling on your life to serve His people as a shepherd and a leader, then you have my respect. I honor you for your service, and I recognize your sacrifice. The last thing I want to do is add more pressure to your life.

Instead, on behalf of many of your people who are hurting and really need help, I want to make this appeal: My brothers and sisters, at times like this, you simply cannot be silent.

What, exactly, am I speaking about? I’m speaking about LGBTQ+ issues and people.

Pastors, You Cannot Be Silent | Article | AskDrBrown

If you have accepted God’s calling on your life to serve His people as a shepherd and a leader, then you have my respect. I honor you for your service, and I recognize your sacrifice.

Pastoral ministry is anything but easy, and only those who have served as pastoral leaders know the immense pressures you face.

You are the one to get the phone call from the shocked parents who just learned that their child was killed in a car accident. You have to bring comforting words at the funeral. You have to answer the questions of, “Where was God?”

And you have to do this while preparing your message for Sunday. And while counseling a couple on the verge of divorce. And while helping a young man struggling with porn. And while figuring out how to make up for the budget shortfall. And while trying to encourage your people to spend more time in prayer and reading the Bible. And while looking for new ways to do community outreach.

No wonder so many pastors burn out and quit, especially when they do not have a strong support team with them.

That’s why the last thing I want to do is add more pressure to your life.

Instead, on behalf of many of your people who are hurting and really need help, I want to make this appeal: My brothers and sisters, at times like this, you simply cannot be silent.

What, exactly, am I speaking about? I’m speaking about LGBTQ+ issues and people.

I’m speaking about the mothers and fathers facing crises within their own home, not knowing where to turn. I’m speaking about the kids in school (from pre-K to college) who are getting indoctrinated with all the radical LGBTQ+ talking points until they have embraced them for themselves.

I’m speaking about the family members that write to me in tears, sharing their own horror stories.

That’s why I say that, at times like this, you cannot remain silent.

I understand the reticence you may have had in the past to talk about homosexuality or transgenderism from the pulpit. Why stir up a hornet’s nest? Why be branded a homophobe and a bigot? Why subject your church to a flood of hateful attacks and bad publicity? And who has time to research all the relevant issues? Isn’t it just better to preach through the Bible and bring your flock into spiritual health? Why not leave the politics to others?

The answer is that this is not a matter of politics but of human lives.

The answer is that the Bible absolutely speaks with authority and relevance to these difficult cultural issues.

The answer is, as representatives of Jesus, we can never avoid controversy and conflict.

And the answer is that people in your own congregation are hurting, and you have a sacred responsibility to help them.

Last Sunday, after touching on some of these issues while preaching at a fine church near Saint Louis, there was a line of people waiting to talk with me.

One woman told me that in a local, private pre-school, a boy recently announced that he was a girl, because of which the teacher decided to educate the other kids about trans issues. (We’re talking about kids as young as three or four.)

Books were read to them about a red crayon that feels like a blue crayon, helping them understand that they too might be trapped in the wrong bodies. And this went on for a few weeks before the parents found out about it.

Another woman told me that she has been working in special education in a local high school since 2006. When I asked her if the school had changed over the years, she replied, “Totally.”

She then told me that the new principal only wants gay faculty at the school and that he will not hear a dissenting word from anyone.

My driver then told me he had been working at Wells Fargo bank for 41 years. When I asked him if things had changed (with specific reference to LGBTQ+ activism), he literally grabbed his head with his hands (while driving). He was grieved beyond words.

Things have gotten to the point, he explained, that if you do not actively support this radical agenda, you will be marginalized and pushed out.

In fact, a friend of mine who used to work for Bank of America left the company a few years ago after getting systematically pushed out because of his failure to be an open and active LGBTQ+ ally.

For years now, I have heard horror story after story, including impassioned pleas from a mother whose teenage daughter is now getting hormone shots to help her transition rather than getting the mental health care she needs.

Or teary-eyed looks from a father whose 17-year-old daughter suddenly began to identify as a boy. (The older daughter has cut off all communication with their father because he won’t affirm her sister’s trans identity.)

The list is as endless as it is heartbreaking – and in truth, I have not even scratched the tip of the tip of an absolutely massive iceberg.

To say it again, these are your people too, families and individuals within your own congregation. (Perhaps that 15-year-old who walked into your building last week is struggling with same-sex attraction, considering either suicide or embracing his gay identity. You may be his last hope.)

At times like this, you cannot be silent.

