An Atheist’s Call To Make Our Case

07Dec 2022 by Post

St.
Francis
of
Assisi
may
have
died
800
years
ago,
but
his
influence
still
looms.
He
was
a
man
who
venerated
nature
and
lived
a
life
of
great
sacrifice
in
service
to
God
and
his
church.
But
within
the
Christian
ecosystem,
he
has
become
most
famous
for
an
adage
that
strikes
a
chord
with
anyone
who
is
serious
about
sharing
their
faith:

Preach
the
Gospel
always.
If
necessary,
use
words.

The
modern
interpretation
of
Assisi’s
exhortation
is
clear.
Our
charge
is
to
love
people
into
the
kingdom,
not
argue
them
there.
If
you’ve
bought
into
that
mindset
it
may
surprise
you
to
learn
that
it’s
not
accurate.
And
it
may
surprise
you
even
more
to
learn
that
it
flies
in
the
face
of
an
atheist’s
call
to
make
our
case.

Here’s
why.

A
Gospel
Without
Words?

On
one
level
there
is
no
denying
that,
“who
you are speaks
so
loudly
that
no
one
can
hear
what
you say.”
We
certainly
don’t
want
the
life
we
live
to
deny
everything
about
the
faith
we
claim
to
represent.
But
is
the
Franciscan
inversion
of
this
exhortation
also
true?
Can
we
proclaim
the
message
through
our
actions
alone?

The
problem
here
is
that
the
Gospel
makes
propositional
truth
claims
about
the
nature
of
the
world,
the
nature
of
man,
and
the
remedy
for
man’s
rebellion
against
God.
It’s
a
story
about
reality.
And
it’s
only
“good
news”
if
it’s
actually
true.
So,
how
can
we
share
the
propositional
truth
claims
of
such
a
message
and
explain
their
implications
without
using
words
or
giving
answers?

I
contend
that
we
can’t.
Furthermore,
the
attitude
that
says
we
can
is
not
only
harmful,
but
it
also
does
violence
to
the
Gospel
it
claims
to
love.
This
contention
is
not
my
own.
A
rabid
atheist
will
back
me
up.

The
Gift
of
a
Bible

Penn
Jillette
and
his
partner,
Raymond
Teller,
have
been
entertaining
Las
Vegas
audiences
for
years.
Their
mixture
of
magic,
music,
and
commentary
–
the Penn
&
Teller show
–
is
the
longest-running
show
at
the
same
hotel
in
Las
Vegas
history.
Jillette
is
a
magician,
actor,
and
inventor.
He
is
also
a
hard-core
atheist
–
so
adamant
about
his
denial
of
God’s
existence
that
at
one
point
in
his
life
he is
said
to
have
owned
three
cars
with
vanity
license
plates
that
read:
“atheist,”
“nogod,”
and
“godless.”[i] “Strangely
enough,”
says
Jillette,
“they
wouldn’t
give
me
‘infidel.’
He
was
also
a
happy
participant
in
YouTube’s
viral
“blasphemy
challenge,”
in
which
participants
publicly
mock
and
denounce
the
Holy
Spirit.

Penn
Jillette
is
no
friend
of
Christianity.
But
he
has
a
message
that
every
Christian
should
take
to
heart.

In
July
2010,
Jillette posted
a
video
online[ii] in
which
he
shared
the
story
of
a
man
who
approached
him
after
one
of
his
performances.
The
man
was
extremely
complimentary
of
the Penn
&
Teller show.
He
said
he
enjoyed
Jillette’s
honesty,
his
use
of
language,
and
his
talent.
The
man
was
polite
and
humble.
And
he
came
bearing
a
gift.

“I
was
here
last
night,”
said
the
man,
“I
brought
this
for
you.”
The
man
handed
Jillette
a
pocket
Bible
containing
the
New
Testament
and
the
book
of
Psalms.
Penn
Jillette
was
genuinely
humbled
and
impressed
by
the
actions
and
attitude
of
this
kind
Christian
man.
And
he
is
quite
direct
about
how
he
received
the
gesture.

I
don’t
respect
people
who
don’t
proselytize.
If
you
believe
there’s
a
heaven
and
hell
…
and
if
you
believe
that
people
could
be
going
to
hell,
or
not
getting
eternal
life
…
and
you
think
that
it’s
not
worth
telling
them
this
because
it
would
make
it
socially
awkward
…
How
much
do
you
have
to
hate
somebody
to
not
proselytize? How
much
do
you
have
to
hate
somebody
to
believe
that
everlasting
life
is
possible
and
not
tell
them
that?
If
I
believed
beyond
the
shadow
of
a
doubt
that
a
truck
was
bearing
down
on
you
and
you
didn’t
believe
it,
there’s
a
certain
point
where
I
tackle
you.
And
this
is more important
than
that
(emphasis
mine).

Misquoting
Assisi

Most
of
us
don’t
have
a
lot
in
common
with
a
rabid
atheist
Las
Vegas
showman
who
mocks
the
Holy
Spirit.
But
every
Christian
would
do
well
to
take
seriously
Penn
Jillette’s
reflection.
Not
only
does
it
fly
in
the
face
of
the
just-love-them-into-the-kingdom
mindset,
but
it
also
comports
with
what
Assisi
actually
said
…
and
with
what
he
did.

It
turns
out
the
legendary
quote
attributed
to
St.
Francis
is
nothing
but
a
modern
corruption
of
the
words
he
actually
wrote
in
1221
AD:

Let
none
of
the
brothers
preach
contrary
to
the
form
and
institution
of
the
church
…
Nevertheless,
let
all
the
brothers
preach
by
their
works.

Notice
that
Francis
did
not
render
preaching
the
gospel
a
contingent
option.
Instead,
he
linked
words
and
actions
directly
together.

Francis
of
Assisi
devoted
himself
to
the
kind
of
life
for
which
he
is
now
known
after
being convicted
by
a
sermon he
heard
in
1209.
He
took
a
vow
of
poverty,
felt
connected
to
nature
and
the
beauty
of
the
creation,
and
demonstrated
empathy
for
others.
But
he
was
also
known
for
the
powerful
sermons
he
delivered.
He
lived
out
the
Gospel,
and
he
was
happy
to
tell
others
about
it.

Words
Are
Always
Necessary

Arguments
and
evidence
are
far
from
arrogant
intellectual
add-ons
to
the
Gospel.[iii]
They
are
integral
to
it.
God
saturated
our
world
with
truths
that
could
never
be
adequately
expressed
through
our
actions
alone.
There
are
plenty
of
examples
of
militant
atheists
who
have
turned
to
God
after
hearing
about
them.
C.
S.
Lewis,
Antony
Flew,
Lee
Strobel,
and J.
Warner
Wallace[iv] come
to
mind.
Penn
Jillette
isn’t
on
that
list
–
yet.
That’s
his
choice,
not
ours.
Don’t
hate
him
for
it.
Be
winsome
and
kind.
But
by
all
means,
don’t
be
silent.

Footnotes

[i]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penn_Jillette

[ii]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6md638smQd8

[iii]

https://truehorizon.org/the-gospel-requires-us-to-give-answers/

[iv]

https://salvomag.com/article/salvo24/the-evidentialist

A Gospel Without Words?

The Gift of a Bible

Misquoting Assisi

Words Are Always Necessary

Footnotes

Recommended resources related to the topic:

A
Gospel
Without
Words?

The
Gift
of
a
Bible

Misquoting
Assisi

Words
Are
Always
Necessary

Recommended
resources
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topic: