Godly Athiests

In my world travels it is interesting to observe the devotion displayed to false gods. Muslims bowing down for prayer on trans-pacific flights, Hindus putting their daily worship sacrifices out for their gods, animists building their little altars to the river god or mountain god, witch doctors fasting and cutting themselves to coerce the spirits into action.

But when I begin to observe a majority of American Christians there is nothing to see. Except for occasional Sunday church attendance, there is no place to view their devotion to their God. Their theology is invisible. They believe in God in intellectual ways that don't visibly alter their lives. They mentally ascribe to a "God belief" but functionally they are atheists.

Now I praise God that we are New Testament Christians unencumbered by the necessity of daily sacrifices. I thank God that our walk is by grace not walking up to Mecca. I bless Jesus that if I forget to pray for a few days, he's not ticked off and withdrawn.

BUT a living faith demands something observable and different. An integration of God into our daily living that is tangible. An adoration that treats God like He's real and like He's really here and really hearing.

Folks that I see worshiping their false gods appear odd and different to me. That's the way I should appear to those without a living faith in Jesus. They should say, "Hey, why do you do what you do?".

Why are you kneeling? Why do you pray before you reach for an aspirin? Why do you carry that little book around? Why does your checkbook have a weekly check to church? Why do you look for the hurting to help? Why don't you rent the raunchy movie that Hollywood says is so cool? Why do you dance around in your living room to worship music? Why do you take expensive trips to 3rd world places that are so poor they turn your stomach?

I don't want merely a "doctrine" of God, I want a "doing" for God! I want to act different by faith and because of faith. No functional atheism for me!