And, if I may be totally candid, one reason that we are in the midst of this very real crisis which is affecting millions and millions of people is because, for all too many years, we have failed to address the relevant biblical and cultural issues.

I appeal to you, then, as a fellow-worker in the Lord, please don’t wait another minute. Ask the Lord for His wisdom and strategy, and then take the plunge. Our Father will be pleased, your people will thank you, and whatever opposition you endure will be worth it.

If you need a good place to start, consider this terrific resource that you can share with your people, a terrific documentary from American Family Studios titled In His Image. And be assured that there are many support ministries around the country that would be glad to lend a helping hand.

* No sooner had I finished writing this article than I saw this tweet from a colleague: “My son got in trouble today for ‘misgendering’ a confused sixth grade girl. The mother actually came to our house, told my wife she’s a disgusting parent, screamed at her, and said she’s gonna sue us. This is what all you poor homeschoolers are missing out on.”

From Time’s “Is God Dead?” in 1966 to the New York Times’ Call to “Give Up God” Today

In keeping with their anti-God attitude during the sacred Easter/Passover season, an April 15 op-ed piece for the New York Times was headlined, “In This Time of War, I Propose We Give Up God.”

How 'deeply sensitive' for the Times to post this anti-God essay on the day which is both Good Friday on the Christian calendar and the first day of Passover on the Jewish calendar! What a nice touch, editorial department! You have really outdone yourselves this year.

From Time’s “Is God Dead?” in 1966 to the New York Times’ Call to “Give Up God” Today | Articles | AskDrBrown

On April 8, 1966, the pictureless front cover of Time Magazine asked a bold and direct question: “Is God Dead?” This was just two days before Easter Sunday, and in the decades that followed, it became increasingly common for anti-God, anti-Jesus, anti-Bible essays to be featured in various secular publications at this time of year.

Now, in keeping with this anti-God attitude during this sacred season, an April 15 op-ed piece for the New York Times was headlined, “In This Time of War, I Propose We Give Up God.”

How deeply sensitive for the Times to post this anti-God essay on the day which is both Good Friday on the Christian calendar and the first day of Passover on the Jewish calendar! What a nice touch, editorial department! You have really outdone yourselves this year. (And a special shoutout to Liana Finck for her graphic, depicting God as an angry, Godzilla-like giant, marching through the city with terror on his mind.)

The author of this op-ed is Shalom Auslander, who was raised as an ultra-Orthodox Jew in Monsey, NY before losing his faith. But even as an 8-year-old boy, he was troubled by aspects of the Passover narrative in which God poured out his plagues on the Egyptians.

That’s because it was “not just Pharaoh and his soldiers” that were afflicted. Instead, “Egyptians young and old, innocent and guilty, suffered locusts and frogs, hail and darkness, beasts running wild and water becoming blood. Mothers nursing their babies, the rabbi explained, found their breast milk had turned to blood.” (For the record, the Bible says nothing about milk turning into blood, let alone breast milk. But this is what Auslander remembers hearing as a boy from his rabbis.)

As for Pharaoh’s hardness of heart toward God and Israel, how was that his fault, since God was the one hardening him?

As for God smiting the firstborn sons of Egypt – meaning, the firstborn of people and of cattle – what could be more barbaric than that?

“If he were mortal,” Auslander opines, “the God of Jews, Christians and Muslims would be dragged to The Hague. And yet we praise him. We emulate him. We implore our children to be like him.”

He continues, “Perhaps now, as missiles rain down and the dead are discovered in mass graves, is a good time to stop emulating this hateful God. Perhaps we can stop extolling his brutality. Perhaps now is a good time to teach our children to pass over God — to be as unlike him as possible.”

And then, having kicked God out of our lives, we should "throw our doors open — to strangers. To people who aren’t our own. To the terrifying them, to the evil others, those people who seem so different from us, those we think are our enemies or who think us theirs, but who, if they sat down around the table with us, we’d no doubt find despise the pharaohs of this world as much as we do, and who dream of the same d----d thing as us all:

Having followed the stories of former, ultra-Orthodox Jews, I do understand how they can be so resentful of their upbringing that they throw out the baby with the bathwater, unable to separate human traditions from the God of the Bible.

In this case, however, Auslander would counter that it is the God of the Bible whom he so opposes and rejects. We need to be liberated from Him!

But if there is no God and we are simply the products of an unguided evolutionary process (rather than being created by God in His image), there would be no such thing as justice. Or goodness. Or absolute morality.

As C. S. Lewis reflected on his mindset as an atheist, “My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust? If the whole show was bad and senseless from A to Z, so to speak, why did I, who was supposed to be part of the show, find myself in such violent reaction against it? . . .

