Christianity 101

Tiger's Opportunity

Christianity 101 — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 20:29:11 -0800

Ever wonder how to start a conversation about God with someone who, you know, doesn't believe? It used to be known as "witnessing" or "sharing your faith." These activities seem so 20th century, so Campus Crusade-ish. Nowadays most Christians prefer to talk about God in a way that is more about water cool conversation than door-to-door proselytizing.

We're fine with that. In fact, we think it's a much better way to go. Sure worked for Jesus. When people like Nicodemus, the woman at the well, and the rich young ruler asked him questions, Jesus didn't twist any arms. He conversed, asked questions, left them wanting more.

The thing with this preferred method is to find those cultural touch points that most people can identify with or at least know about, and then develop the art of asking really good questions with the intention of engaging in conversations about the bigger spiritual issues at stake.

For example, when the Haiti earthquake struck, it didn't take long for one of the biggest spiritual questions of all to surface: How could a loving God allow such a horrible tragedy? To be sure, it's a tough question with no easy answer, but it is a terrific way to start a conversation about God.

On a much different scale, but strangely enough with almost as much media attention, we now have another cultural touch point that presents a wonderful oppportunity to talk about some pretty important spiritual issues. Of course, we're talking about the Tiger Woods mea culpa.

Whether the 13-minute statement was contrived or genuine really doesn't matter. Tiger's confession, no matter who wrote it, contained three of the grandest themes in all of Christendom: repentance, forgiveness, and redemption. How these themes play out on a human level in Tiger's life is probably none of our business. But on the grander cosmic stage, these theological concepts--and make no mistake, that's what they are--have enormous significance for all people, no matter who they are or where they are in life.

Under normal circumstances, it would be difficult and perhaps even awkward to bring them up in a casual conversation:

So, Joe, have you ever thought about what it means to repent of your sins and ask forgiveness so you can be redeemed?

That just doesn't fly with Joe, not unless you're a street preacher, and then you'd just be confirming in Joe's mind that Christians are nut jobs. No, it's much easier to start a conversation in the context of a familiar cultural event such as the one now before us:

So, Joe, what did you think of Tiger's confession? Do you think he deserves forgiveness? What are his chances to get back in the good graces of the public and, more importantly, his wife and kids?

If Joe is a thoughtful person, he will gladly give you a response. in fact, it's likely Joe has already been thinking about what it all means.

Even as we pray for Tiger (something we should be doing), we need to thank him for this opportunity to openly and rather effortlessly talk about some things that really matter to God.

God's Gift-love

Christianity 101 — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 18:57:56 -0800

The love of a man for a woman (or a woman for a man) can be of the noblest sort, and to those two people it may be the greatest thing of all. But what about the love of a man for a dog, a car, or a sandwich? Are those noble loves? Of course not. Those are what C.S. Lewis describes as "Need-loves," as in "I don't have any friends, so I need a dog," or "I need to be seen in this car," or "Right now I need a sandwich."

There's nothing wrong with loving something you need. Most close relationships are based on Need-love. We need the companionship, the warmth, and the love of other people, so we reach out in love. "Our whole being by its very nature is one of vast need," Lewis writes. Even our love for God is based on our need to be connected with the Creator of the universe, who himself is love.

And what about God? What about God's love? Does he need us to love him? No, God's love is of a different sort. It's what Lewis describes as "Gift-love." Because God is love, he can't help but give his love to us, his created beings. He isn't motivated by our lovable natures or our lovable acts (thank goodness). Rather, God is compelled by his own nature. It's always there, even when we don't recognize or acknowledge God's love gift.

God has given us many things that demonstrate his love. We have an incredible world to enjoy. We have life and bodies that function in amazing ways. We have beauty, goodness, and grace. And we have the gift of love itself, enabling us to engage in meaningful relationships. All of these things come from God's love, but none of them can match his greatest love gift of all: Jesus.

Jesus is the literal embodiment of love. For thirty-three years, he lived a life of love that is unsurpassed in human history. Before Jesus came to earth, no one had ever talked about love the way Jesus did. The Greek philosophers held up the virtures of ideal love, but Jesus talked about the value of practical love. We aren't just to love our friends. Jesus said we should love our enemies. The culture of the day taught a love of convenience and self-interest, but Jesus said we should go out of our way to love the unloveable and those in need.

