Praying for an Atheist
Christopher Hitchens, best known for many years as a journalist and author, achieved notoriety for his book God is not Great: How Religion Poisions Everything. It is essentially an extended tirade against faith in general (and Christianity in particular). He contends that religion is the main source of hatred in the world. Technically Hitchens refers to himself as a secular humanist rather than an atheist, though in practice the terms are mostly synonymous.
Hitchens has engaged in many debates with Christian scholars, including Douglas Wilson, William Lane Craig (our post about this debate can be read here), and even his brother Peter Hitchens (who is a committed Christian).
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Recently Christopher Hitchens announced that he has oesophageal cancer. Many Christians responded by encouraging one another to pray for him, both for his recovery as well as a change in his mind and heart. Today CNN released an interview with Hitchens where he was asked what he thought about people praying for him. He says that, regarding people’s prayers, “if it makes you feel better, then you have my blessing [to pray]” but he himself refuses to engage in prayer; a dismissal as irrelevant rather than a condemnation.
The interview also reveals details of Hitchens’ life that I was unaware of, such as the fact that his father died of the same cancer he now battles, and about his mother’s suicide. It was a poignant reminder that, despite the vitriol a person may espouse and our negative reaction to the hurtful and untruthful things that they say, it is still coming from a real person made in God’s image (as defaced as that has become) whose seemingly intellectual arguments are not divorced from his life experiences.
Can you commit to pray for him? Even if he has no belief in the power of prayer, if we truly believe that prayer is actually effective, why would we not pray for those who seem furthest from knowing God? How do you think we can best pray for Mr Hitchens, and others that you know who have a similar mindset?
3 Responses to “Praying for an Atheist”
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Love can be dangerous
Love can be dangerous. When you aim high and love lets you down, the fall is far.
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Our God is a God of miracles. With HIM anything is possible, even in a professed atheist’s life.
Win, amazing analysis. Up to 5 yrs ago I was a “rabid” atheist. Your description fit me to an absolute tee. Thank you for being so eloquent.
Scratch an atheist and underneath you will find a person who feels betrayed by God and has chosen to strike back by not acknowledging Him. I would venture to say that Mr. Hitchens may hold the opinion, as do many others, that “If God is a loving God, whyd did he let my mom kill herself? Why did my dad die of cancer?” He may have prayed as a young boy and felt that God didn’t care. I will pray that through the loving actions of believers in his life, whether they be medical personnel or just everyday associates, that the eyes of his heart will be opened and he will have reconciliation, healing and a new life in Christ.