He continued, “Of course I could have given up my idea of justice by saying it was nothing but a private idea of my own. But if I did that, then my argument against God collapsed too -- for the argument depended on saying that the world was really unjust, not simply that it did not happen to please my private fancies. Thus in the very act of trying to prove that God did not exist -- in other words, that the whole of reality was senseless -- I found I was forced to assume that one part of reality -- namely my idea of justice -- was full of sense. Consequently atheism turns out to be too simple. If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark would be without meaning.”

Auslander’s moral outrage actually undercuts, rather than supports, his whole argument against God.  

He also seems to ignore the massive revelation of God’s patience and kindness and longsuffering and compassion found throughout the Bible and how He sternly judges those who take advantage of  the orphan, the widow, the needy, and the stranger. Is the Lord really that schizophrenic, slaughtering the innocent with glee one moment and then grieving over the suffering of orphans the next? The Scriptures even declare that He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked but desires rather that they repent and live (see Ezekiel 18).

Even apparent injustices like the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart disappear upon closer examination of the Hebrew text. (For my video on this, see here.)

And what of the Lord’s ongoing mercy and compassion towards us? Do any of us with a recognition of the failings of our own heart dare to rail against God? Would any of us dare to stand before Him on judgment day and say, “Give me exactly what I deserve?”

Not only so, but for the Christian, the fullest revelation of God is found in the cross, where His own Son voluntarily died a shameful, agonizing, death to spare us from final judgment. In the words of philosopher John Kreeft, “We sinned for no reason but an incomprehensible lack of love, and He saved us for no reason but an incomprehensible excess of love.”

It is my prayer for Mr. Auslander (and others who share his sentiments) that they will personally encounter the boundless love of the heavenly Father. Once we truly come to know Him in a personal and intimate way, even if we don’t get answers to all our questions, we will get the thing Auslander is after: peace – peace with God, peace with ourselves, and peace with one another.

As for Time Magazine, just 5 years after that infamous, 1966 cover (with the lead article declaring that God was, in fact, dead), circumstances compelled Time to put out a very different cover story. So it was on June 21, 1971 that Time’s cover announced, The Jesus Revolution.

I came to faith that very year as a heroin-shooting, LSD-using, 16-year-old, Jewish, hippie rock drummer, one of countless thousands like me around the world. God was anything but dead!

I sense that He is about to reveal Himself afresh today. The story might even make it to the front page of the New York Times! Be assured that He is not going away.

(If you are struggling with some of the questions raised by Auslander, I have written two books you might find helpful. See here and here.)

Substitutionary Atonement: Jesus Died for Us

The prophet Isaiah said it so beautifully, hundreds of years before Jesus’ death: “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). What a message!

We sinned. He died. We deserved the punishment. He took it on Himself.

That is the meaning of the cross: The perfectly righteous one died for the totally unrighteous ones, taking our place on the cross. 
And did it all because of love.

Substitutionary Atonement: Jesus Died for Us | Articles | AskDrBrown

The prophet Isaiah said it so beautifully, hundreds of years before Jesus’ death: “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). What a message!

We deserved the punishment. He took it on Himself.

As expressed by Peter, “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness; you have been healed by His wounds. . . . For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring you to God” (1 Peter 2:24; 3:18a).

Or in the words of Paul, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:9).

The perfectly righteous one died for the totally unrighteous ones, taking our place on the cross. And did it all because of love.

That is God’s heart for a sinful human race. Rather than wiping us out, He sent His Son to die for us and offer us new life. That is the grace of God – a holy God who had even reason to destroy us yet chose to offer us mercy instead.

As a teacher of the Jewish Scriptures, Paul understood that the heart and soul of the sacrificial system was substitution, an innocent animal dying for the guilty Israelite. As described in Lev 17:11, it was a matter of life for life. That’s why the shedding of blood was so important (see also Heb 9:22).

And that’s why, on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would lay his hands on the scapegoat and confess the sins of Israel over that goat. The animal would then be sent into the wilderness, while the blood of another goat would be killed to provide expiation (meaning atonement and cleansing) for the nation.

As stated in Leviticus 16, the High Priest “is to put [the sins of Israel] on the [scape]goat’s head and send it away into the wilderness by the man appointed for the task. The goat will carry on it all their wrongdoings into a desolate land, and he will release it there” (Lev 16:21-22).

One goat would be killed, shedding its blood to bring atonement and cleansing to the nation. The other goat would be driven out into the wilderness to symbolically carry away Israel’s sins.