Over and over Jesus expressed his love for people, and all he asked in return is that we love God and love one another. His actions and his words should have been enough to convince everyone that love is all you need. But Jesus had to take one more step to demonstrate the full extent and effect of his love for the world. Jesus had to give himself.

Jesus is where humanity's Need-love and God's Gift-love come together. Without Jesus, we can love, but our love is incomplete because it comes from us. With Jesus, we can love, and our love is complete because it comes from God.

Does God have a purpose for evil and suffering?

Christianity 101 — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:56:42 -0800

We will be the first to admit that we don't have some kind of special insight into the mind of God and know why he allows evil and suffering. We just believe that as a holy, loving, all-powerful, all-good, all-knowing God, he does have his reasons for allowing evil--both human and natural evil--to exist in our world and inflict the suffering it does. Here are some possible purposes God may have for allowing evil and the suffering it produces. See if you identify with one of more of these.

Suffering Can Make Us Stronger

You've no doubt heard the expression, "No pain, no gain." We're not trying to trivialize the nature of pain and suffering, but there's truth in that slogan. Something about hardship, difficulty and pain can sometimes strengthen us. Suffering and setbacks can also bring us closer as families, friend and communities. Dare we say, in the wake of the earthquake in Haite and its horrible aftermath, the global community has come together in extraordianary ways to provide relief on a massive scale. There's an incredible amount of work yet to do, but there is hope that Haiti and its people will one day be stronger.

Some Evil Helps Bring About Greater Good

There are many examples of this principle at work in Scripture. In one of his letters to the Corinthian church, the apostle Paul recounts the pain and suffering in his life, including a nagging "thorn" in his flesh, yet he knows that his troubles have made him stronger.

That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Cor. 12:10).

Joseph was sold into slavery by his own brothers and then suffered in prison after being falsely accused. But eventually he was elevated to a position of power and influence, and when he was finally reunited with his brothers, he uttered these immortal words:

You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people (Gen. 50:20).

And in the greatest example of pain and suffering bringing about greater good, Jesus suffered on the cross and died so that all who believe in him can have eternal life (John 3:16).

Suffering Can Point Us to God

Have you ever noticed that when things are going well, you have a tendency to drift away from God, and when things are going badly, you get closer to God? You would think that pain and suffering would drive us away from God--and for some people this happens. But most people, even hardened cynics, seem to seek God like never before when they are going through terrible suffering and unbearable grief. C.S. Lewis expresses this concept eloquently when he writes, "God whispters to us in our pleasures...but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world."

God Knows What It's Like to Suffer

We may feel like shaking our fists at God when something extraordinarily painful happens to the world or to us. The most natural question to ask is, where is God in all of it? On a global level, you want to know where God is in the Haiti earthquake. On a very personal level, you want to know where God is in your cancer, or your father's stroke, or your baby's birth defect. Or maybe you're going through a painful divorce, or you are at the end of your financial rope. Where is God when it hurts? Does God even care?

Yes, God cares, and he demonstrated just how much he cares when he sent Jesus to enter our world in the form of a human. Here is the text of a hymn sung by the early church that tells why Jesus came:

Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross (Phil. 2:6-8).

When we ask, Where is God when we suffer? we need only look to Christ, who suffered for us so that ultimately, in the life that follows this temporal existence, we won't have to suffer. Meanwhile, we live imperfectly in an imperfect and sometimes cruel world. And when we suffer, we can take comfort in knowing that we are "partners with Christ" in his suffering (1 Peter 4:13).

--Bruce & Stan

God With Us

Christianity 101 — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 16:20:42 -0800

"Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means 'God is with us')."

One of the most important--if not the most important--question anyone can ask is this: "How does God relate to the world?" If you were to ask that question yo a random group of people, say at a mall or a public gathering of some kind, you would get all kinds of answers.

Some would say that God created the world, then withdrew--and isn't all that interested in what's going on. Others would say that God may have been powerful enough to make everything, but he certainly isn't strong enough to stop all the suffering and evil in the world. Still others would say that the question is irrelevant, because there's really no God anyway, although it's okay to believe in some sort of "cosmic power" if it helps you sleep at night.

