An atheist and a christian walk into a (coffee) bar...

We've all had moments where someone threw mud at our faith, values, or beliefs. People in the media seem to do it every day. We've probably all had moments where one off-hand remark or quote taken out of context has caused our blood to boil and made us instinctively rush to "defend Jesus" or set the record straight. The following two articles might make you think twice about your quick and possibly angry reaction, and consider replacing it with a kinder, gentler approach.

One of the articles is from Joel Stein, a popular and controversial writer for the L.A. Times and the other is from Randy Alcorn, a pastor and Christian author from Oregon. I enjoy taking a moment every Tuesday afternoon to check Randy's blog for a great mix of wisdom, humor, and godly encouragement. I'm going to post a few bits of both articles here to whet your appetite and then you can click the links to read the rest of each (I would start by reading the L.A. Times piece and then read Randy Alcorns response).

It's a pretty fun read and I think it's an excellent modern-day picture of what Jesus taught in Matthew 5 ("going the extra mile", "turning the other cheek") looks like in our culture, and I also think it may give a little glimpse at how some of the first disciples of Christ may have successfully engaged in dialogue with the world around them.

Here's how Joel Stein's L.A. Times article begins...

Joel Stein: A little bit of heaven on Earth- Doubting the hereafter doesn't mean you can't meet an angel now and then.
December 21, 2007

I have a bad habit of annoying Christians. Partly it's because I don't believe in Jesus, and partly it's because Jesus keeps letting me write columns about how I don't believe in Jesus...

Now read the rest of the article by clicking here.

Then click here, to see Randy Alcorn's perspective on the article. Lastly, for more great insights on how to dialogue about the Christian faith without losing your cool or tarnishing your testimony, I love two books called "Questioning Evangelism" and "Corner Conversations". Both are written by Randy Newman, who works with the same organization we're with (Campus Crusade for Christ) . I found them to be interesting, encouraging, and easy to read, and I couldn't stop telling Taya "You've got to read this..." or "what do you think about this?" ... one sign of a good book in our house.