Secularists, what happened to reason?

I recently participated in the online comment chat roll following the story about the Skate Church (Deeper) in my last blog. I wasn't surprised at the negativity surrounding the
issue of American missionaries operating in Scotland. What got me was the approach taken by the anti-religious, atheist and secularist participants in the chat.

Critical thinking might be to secularism what faith is to devout religious believers. Thinking rationally, questioning assumptions, tolerating differences and rebuffing the black-and-white - these are the cornerstones of the secular world view and a pivotal part of what separates them from religious people.

Why then, when it comes to discussions of religion, do so many secularists abandon critical thinking altogether?

Renowned atheist writer, religion scholar and Georgetown professor, Jacques Berlinerblau, recently put it, "Can an atheist or agnostic commentator discuss any aspect of religion for more than 30 seconds without referring to religious people as imbeciles, extremists, mental deficients, fascists, enemies of the common good... conjure men (or) irrationalists?"

My recent experience would have to reveal that no, they're incapable of such a feat. A common thread throughout the discussion was to send these manipulative yank, do-gooders back to the colonies.

One such comment stated: "Watch out for Evangelicals. They're extremely simplistic and very emotional... they're against same-sex marriage, abortion and thinking." The American missionaries were referred to as "ignorant charlatans, a plague, eejits/idiots, deluded superstitious fools, morons, pestilential priests," among other such descriptors.

For a group of thinkers that pride themselves on rational thought and civil discourse, this behavior is inconsistent and unbecoming of a school of thought that emphasizes rational complex thinking - and has little to offer its practitioners when it comes to the value of an open mind. And trust me when I say that this comment roll was not populated by the denizens of ignorance. References or quotes from the likes of Karl Marx, Daniel Dennett, Albert Einstein and John Knox were included. In fact, one guy even got into a dispute with me because I challenged his claim that Daniel Dennett (prominent American philosopher at Tufts University) developed the concept of (the) skyhook... when everyone knows that it was Kareem Abdul-Jabaar's indefensible basketball shot. :)

But sadly, this is how this conversation (and others) tend to go when secularists take up the conversation of religion. The tendency has, perhaps, reached an all-time low with the appearance of best-selling book, Christopher Hitchens', God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything.

My point is not to demonize secularists or atheists. There is enough of that already. According to a USA Today/Gallup Poll conducted last February, fewer people would vote for a well-qualified atheist for president (45%) than an African-American (94%), a Jew (92%), a woman (88%), a Hispanic (87%), a Mormon (72%), a thrice-married person (67%) or a homosexual (55%).

It would be unfair and unreasonable to equate secularism with immorality or insufficient patriotism. Though secularists would do well to listen to Berlinerblau, one of the few atheist voices calling for secular engagement with religious believers and more rigorous understanding of their religions/beliefs.

True, many religious people behave in foolish and obnoxious ways, and some do cause harm in the name of their belief system. But stereotyping and generalizing on either side is not going to fulfill a productive agenda for anyone - for Christians, it's not going to reflect the love of Jesus; and for secularists, it's not going to challenge unthinking idealists to examine what's truly behind their faith.

It's not my place or authority to hold secularists to their own ideologies any more than it is their place to hold me to a biblical standard, but is it too much to ask that we simply engage one another with a bit of passion AND civility? Although it defines itself in opposition to religion, surely secularism is capable of understanding that religion is more than simply irrational indulgence and supernatural fantasy.

Secularists put their "faith" not in God, but in the sound aptitude of the human mind. It's disappointing when they discard their defining faculties and resort to thoughtless name-calling and brutish intolerance. It's a shame to see them throw out their greatest tool.

Skate Church Makes the Front Page

Several months ago I was in Tinderbox, a local coffee place near our flat, and I met Dave Reasbeck. He overheard my American accent and decided to engage by asking what I was drinking. It was a Vanilla Icebox and they're awesome! I began telling him what I was doing in Glasgow and Dave responded very enthusiastically. "I'm a missionary too, dude!!!"

Dave has been here in Scotland for the last seven months, and he only just left this morning to return to the States to work out his visa situation so he can stay in the UK indefinitely. Dave is a semi-pro skateboarder who has been working alongside Bob Hill, a missionary-pastor ministering in Scotland for the past 13 years. Together they share the teaching times at Deeper, a skate church planted to reach Scotland's youth culture.

But as I said, I met Dave a few months ago and we hit it off almost instantly. We began meeting together pretty regularly once, sometimes twice a week. Much of our time is spent discussing the Bible, a book we're reading together (Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola), or ministry. But I think the thing we love to talk most about is the shape and shaping of the future church. Not church in the sense of a building or model, but the bride itself... the body of Christ. We can chat for hours about our love for those that don't yet have a relationship with Jesus; how we feel most fulfilled and most utilized when submersed in the culture around us, looking to bring Jesus into every encounter we have.

The Lord has really been blessing Dave's ministry. It's not uncommon for 120 young people to show up on a Thursday night to skate the largest indoor skate park in Britain and hear stories about a guy called Jesus. The real reason for this post, though, is to mention that The Scotsman, a Scottish newspaper (obviously) ran a Sunday Edition front page story on Bob, Dave and Deeper. Just thought there might be some interest in a story about one of the young guys I'm hanging with, discipling, coaching, etc.

That's Bob Hill in the center of the picture (above), and Dave is behind him "bustin' some fat air."

Picture of me and Dave at Kelvingrove skate park. Gabrielle in foreground.

Incidentally, our first meeting at Tinderbox was a significant encounter for Dave that made an impact that has stayed with him to this very day. The only thing he orders there is the Vanilla Icebox.

Isabelle is 20 Weeks

Isabelle Sophia turned 20 weeks old on Sunday - wow, five months! She continues to be our angel baby. She is so full of joy and peace. Like her sister, she is a routine child, but that may be the only similarity they share. Never does she wake from a nap without a smile. She is always so happy to see us standing over her cot.

She is getting stronger and more aware of her surroundings every day. She is grabbing things and studying her hands a lot. She loves to kick and punch when she gets excited, and she also loves when we help her stand. We can leave her on her mat or in her rocker for extended periods with scarcely a sound from her. Although she loves engaging us, she is very content entertaining herself.

It's hard to describe in words, but holding her is like holding love. Even when I pick her up to take her to her mother for a feed, I don't want to give her up. The other day she received the third and final round of her infant immunization shots. The following day she struggled to keep milk down and she ran a fever, but even then she was pleasant. Many babies become irritable and difficult to console when running a fever, but all it takes with Isabelle is holding her.

We praise God daily for both of our girls. They are healthy, bright, beautiful and full of joy. We are also grateful to those of you that keep them and us lifted in prayer.

Blessings and Thanks!

Christian Aid Workers Killed by Taliban

Twenty three South Korean Christian aid workers are being held hostage in Afghanistan. Two of them have been executed; more details here. I don't really know what else to say at the moment apart from pray that they would be set free. And yes, pray for other hostages that don't make the news.