But on the cross, Jesus literally carried our sins away and willfully shed His blood to wash us clean. And by the power of that cross and the efficacy of that blood, we can be forgiven and delivered and washed clean.

As Paul wrote to the Corinthians after listing a number of sinful behaviors and lifestyles, “And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11).

Or as he wrote to the believers in Rome, “What the law could not do since it was limited by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending His own Son in flesh like ours under sin's domain, and as a sin offering, in order that the law's requirement would be accomplished in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:3-4).

But why did the Savior have to die such a horrific, barbaric, humiliating, degrading death? Why the cross?

It’s because His death on the cross shows us just how ugly our sins are.

It’s because the cross shows us the terrible price that must be paid for sin.

It’s because the cross shows us the extraordinary, mind-boggling, totally humbling, incredibly massive love of God.

And when Jesus rose us from the dead, He declared victory over all the powers of darkness and provided our justification and vindication. He died for us, meaning that we died with Him, so that we could also rise to new life in Him.

That is the power of the cross. That is the reality of the resurrection. And that is why Paul could write, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV).

That’s also why John could say, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.”

He continued: “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 1:8-2:2).

As one who received the Lord’s cleansing mercy and liberating grace more than 50 years ago – a mercy and grace that have been with me every day since – I urge you not to live in your sins another moment.

Jesus took your place on the cross – a place we all deserved – so that you could have a place with Him forever.

Call on Him today to save you from your sins, and let that new life begin right now.

Responding to the Latest Christian Leader to Renounce His Faith

Is there no objective truth when it comes to God and the Bible? Does it come down to, “You have your truth and I have my truth, but there is no absolute truth?” Speaking candidly, I know all too well what it is to struggle with the faith.

Responding to the Latest Christian Leader to Renounce His Faith | Articles | AskDrBrown

As reported by Josh Shepherd on the Roys Report, “Brady ‘Phanatik’ Goodwin, founding member of Grammy-nominated Christian hip-hop group, The Cross Movement, and in recent years an apologetics teacher, stated Monday in a video posted online that he has renounced his Christian faith.”

As he stated in his Facebook video, “I sent a letter to my church withdrawing my membership and saying that I am denouncing the Christian faith that I have believed, professed, proclaimed, and defended for the last 30 years of my life.”

In Goodwin’s video, which is delivered with candor and pain and graciousness, he explains how his doubts began to develop when studying at Lancaster Bible College, only to deepen in 2014 when he began studying at Westminster Theological Seminary.

As Shepherd writes, “Specifically, he said learning how scholars use preexisting ‘theological commitments’ to arrive at translation and interpretation of the biblical text raised questions for him.

“He compared Christian theology to a Rubik’s cube. ‘I began to look at the faith and say, ‘Man you could turn this Rubik’s cube any particular way and end up with a different understanding.’ And who can say that understanding is right or that understanding is wrong?’ asked Goodwin.”

Personally, I was unfamiliar with Goodwin and his work until reading this announcement. But since then, I’ve heard good things about him, and I have no reason not to take him at his word when he explains his reasons for leaving his faith, and it’s clear from his video that he is not gloating or mocking.

It’s also clear he doesn’t want to hurt the faith of others. And so, at least at this point in time, he is not aggressively attacking what he once believed.

Hopefully, this is not the last chapter in his faith journey, and he would not be the first leader to fall away and then, with God’s help and true repentance, turn back to the Lord.

But what about the points he makes in his video? What about the feeling that we can basically make the Bible say whatever we want it to say? Or that it’s our prior theological commitments that determine how we understand Scripture?

Put another way, is there no objective truth when it comes to God and the Bible? Does it come down to, “You have your truth and I have my truth, but there is no absolute truth?”

Speaking candidly, I know all too well what it is to struggle with the faith.

That’s because as a Jewish believer in Jesus, from my first moments in the faith, I was challenged over my beliefs. As my dad said to me shortly after my life was transformed in late 1971, “Michael, I’m glad you’re off drugs. But we’re Jews. We don’t believe this.”

That led to immediate, intensive interaction with learned rabbis (which has continued for 50 years) along with serious academic study, culminating with a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Literatures from New York University.

And in all my college and graduate studies, not one of my professors was a Bible-believing Christian. Some were even hostile to the faith, taking every opportunity to ridicule conservative Bible beliefs.

