Answer the Atheist

17 CommentsFamous Lost Words

Here is a comment from a past post. How would you answer this atheist? Does he have a valid point?

Hi Steve–

I find your videos with people standing on busy intersections really strange.

To me at least, if I were a pedestrian waiting at a busy intersection for a light to change while somebody was barking a sermon into my ear with a MEGAPHONE, I can pretty much guarantee that as I walked away with ears ringing, I wouldn’t be thinking “Gee! I need to get right with God, so I can spend eternity with THAT guy!”

I’m an atheist. People like you generate people like me.

—Captain Howdy

Comments (17)

  1. Chris H.

    Reply

    I have some thoughts on the good captain’s comments:

    1) You are completely missing the point. Because the gospel is true, the most loving thing Steve or any other Christian can do is warn people about how to be pardoned for the sins they have committed.

    2) Street preaching does not produce atheism. I think that if you were truly honest, you were an atheist before you saw these videos, or at the very least you hated the idea of the God of the Bible.

    3) God is, by definition, the most perfect and lovely being in the universe. He is offering you forgiveness and reconciliation for the sins you have committed. But you would turn that down simply because you don’t like the way another person shares that message?

  2. BathTub

    Reply

    lol that’s the hilarity that brings the readers back.

    Hear that Captain? You hate the light with your EVIL DEEEEDS. EVIL! Repent. Repent!

  3. E. Laddie

    Reply

    They hate God because they love sin. They just cannot see that Satan is their father.
    Keep up the good work here. Planting the seeds is important.

  4. Whateverman

    Reply

    With all due respect, Chris, I think your answer is dishonest, though only in regards to not being honest with yourself.

    If evangelism were nothing more than exposing people to the gospel in an attempt to save their mortal souls, no evangelist would converse with the people they preach to. They would merely need to read the Bible or quote scripture, and ignore everything said back to them.

    In reality, evangelicals attempt to engage people, to talk to them and persuade through scripture and reasoning. This is inconsistent with Chris’ explanation above. Now, I don’t think his answer was dishonest in the sense of it being a “lie”, but I submit that very few who preach the gospel in this do it ONLY for the reason given above.

    Some of the people being preached to (ie. Captain Howdy sitting in his car at a traffic light) hear answers like Chris’ and don’t find them credible. THAT most assuredly drives them away from the message being preached…

  6. robert moss

    Reply

    Let change the scenario: two girls in hooters outfits at a street corner are handing out beer openers. How many men would have been drawn into lust with their eyes and with their hearts? Unknowingly, they have began to worship at the altar of Aphrodite/Diana/Venus. The battle for men’s souls need to happen wherever possible, because the devil will send his counterparts to attempt to nullify the evangelist’s message.

  8. Robert Moss

    Reply

    The atheist/agnostic/nonChristian doesnt see a problem with busty girls in public handing out beer bottle openers. Yet throw a fit if an Evangelist hands out a Gospel tract and gives out a gospel message off a soapbox.

  9. E. Laddie

    Reply

    Bathtub,
    You won’t be laughing when you are standing before your maker on judgemment day. Seek and ye shall find.

  10. Rella

    Reply

    When people don’t like the message, they often criticize the messenger. If the gospel is preached too loudly, then some will say it’s a turn-off because it’s too pushy and annoying. If the gospel is preached too softly, then some will say God didn’t make enough effort to reach out to them in their troubled times.

    It reminds me a bit of Aesop’s fable about the boy, the man, and the donkey–no matter how the gospel is presented, there will be someone who will think you should have presented it differently.

    Bottom line: everyone is responsible for how they respond to the Gift, no matter what they think of the packaging it came in.

    I really hope “Captain Howdy” repents and puts his trust in Jesus; otherwise, it will be very sad for him (to say the least) to spend an isolated, agonizing eternity in hell reflecting on how he scoffed at relationship with both God and Christians. He will long for the ability to spend eternity with “THAT guy”…but it will be too late.

    I pray that will not come true, but that instead, someday in Heaven, he will thank his brothers and sisters in Christ for continuing to reach out to him.

  11. E. Laddie

    Reply

    Rella,
    Well stated. I don’t comment on blogs very much but I love to see the message being proclaimed in such a reasonable manner.

  12. ExPatMatt

    Reply

    Classic cult-like behaviour; ‘anyone who doesn’t agree with us is evil and they only deny the Truth because they love their wicked ways.’

    The point that Captain Howdy was trying to make was that the purpose of evangelism is not just to project a message, it’s to have that message received and – more importantly – believed by the listener. There is no way for that to happen if your delivery of said message is ineffectual and annoying.

    You may think that the inherent ‘trueness’ of the message means that you can deliver it however you want, but that’s not how it works in reality.

    Shouting down a megaphone at people while they’re going about their business is ineffectual and annoying. Talking with people, listening to what they have to say and responding accordingly is effective…but only if the message has merit.

    The fact that the shouty method is used over the discussion one seems to indicate some doubt amongst the evangelist community about the validity of the message they present.

    Just my thoughts.

    Cheers,

  13. ExPatMatt

    Reply

    Stev,

    You used reason? When did that happen? I must have been off that day…

    🙂

  15. Glenn Parker

    Reply

    People seem to think it’s *OUR* job to convince people of the truth of God’s Word? I don’t remember seeing that verse in scripture!

    Our job is to preach the Gospel to every creature. Even if those creatures don’t like it and don’t want to hear it. If they choose not to believe, that’s between them and God. They won’t point a finger at *ME* on judgment day and say they would have believed except for the annoying street preacher.

    If we were personally responsible for anyone’s salvation, no one would get saved. Conviction and repentance are the work of God and Him alone.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *