Listen to Nancy Fitzgerald answer this question with Moody radio with Kelli and Steve.
Atheism is the heartbeat of the Naturalist/Humanist worldview. The Atheist experiences life through the lens of the belief that there is no God. They rely on themselves as the “god” of their world, where wealth, status, and popularity are their driving forces. Without believing in God, there is no moral value system or hope for a better future. They claim that science is nothing more than natural forces coming together to create life. Life, as known by the Atheist, has no meaning.
“There is no neutral ground in the universe. Every square inch, every split second is claimed by God, and counterclaimed by Satan.” C.S. Lewis
The atheistic worldview has existed from the beginning of time when sin entered the world. It is the work of Satan trying to dismantle the attributes of God and feed humankind’s natural sinful desire to live for self and not God. God judges these people as “fools”.
“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God'” (Psalm 14:1).
“The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good” (Psalm 53:1).
In a new study from Pew Research (January 2024), when Americans were asked to check a box indicating their religious affiliation, 28% now checked ‘none.’ They are more prevalent among American adults than Catholics (23%) or evangelical Protestants (24%).
“The most visible expression of Antitheism in the modern world was the rise of the so-called New Atheists just after the turn of the century. Catalyzed by the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, a more antagonistic, hostile attack on religion came into fashion. This was spearheaded by personalities such as Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, and Christopher Hitchens. These men openly and aggressively attacked belief in God as both false and damaging to society. Most of these figures had written and spoken to that effect long before, but their ideas became far more popular after 9/11.” (Got Questions article on Antitheism)
The new atheists erroneously redefine “faith” as an “irrational belief in the absence of evidence.” Christianity is based on one historical event: the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 15:2-7: “By this gospel, you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.”
Professor Thomas Arnold, chair of modern history at Oxford University, writes, “I know of no one fact in the history of mankind which is proven by better and fuller evidence of every sort, to the understanding of a fair inquirer, than the great sign which God had given us that Christ died and rose again from the dead.”
The new atheists contend that there is no God. Adherents to the philosophy of new atheism believe that blind, natural forces are responsible for all of the reality we perceive. The new atheists do not restrict themselves to passive disbelief. Instead, they actively admonish others to follow suit, declare their non-belief in God, and take the necessary steps to rid the world of religious belief and practice. As outspoken atheist Richard Dawkins puts it in The God Delusion, “I do everything in my power to warn people against faith itself.”
The profile of one who embraces New Atheism exhibits toxic personality traits. They are narcissistic and can think only of themselves and their agenda. They demand their voice be heard without listening to others. They try to bully those who get in their way. They claim that God does not exist and that those who believe in Christ are uneducated or just dumb.
Regardless of all of the evidence of the death and resurrection of Christ, the new atheists define their idea of “faith” as an “irrational belief in the absence of evidence.” What they fail to understand is that the Christian faith is not a belief in a philosophy; it is believing, trusting, and obeying the One who saved us from eternal death, Jesus Christ.
How do we respond to those who embrace the New Atheism? How has this evil philosophy worked its’ way into our once-solid, Bible-centered churches? Why are the pastors not calling out such movements in their sermons and letters to the congregations? This movement is not only creating doubt within the Christian community but also in so-called Christian Colleges and Universities that embrace anti-biblical ideas and hire many professors who are not biblical Christians, especially in the sciences. Once these atheists are secure in their schools, many pontificate false truths about Christianity in their classes and to others who will listen to them.
When “Christian” schools and churches choose not to educate adults and teens as to what to do when their faith comes under attack, evil always wins. Today, 90% of “Christian” students will abandon their faith in their late teens, and this will continue until Christians no longer put up with weak or no teaching of biblical worldview.
“Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly” (James 3:1).
Those who have a willful hatred toward God and Christians will suffer severe consequences and never come to the place of repentance for their evil deeds; their future is grim.
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth” (Romans 1:18)
“Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen” (Romans 1:24,25)