Written by Anthony Uvenio
As Christians we are commanded to set apart Christ as Lord of our hearts in 1 Peter 3:15. He is to be the guiding power and influence over every though and action in our lives. Jesus is the objective foundation upon which we build our theology, morality, philosophy, science, history – literally every area of our thinking and doing.
All our thoughts and actions should flow from His Lordship as followers of Christ. This is also the verse that apologists use to explain what apologetics is, why and how we do it.
The Oxford dictionary defines Lord as: someone or something having power, authority, or influence; a master or ruler
Jesus is our Lord. He is our foundation. He is our King.
He sits on His throne, and the throne of our hearts to rule and reign.
Now, atheists come in all stripes, sizes and colors. They span all political parties, all countries and ideologies. They have varied opinions of morality, science, and philosophy. We even agree with them that science and logic are good, and that evil exists.
Here’s my one question: what is their Lord?
What is it that has power, authority and influence over their lives? Is it an objective power or influence that guides them? What do they shape their their thinking, morality, philosophy, science and history on? Is it a person, a scientific experiment, or a book?
They all have convictions about how to live; sometimes they agree and sometimes they don’t – same with Christians by the way. In fact, they unite in agreement that we are wrong to build our lives around God and tell us so all the time on Facebook – that’s why they’re called atheists.
However, as Christians, at least we all have the same Lord in common, the same foundation that we’re trying to follow and build on – we share the same goal. What is theirs?
Is the overriding dogma of an atheist’s life the negation of God and not a positive, specific ambition?
Can you imagine living your life and shaping your thoughts around a negation of something? Imagine if your ambition in life is defined by what you reject rather than what you accept? Or, what you’re running away from rather than what you’re running toward?
Is there a common foundation for atheists to build on? If not, why not? What do each of them have in common that drives their thinking and how can they account for that in the natural world? (I addressed Naturalism in a prior post here: Naturalism)
Since they pride themselves on critical thinking and being rational, shouldn’t they all come to the same conclusions and be building from the same foundation?
Is there objective unity in the atheistic camp?
If not, and their foundations are varied, then their conclusions will be varied. Varied points of view are good and can have great value when trying to solve problems. But, if their foundations are subjective, then their conclusions will be just as subjective. Is there a consensus on an objective foundation upon which to build their conclusions, and can they scientifically prove that it exists?
Subjective foundations produce subjective results. That will lead them to conclude that they rule and reign on the throne of their own hearts. They are their own authority – their own foundation!
Ultimately, they are King, Lord of their own lives.
Why should anyone bow down to that King?