If by chance there were someone in the crowd who really understood what the Bible says about God, and if this person were confident enough to give an answer that isn't all that popular these days, here's what you would hear: Jesus Christ.

Jesus is both the Christian answer and also the Christmas answer to the question, "How does God relate to the world?", because Jesus is God in human form. He is "the visible image of the invisible God" (Colossians 1:15). The theological term for the process of God taking on human form is incarnation, which comes from a Latin word meaning "taking" or "being flesh." In the Bible the concept of the incarnation is best expressed in John 1:14: "So the Word became human and made his home among us."

This verse, where Jesus is referred to as the living Word of God, also conveys the idea that God became a human so he could come to earth and live among us. That's the essence of the name give to Jesus by the prophet Isaiah: Immanuel, which means "God with us." What powerful words! John MacArthur has said, "If we condense all the truths of Christmas into only three words, these would be the words."

Imagine the Creator of the universe taking on human form--the form of a baby--so that he could be with us? It's not that we're all that great to be around. We make mistakes and say the wrong things. Some of us say nasty things about God, while others prefer to think he doesn't exist. As humans, we can be an unsavory bunch, yet the all-powerful, all-knowing, completely holy and faithful Creator willingly came in the form of a frail baby to hang out with us--literally to "pitch his tent" among us--so he could show us a better way to live.

Because of Jesus, we know that God is with us. We also know that God loves us and that God is for us. Even more, because Jesus is God, we have someone who can save us--because he lived a perfect life and became the perfect sacrifice for our sins.

Because Jesus is human, he can identify with our weaknesses. We don't have to worry that God is detached from our world, not caring about us. He knows what we are going through, and he is able to help us in our distress.

Excerpt from God Is in the Small Stuff at Christmas by Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz

Made for another world

Christianity 101 — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:49:05 -0800

If you believe in an immortal and immaterial being beyond our ability to measure, it's not such a stretch to believe there is such a thing as immortaity. To put it another way, if you have good reasons to believe that an immortal God exists, then you also have good reasons to believe that immortality exists.

The arguments from God's existence (which we considered in our last column) are great if you already believe in God. But what if you don't buy into Christian theism? Or what if you just have doubts about an eternal life with God in heaven beyond this mortal life? Is there any empirical evidence for such a belief?

In their book, Beyond Death, J.P. Moreland and Gary Habermas consider several pieces of evidence, moving from experiential to philosophical to empirical evidence. In the category of experiential evidence for immortality, Moreland and Habermas cite documented cases of near death experiences (NDEs), such as the vivid description offered by Don Piper in his book, 90 Minutes in Heaven. Honestly, we're not big fans of this category of evidence because it's based on the experience of the person having the NDE.

Unlike the experiential evidence, the philosophical evidence offered by Moreland and Habermas is very compelling. It's called the argument from desire, and one of its greatest advocates is C.S. Lewis. According to Lewis, every person desires heaven, although that desire can be hidden.

If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. if none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing. If that is so, I must take care, on the one hand, never to despise, or be unthankful for, these earthly blessings, and on the other, never to mistake them for the something else of which they are only a copy, or echo, or mirage. I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main objective of life to press on to that other country and to help others do the same.

Moreland and Habermas add, "Sometimes we desire lesser, finite goods (such as beauty), but these are symbols of and pointers to the transtemporal, transfinite good that is our real destiny. The desire for heaven is a desire that no natural happiness will satisfy."

So far we've presented evidence for a life beyond this life based on God's existence, personal experience, and human longing. All of that together makes a pretty good case for immortality, but what if we had empirical evidence as well? Moreland and Habermas pose the question like this:

What if we had evidence based on historical and scientific research that verified what philosophy showed was rational? What if we could find events that have occurred in our world that show that life beyond the grave is true? In fact, what if we could find at least one person who survived death and returned to tell us and show us what immortality is really like?

Next time we will consider these questions and propose an answer (although we're pretty sure you've already figured that out).

Evidence for Immortality?

Christianity 101 — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:17:57 -0800

Immortality is in the news this week with the release of Dinesh D'Souza's newest book, Life After Death: The Evidence. Everyone from Rick Warren to Dallas Willard is endorsing the book, which attempts to build a case on empirical grounds for life after death. Even the atheist Christopher Hitchens, who has debated D'Souza, calls him a "formidable opponent."

