The atheist and Christ.

Hugh Hewitt makes much of the Los Angeles Times - holding it up as an example of the disconnect that the Old Media has with the heartland of America. When I read this column in particular though, I was saddened beyond all words. Saddened because by publishing this column they lay out, for the whole world to see, their complete ignorance of the most important thing to the majority of the people in the United States.

"I HAD NEVER BEEN to church before. I mean I'd been inside them for weddings, architectural curiosity and once, in college, to hear some guy play organ so I could hook up with Jenny Hodge. I'm pretty sure God will be cool with that because, as an omnipotent being, he knows how hot she was.
But I'd never sat through a service until I went to Austin, Texas, two weeks ago. This mostly has to do with the fact that I'm Jewish and don't believe in God, and sermons don't have nudity or anything to gamble on. But my college friend, Mike Langford, just got ordained as a pastor at Covenant Presbyterian Church, so I felt like I needed to see his gig."

Now I know a lot of people who would be upset, even offended, by the first two paragraphs, but what got to me, was this paragraph.

"In fact, I'd never realized how much of a death cult Christianity is. When we weren't fixating on how awesome Christ's murder was, we were singing about how terrific it was going to be when we bite it. Chipper up, Christians! There's a lot to live for. They're making more of those "Narnia" movies."

But I was not offended by this paragraph...I was deeply saddened. Mr. Stein just does not "get it" and apparently he doesn't care to get it either. Yeah Christ died...it is a part of the story, but THE part of the story (the part that Mr. Stein doesn't get) is why Christ died or the fact that He was resurrected! Christ's death is a means to the end...the end being the TRIUMPH over death. Focusing on the death alone, doesn't tell you the why either. Christ's death was God's sacrifice for people like Mr. Stein - and that is something else that he doesn't get....someone who would sacrifice his very life for someone else. That is one reason why people like Mr. Stein don't "get" the military either - but I digress.

Christians do not celebrate Christ's death - we celebrate His resurrection FROM the grave. We do not celebrate the coming of our own deaths - we celebrate the great lives we have today and the coming better life that we will have when we leave this world to go live with Christ. There is a big difference. We appreciate what God has done for us and so we celebrate Christ's triumph over death.

I pray that someday Mr. Stein comes to understand that. Then maybe he will be able to understand Christians and he will come to celebrate that faith - rather than mock it.