But the whole reason I earned the degrees that I did (all of which were in ancient languages) was so that I could read the original biblical text in its original cultural and linguistic context, not having to rely on other dictionaries or commentaries to understand what I was reading (although, to be sure, there can be great value in many of those dictionaries, commentaries, and other books).

Over the years, the more I studied and the more I wrestled with objections to my faith, the stronger my faith became. My mind was now in complete harmony with my heart, my intellect now matching my experience.

Others, sadly, have had different experiences and have ended up leaving the faith rather than growing in the faith. And Goodwin is careful to say, “Hey, don’t blame seminaries or put this on intellectualism, since others in my class were strengthened in their faith through their studies” (my paraphrase of his words).

But here’s the thing. Just because there are different opinions as to how to translate a biblical verse doesn’t mean that the original author was ambiguous in his writing, even if we debate the meaning today.

And just because Jewish translators of the Bible render certain key words one way and Christian translators render those same words another way doesn’t mean that one translation is not ultimately better than the other.

In the same way, just because Hindus conceive of the Godhead in a polytheistic way while Jews, Christians, and Muslims conceive of the Godhead in different monotheistic ways doesn’t mean that all these competing ideologies are equally true. God is who He is, regardless of what we think or believe.

Just look at our political views today. Or our views on moral and cultural and social issues.

The fact that we are deeply divided doesn’t mean that all sides are equally right. And the fact that our presuppositions color our worldview doesn’t mean that all presuppositions are equally valid (or invalid).

When it comes to the Bible, we do not read it in a vacuum, nor did it the authors of the Scripture write it in a vacuum.

To give one example, the disciples of Jesus knew that His interpretation of the Bible was true because they saw it with their own eyes. They heard Him say that He would be rejected and crucified. They heard Him say that He would rise from the dead. And they heard Him say, “It is all written in our Bible in advance!”

Then, after His crucifixion and resurrection, when He pointed back to the Hebrew Bible and said, “It’s all predicted here!” their eyes were opened. There it was, in black and white, written centuries in advance by the prophets. (See Luke 24:13-49.) That settled things, forever. Who could possibly convince them otherwise?

In my case, my life was undeniably transformed by Jesus the Messiah. And, over the last 50 years, I could point to countless examples of God’s reality in my life (and the lives of those I’m close with). In fact, I would have to shut off my mind to deny my faith. In the words of the bestselling book by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist.

But that doesn’t mean that I didn’t wrestle with intellectual arguments and questions of biblical interpretation. To the contrary, I wrestled deeply, and to this day, I’m engaging these questions and challenges.

Yet what I can say it this: My studies confirmed my beliefs. And should I have a question about which theological system is correct, my experience in God tells me which theology is right.

So, there is a beautiful, continuous loop, one in which the truth of Scripture is confirmed through experience, and as that truth is shared with others, they too experience God for themselves. And as we dig deeper in study, we find answers to our deepest questions.

Again, to be clear, I do not sit in judgment of “Phanatik.” To the contrary, my heart goes out to him.

But I will say this to everyone struggling with his or her faith. G. K. Chesterton once wrote, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.”

And for many, that is the key. The Scriptures say repeatedly that God rewards those who diligently seek Him, who search for Him and His truth more than a miner searches for gold and silver (see, e.g., Deuteronomy 4:29; Jeremiah 29:13; Proverbs 3:13-18; Luke 18:1-8; Hebrews 11:6). We are to seek Him with heart and mind, spirit and intellect.

Yet the fact is that very few of us really seek God and His truth this earnestly – by which I do not mean simply studying but rather literally seeking Him in prayer and fasting day and night until we encounter Him. I mean crying out to Him for reality and truth and encounter as if our very life depended on it.

If we will do that, refusing to quit or give up until a breakthrough comes, He will reveal Himself and He will confirm the truth of His Word. He cannot deny Himself.

Apologetics

A Heartfelt Thank You to My Atheist Readers

Some Honest Questions for Atheists

The Problem of Suffering, Atheism, and the Killing of Innocent Children

When Bill Maher and Joe Rogan Make the Pro-Life Case

Pastors, You Cannot Be Silent

From Time’s “Is God Dead?” in 1966 to the New York Times’ Call to “Give Up God” Today

Substitutionary Atonement: Jesus Died for Us

Responding to the Latest Christian Leader to Renounce His Faith

Is Our God No Different than the ‘Flying Spaghetti Monster’?

No, it is Not Cognitive Dissonance to Proclaim that God is Good When Things Go Bad

Is it Possible to Lose Your Salvation?

Future Sins Forgiven in Advance? The Fundamental Error of Hyper-Grace