D'Souza directs his arguments to the skeptic, who generally has trouble believing that God exists. Discounting the existence of God pretty much gets you off the hook in terms of immortality, because if God doesn't exist, then there's no such things as life after death.

But if immortality doesn't exist, then why do we think about it so much? Why do even the most skeptical people like to think there's a heaven, especially when someone they love bites the dust? Christians have a fairly straightforward explanation for this preoccupation, and it's found in the book of Ecclesiastes: "I have seen the burden God has laid on men," the writer of Ecclesiastes observes. "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men" (Eccl. 3:10-11).

If the Bible is to be believed, what this simply means is that people think about eternity and immortality because God, their creator, put the thought in their hearts. Fair enough. But does this constitute evidence, or is there something else we can go on to prove something that is immaterial and beyond our ability to measure?

There are at least three more components to an argument for immortality, assuming we can start with the premise that God exists. If you're a skeptic reading this, you may as well go directly to D'Souza's book. Or check back in a week or so when we will present some evidence for immortality that stands apart from evidence for God. For now, let's take a look at three pieces of evidence for immortality that assume the existence of a supernatural, immortal God. After all, if you already have good reason to believe than an immortal God exists, then you also have good reason to believe that immortality exists. In fact, immortality for created beings is what you would expect from an immortal Creator.

In their book, Beyond Death, J.P. Moreland and Gary Habermas list several arguments based on God's existence that help make the case for immortality. We're going to look at three of them.

The first argument is based on divine imprint. The Bible tells us that God created humans in his image. Obviously, this doesn't mean we look like God (which would be impossible since God is spirit), but we do share some of his qualities. One of these qualities has to do with God's dwelling place. "Heaven is a suitable place for a being like God," write Moreland and Habermas. "Perhaps we are like God in this respect. We were meant to live a type of life suited for a heavenly mode of existence."

The second argument is based on divine justice. Whether they always act on it or not, all humans have a sense of justice. We want justice to be done when someone has wronged someone else (especially when that someone else is us). Yet on this earth, we see a great deal of injustice and inequality. Justice isn't always done. If God is completely and infinitely just, he must deal with injustice. We know he isn't dealing with all injustice in this mortal life, so we can reasonably believe he will take care of injustice in the life to come.

The third argument for immortality is based on divine revelation. This argument simply says that if God exists, and the Bible is his trustworthy message to humanity, and if the Bible contains God's revelation that all people will live forever, then we can take God at his word. Immortality and the afterlife exist.

Next time we will consider some evidence for immortality apart from the worldview that says God exists.

Something's Missing

Christianity 101 — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:45:46 -0700

One the saddest verses in the Bible concerns the strongest man in the Bible: "But he didn't realize the Lord had left him" (Judges 16:20). In our pursuit of the abundant/full/enjoyable/overflowing life Jesus promises us (John 10:10), we often run full speed along the wrong path, choosing to rely on our own strength and abiltities--like Samson did--rather than the Lord's.

You'll remember that when Samson was captured by the Philistines, he was tied up, his eyes were gouged out, and he was put to work grinding grain. In other words, he lost his power, he lost his vision, and life for him was a grind. Samson's condition describes how many of us feel as rely on our own power rather than the Lord's. We stumble around, searching for the abundant life that seems to elude us. We have no spiritual power, we have no spiritual vision, and our life is a grind.

The bottom line is that something's missing, and it's no small thing. The "something" is the Holy Spirit, promised by Jesus as the guarantee that he will give us the abundant life he promised (Ephesians 1:14). A passionate Christian life will seem like a myth if we depend on our own strength. By contrast, allowing the Holy Spirit to flourish in our lives will bring us vision, power, and purpose.

It's not that we've been totally ignorant of the Holy Spirit. We know that the Holy Spirit indwells all believers who put their trust in Jesus. And we know that in principle the Holy Spirit stays with us for good (Ephesians 1:13-14). But we have gradually become indifferent to his power in our lives and instead have chosen to gut through the Christian faith experience on our own. We've been depriving ourselves of the essence of what the Holy Spirit offers: divine strength and guidance.

The Holy Spiri may not "leave" us in the sense that we "lose" our salvation (although some may argue differently), but on a practical level, the effect is the same. When we live the Christian life in our own strength, it's as if the Lord has left us.

