the season

Considered it: every person you have ever met, every person you will pass in the street today, is going to die. Living long enough, each will suffer loss of his friends and family. All are going to lose everything they love in this world. Why would one want to be anything but kind to them in the meantime? 

Who said it? A theological "heavyweight?" A saint? A pastor?

Try Sam Harris, a leading "new atheist," in his book End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason (page 226). I wrote a paper on new atheism for one of my classes, and this quote stood out.

Why?

First, it is the Christmas season which means new atheism will be aggressive in their advertisements. They will be downright offensive in their attempts to deny the Incarnation and diminish the Christian celebration of Christmas.

In light of this, new atheists are not the most wretched of people. God's common grace is still at work in them. Their active rebellion against their Creator does not negate His grace. The above quote is respectable. We should be kind to one another given the brevity of this life and the sufferings it brings. For Christians, this includes those who may be the most antagonistic towards us. Instead of responding with disgust and anger, maybe we should be moved to pray for these hearts of stone to be replaced with hearts of flesh.

Second, this quote serves as a valuable critique of Christians. We are not the only people on the face of the earth who care for other people. There are innumerable people outside of the Christian faith passionate for the hungry, poor, and needy. One local radio station's notoriously raunchy and inappropriate morning show just held a massive food drive to feed the homeless in the city. The amount of food and money they brought it was incredible. Christians think simply doing good deeds will preach the Gospel. We even use the quote (not sure who first said it); "preach the Gospel. When necessary, use words." Good works are important, but they are not enough.

The gloom revealed in Harris' quote should motivate Christians unlike any other individual or religious group. We understanding the brevity of life. We understanding it includes suffering and loss. However, we know their is a solution and a hope. Being kind will not solve the problem. Jesus Christ, God who became man to die for sin and rise again, has solved it once and for all.

In the midst of all our good deeds, He is the One we need to proclaim. He is the One we need to acknowledge as the motivation for our compassion and care. He is One who makes all our endeavors meaningful and holding eternal significance.