\u2018Faith\u2019 the atheist concluded \u2018is a crutch for the weak.\u2019 As he sat down, I seethed in my seat. Although I was aware of this argument I couldn\u2019t believe that a supposedly educated man would use this aged saying as his closing gambit. The theme was \u2018Do we need God in the 21st Century?\u2019 As I imagine these things always do, it turned into \u2018Does God exist?\u2019 In the God corner weighing in with faith were a Christian Bishop and a Muslim Cleric, and in the no-God corner advocating free love and nudity was a naturist and the above mentioned atheist.<\/p>\n
The time came for questions from the floor and I, still seething, slowly raised my hand. \u2018You say that faith is a crutch for the weak\u2019 I aimed directly between his God denying eyes, \u2018But you have a faith, you might not call it God, but you believe in something \u2013 does that make you weak?\u2019 Revelling in my quick-witted challenge I sat down, while all atheist boy could mutter was \u2018Good one.\u2019<\/p>\n
The thing is after 12 years of almost constant reflection on what I counted as one of my shining moments, I now think the atheist was right. Well almost right, he said faith is a crutch for the weak, I would now say Christianity is a crutch for the weak, or at least it should be. I wish I had been wise enough to explain that way back then Jesus came for the weak, that He came to make them strong, to achieve through them what they could never achieve themselves and thus glorify God who is ever working through them. I wish I\u2019d explained that God uses the foolish to shame the proud, that his kingdom is upside down and completely opposite to the values of the majority. I wish I had said, you are right I am weak and that\u2019s the point, because in the church of Jesus, the weak are welcome, the hungry are fed, the poor are cared for, you won\u2019t find middle class drifters, but classless grafters working to reach even more people in need. And just you wait, you wait and see what we\u2019ll achieve. Are you wounded? We\u2019ll patch you up? Hurting? We\u2019ll listen. Depressed? We are here. Unsure. We can wait. Broke? We know a man who can help. Not by our own merit, but by clinging to the strength of the One who has touched lepers, healed blindness, confounded the religious, stirred up the system, carried the device of his own execution on a scar ridden back, the One who consulted with prophets, who walked on the waves and calmed the storms, the One who has beaten even death and is calling your name right now.<\/p>\n
Mr atheist we, the body of Christ, embrace your poorly thought out cliche, and if you still think it\u2019s a smug retort to leave our cheeks stinging then you might not want to be in the way when we come marching through.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n