We aren't lacking information about the Holy spirit; we are simply living without his input. We are searching for spiritual meaning and purpose on our own, ignoring all the while that God is waiting patiently for us to rely on his Holy Spirit to guide us in the search and bring us into the passionate faith we so desperately desire.

The Promise and the Paradox

Christianity 101 — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:19:37 -0700

Many Christians see nothing wrong with being the captain of their own ship, charting a course in search of meaning and purpose. Whether it takes 40 days or 40 years, we know for certain that a life of substance exists because Jesus himself promised it to us:

"Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved.They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life" (John 10:9-10, NLT).

For purposes of clarification, a "rich and satisfying life" does not imply riches (despite how proponents of the prosperity gospel might interpret this verse). Christ did not come to earth to make us financially wealthy (sorry, Joel Osteen). Neither did he come to make sure we were comfortable and safe. Just ask any of the first-century Christians. Oh, wait--you can't ask them because they're dead, having been tortured to death because of their allegiance to Christ. They took that whole "take up your cross and follow me" directive seriously.

Christ's promise of a rich and satisfying life must be understood in its complete spiritual context. Regardless of our circumstances--good or bad--Jesus promised us a life that is (depending on your Bible translation) "abundant," "full," "enjoyable and overflowing," and "more and better than we ever dreamed of."

If we really believe what Jesus said, our life in Christ can be filled with meaning and purpose and passion, regardless of how difficult the circumstance around us. And we don't have to wait until the kingdom comes in all its fullness. We can have that kind of life right here, right now. No wonder those first-century Christians were willing to die for this kind of life. A life that's missing such meaning and purpose hardly seems worth living for. On the other hand, a life full of the kind of meaning and purpose Jesus offers us is worth dying for.

This brings us to the paradox of the Christian life. Christ promised us a life of passion and completeness, but many of us don't seem to have found it even though we're searching diligently for it. This can't be Christ's fault. He isn't a cruel prankster who would hide from us what he wants us to have. Certainly he's not reneging on his promise. So, in good faith, relying on his promise, we continue to search for a life of purpose and passion. And until we find it, the kind of Christianity we practice doesn't work all that well. it's a struggle. It's boring. It's unsatisfying.

If you're stuck with an unsatisfying life in Christ, you have several choices. You can quit, throw in the towel, give up, abandon your faith because it's not worth very much. You can fake it, telling everyone you're doing great, never letting on that inside you are miserable. Or you can continue to live in spiritual mediocrity, believing that an unsatisfying Christian life is better than a life outside the Christian community.

If those were the only choices available to us, it would be pretty grim. Fortunately, there is at least one other option for living a satisfying and abundant life in Christ, and it's one that Jesus himself gave us. Next time we'll look at that option. Meanwhile, we'd love to hear your thoughts.

Is There Such a Thing as Immortality?

Christianity 101 — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:26:36 -0700

It seems like a lot of people are dying these days. In fact, the death rate is pretty constant, about 150,000 people per day worldwide. But it does seem like an unusual number of famous people are dying, including one whose televised memorial service attracted an audience of around a billion people.

What do you think about when you think about the death of someone you know, whether a personal acquaintance or a public person? Probably a variety of things. You think about death itself, which usually brings out sorrow because the person you know or admire is no longer here. But you also think about life and all of the good things the person did. This is where sorrow gives way to joy.

If you're like most people, you also think about life after death, also known as immortality. Even people with no formalized belief system have this nagging suspicion that there's something beyond this life. Others are confident that immortality is a given. But does anyone really know? How can you possibly prove something that is immaterial and beyond our ability to measure? To put it another way, is it possible to find evidence for immortality? Actually, it is. Maybe not hard evidence, but evidence nonetheless.

The first piece of evidence for immortality is based on the existence of God. Simply put, if God exists, then immortality exists. Just like miracles are what you would expect from a supernatural God, immortality is what you would expect from an eternal God. If you have good reason to believe that a supernatural, eternal God exists, then it’s reasonable to believe that immortality exists.

In their book, Beyond Death, J.P. Moreland and Gary Habermas list four arguments based on God’s existence that help make the case for immortality.

