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Answer
As Christians, the two things we can do to stand up for Christ are to live according to His Word and increase our own knowledge of Him. Christ said, “Let your light shine before men…” «Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. », (Matthew 5:16). This means that we should live and act in a way that supports the gospel. We should also equip ourselves with knowledge, both of the gospel (Ephesians 6:10-17) and of the world around us. First Peter 3:15 says, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” All we can do is live and teach as Christ would and let Him take care of the rest.
Critics of Christianity have become more vocal recently. This is partly because there are many people who do not believe in God or understand the truth about Him at all. Yet the apparent increase of anti-Christians is also due to perception. As with many topics, those who truly despise Christianity are the loudest and most vocal of the non-believers. The vast majority of those who do not believe don’t care enough to bother believers. The few angry, vocal, bitter unbelievers make enough noise to seem more numerous than they are.
The typical insult from the non-religious crowd is to refer to believers as “ignorant,” “stupid,” “brainwashed,” or to otherwise suggest that those who have faith are less intelligent than those who do not. When a Christian stands up intelligently for his faith, the terms change to “bigot,” “extremist,” or “zealot.” When people who know that the believer is kind and loving hear this, the atheist starts to look likeThe fool that he or she is «The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: There is none that doeth good. », (Psalm 53:1). Most non-believers have no personal reason to view Christians negatively, but they sometimes hear so much from the loud anti-Christians that they just assume it is so. They need examples of Christ-like living to see the truth.
Of course, when someone claiming to be a Christian says or does something that is not Christ-like, the angry, loud crowd is there to identify him as a typical religious hypocrite. This is something we have been warned to expect (Romans 1:28-30;Matthew 5:11). The best thing to do is to cite a passage of the Bible that speaks against what the person did, and remind the atheists that just because a person says he is a Christian, and even if he thinks he is a Christian, that does not mean that he is. Matthew 7:16,20 tell us that true Christians will be known by their actions, not merely by their profession. And remind critics that absolutely no one lives without sinning at all «for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; », (Romans 3:23).
An important thing to remember is that no one, no matter how persuasive, can force anyone to believe anything he doesn’t want to believe. No matter what the evidence, no matter what the argument, people will believe what they want to believe (Luke 12:54-56). Conviction is not a Christian’s job. The Holy Spirit convicts people (John 14:16-17), and they choose whether or not to believe. What we can do is present ourselves in a way that is as
Being as Christ-like as possible is essential. It is unfortunate that many atheists have thoroughly read the entire Bible seeking ammunition against Christians, while many Christians have barely read the Bible at all.
For the angry crowd, it is challenging to accuse a Christian of being a hateful, cruel bigot when that individual exemplifies a life of kindness, humility, and compassion. When a Christian can engage in discussions, debates, or refute secular arguments accurately, the label of “ignorant” no longer applies. A Christian who has familiarized themselves with secular arguments and can respectfully point out their flaws helps to dismantle the stereotypes promoted by atheists. Knowledge is the weapon, and it becomes invincible when we allow Christ to guide us in its use.
