Treasure In Clay Jars

It was with sadness that I read about the death of famed atheist Christopher Hitchens who died after a battle with cancer on Thursday December 15 th . As a Christian and a very flawed one at that, my “natural” instinct was to muse about how Mr. Hitchens is now face to face with the test of his theory of atheism. However I find myself praying for him and what he actually did with his waning days than anything else. Not many people are given an opportunity by God to basically know for some time that they are about to die before the actual moment of death. For most, death comes unexpectedly i.e. accidents, violence etc. rather than via protracted illness the latter stages of which are spent in Hospice care. According to the Bible, for those who die with minimal or little warning, a life lived apart from accepting salvation through Christ is followed in rapid fashion by death and then judgment from God on that life: …as man is destined to die once, and after that to face...

The subject of Atheism has been quite popular in the literary mainstream over the past few years, as “Atheists as Celebrity” Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins and others have enriched themselves with self important intellectual books, talk shows and other benefits of our enlightened society. That there are people who willfully claim a disbelief in God is nothing new. That it has become so militant, with legion of sycophants worshipping at their feet may very well be. Or it could simply be another case of the Internet making something seem far more widespread because we now know more about it. Whatever the case, I always find it interesting to read the comments of people on the subject of whether or not there is a God. This interest brought me to an article on Richard Dawkins on the London Times website over the weekend. The article is ostensibly a primer on Dawkins, and some TV show that he is apparently going to host in England on the subject of Charles Darwin and his theory of e...

I’m am one of several thousand people who recently saw the ABC News Nightline debate between Christian evangelists Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort and two avowed Atheists (who shall remain nameless on this blog). Please click here to view the debate. I really commend both Kirk and Ray based on their revelation that they both came from backgrounds that has a vested interest in the denial of Jesus as God's Messiah. Kirk was himself an Atheist and Ray is Jewish. During the debate, both Kirk and Ray presented their cases with humility, earnestness and respect for everyone present including their Atheist counterparts. As one might expect, you could not say the same for the Atheist presenters. Say what you will about their positions on God, their demeanor and countenance was decidedly arrogant, sarcastic and lacking in a similar respect for their colleagues on the stage. If a person had come into the auditorium or tuned into the broadcast and knew nothing about the subject matter, it is hi...

Today I read a report on one of my favorite Christian websites www.barna.org on the topic of the percentage of “unchurched” people in America, based on a study done by the Barna Group. The web article documents parallel findings from a newly released book entitled “Jim and Casper Go to Church” by a Pastor (Jim Henderson) and an Atheist (Matt Casper). I have not read the book, but the Barna article indicates insights in the book were drawn from the co-author’s visits to several churches across the country including several of the well known ones that appear frequently on Christian TV networks. What caught my eye in this article however was the following excerpt: Many of the insights drawn from the experiences of "Jim and Casper" parallel the findings of Barna Group studies among the unchurched. Some of the critical discoveries were the relative indifference of most churched Christians to unchurched people; the overt emphasis upon a personal rather than communal faith journey;...

It appears that the "War on Christmas" controversy that has captured the attention of many in the US is not limited to our shores and may in fact be even more pronounced in England. An article by Simon Heffer published in the Daily Telegraph newspaper in London indicates that over there, political correctness is such that up until recently not even Church leaders were willing to stand up and demand that Christ not be taken out of Christmas. There is an irony in this article however given that it's author is a self-professed non-believer in God or that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (thus the reason for the season). This however has not stopped him from acknowledging quite forcefully, the merits of Christianity's influence on the greater society, and the perversion which fuels those people who are aligned against it. People he adds who are far fewer in numbers and power than their rhetoric would suggest. The author's reason for non-belief is quite common; he write...