Lately there have been some interesting developments in the ongoing ideological battle between Atheism and Christianity.  By now, it is likely that you’ve seen the video entitled The Gift of a Bible by comedian/magician, Penn Jillette who is also an outspoken atheist.  It is clear, when watching the video, that despite Penn’s objections to the idea of the existence of an all-knowing, all-powerful God, the gift of the Gideon Bible he received from a man after one of his shows, and the manner in which the man spoke to him left an impression on him.

Now, today, we read over at the 9Marks blog about another well-known atheist, Christopher Hitchens who, basically, commends one whom he has recently debated, Douglas Wilson, on how he presents the argument and handles what we believe is the absolute Truth in the word of God.  Here is an excerpt from the quote used over at 9Marks:

I have discovered that the so-called Christian right is much less monolithic, and very much more polite and hospitable, than I would once have thought, or than most liberals believe.

Wilson isn’t one of those evasive Christians who mumble apologetically about how some of the Bible stories are really just “metaphors.” He is willing to maintain very staunchly that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ and that his sacrifice redeems our state of sin, which in turn is the outcome of our rebellion against God. He doesn’t waffle when asked why God allows so much evil and suffering—of course he “allows” it since it is the inescapable state of rebellious sinners. I much prefer this sincerity to the vague and Python-esque witterings of the interfaith and ecumenical groups who barely respect their own traditions and who look upon faith as just another word for community organizing.

As believers, this should give us a good reason for some thought and reflection upon how our lives are lived and how we represent the Faith.  It’s so easy to get riled up by the likes of Christopher Hitchens and some of the inflammatory things he writes and represents.  It’s very natural for us to get all up-in-arms about books like like that of Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion.  What we need to recognize, though, is that how we represent the truth can be just as important as the truth we represent.  After all, how can we proclaim a truth that we claim as transformational, when, in fact, we sometimes bluster and blow like the staunchest atheist?  If the truth matters, and I believe it does, then shouldn’t the transformational truth-claims about God be quite evident in the way our lives are lived out and how we treat others — even devout atheists?  One needs only to take a quick glance at the words of two of today’s most well-known atheists to prove the old adage, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”