Divine imprint. The Bible tells us that God created humans in His image (imago dei). Obviously, this doesn’t mean we look like God (impossible since God is spirit), but we do share some of His qualities. One of these qualities has to do with God’s dwelling place. “Heaven is a suitable place for a being like God,” write Moreland and Habermas. “Perhaps we are like God in this respect. We were meant to live a type of life suited for a heavenly mode of existence.” Maybe this is what the apostle Paul had in mind:

But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives (Philippians 3:20).

Divine justice. Another quality we share with God is justice. All humans have a sense of justice. We want justice to be done when someone has wronged someone else (especially what that someone else is us). Yet on this earth, we see a great deal of injustice and inequity. Justice isn’t always done. If God is completely and infinitely just, He must deal with injustice. We know He isn’t dealing with all injustice in this mortal life, so we can reasonably believe He will take care of injustice in the life to come.

Divine love. As beings created in God’s image, we know what it’s like to love and be loved. This argument says that an infinitely loving God wants the best for His created beings. For humans, the best is a relationship with their Creator that goes on forever. Besides, God has placed in each person a desire for eternity and immortality:

God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

Divine revelation. This argument simply says that if God exists, and the Bible is His trustworthy message to humanity, and if the Bible contains God’s revelation that all people will live forever, then we can take God at His word.

The arguments from God’s existence are great if you already believe in God. But what if you don’t buy into Christian theism? Is there any evidence for immortality apart from that worldview? Moreland and Habermas talk about several, including documented cases of Near Death Experiences (or NDEs), such as the vivid description offered by Don Piper in his book, 90 Minutes in Heaven.

In our view, one piece of evidence stands out above the others. It’s called the argument from desire, and one of its greatest advocates is C.S. Lewis. According to Lewis, every person desires heaven, although that desire can be hidden. He writes: “Sometimes we desire lesser, finite goods (such as beauty), but these are symbols of and pointers to the transtemporal, transfinite good that is our real destiny. The desire for heaven is a desire that no natural happiness will satisfy."

What about you? Do you believe in immortality? Why or why not? What thoughts do you have when you hear about the death of someone you know? Do you ever think about your own death? On a scale of one to ten, how strong is your desire for heaven?

Advice for Atheists Who Want to Engage Theists

Christianity 101 — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:20:12 -0700

Atheists recognize that taking a strong position--absolutely, positively, there is no god--comes across as dogmatic and intolerant. Although many atheists espouse the strong position, the leaders of the atheism movement prefer the weak definition--there is no credible evidence showing that God exists--not only because the strong position appears intolerant, but also because "it does sound rather untenable." They acknowledge that the most persistent objection to the strong position of atheism is that it sounds dogmatic and unscientific. Advancing the strong position in public debate forces all atheists (both strong-position and weak-position) to prove the nonexistence of God, invoking the burden of proof.

Atheists are quick to acknowledge that the strong position has disadvantages in public discussions at the popular level because it is easy to portray as dogmatic, unreasonable, and thus unscientific. To avoid public relations and marketing embarrassments, the atheism movement tries to show that the strong position of atheism, far from being the only form of atheism, is the rarest among atheistic positions. Instead, they advance the weak position of atheism. From this perspective, they shift the burden of proof to the theists. Here is how Positive Atheism magazine describes the ideal sequence when an atheist talks to a theist about the existence of God.

It must be realized that we are dealing entirely with claims -- claims that various deities exist.
In discussing such claims, it is always the person making the claim [the theist] who is responsible for providing evidence and strong argument.
The person listening to the claim [the atheist] need not make any argument at all.
The listener [the atheist] does not need to disprove a claim in order to reject it.
If the person making the claim [the theist] fails to make a convincing case, the listener rightly rejects the claim as falsehood (or suspends judgment, based upon the strength of the claim). In either event, the listener ends up lacking a belief in the object of the claim.
It is never the negative [weak-position] atheist's responsibility to prove or disprove anything. That job belongs to the person making the claim, which is the theist.

Don't get the wrong impression. Atheists believe that the strong position is defensible; they just prefer to shift the burden of proof on the theists. Atheists can articulate the nature and range of their non-belief, and they can discuss their reasons for rejecting theism. They do so primarily be dismissing the religions of theists as being beliefs that consist entirely of controversial and untestable claims.