I recently came across an article titled “Bible Verses that Atheists Love.” I cringed a little bit, because I’ve seen these sort of lists before, full of verses that condone harsh treatment of slaves (Exodus 21:20-21), or that promote inequality (Deuteronomy 22:20-21), or show an unreasonable side of God (Deuteronomy 25:11-12), so I figured this would be much of the same. Not one to shy away from an honest critique, I usually read them and think about the challenges they pose. But I could tell by the subtitle that this article was different. “Bible Verses that Atheists Love: We asked prominent atheists what parts of the Bible they find inspiring and beautiful.”
Instead of a list of that instantly makes Christians rationalize (with varying degrees of success) or run and hide, this list is really quite intriguing. Here are a few examples:
Jeremiah 22:3 - This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place.
Proverbs 29:7 - The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.
1 Corinthians 13:11 - When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.
Exodus 23:10-11 - For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops, but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what is left. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.
Proverbs 10:14 - The wise store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.
Philippians 4:8 - Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
As you can see, there are clear themes that run through many of the passages chosen. The themes of justice, caring for the poor, as well as knowledge and wisdom. I’ve seen lists of favorite Bible verses of believers, and I don’t remember such themes. Generally, when we think of our favorite verses, we tend toward promises of God, or other spiritual truths or comforts, which are all great, if not somewhat inward facing. Is it possible that, when we think of the core of our faith, we focus so heavily on the inward, personal relationship aspects, that we overlook the outward expression of our faith - things like seeking justice for the poor, or standing up for the foreigner or the outcast?
We are at a time in history where people, particularly young people, are walking away form the Church in record numbers. At the same time, young people, along with the atheists that this article spoke to, are more and more concerned with social issues. Dozens of articles have been written about why young people are leaving, but it usually boils down to the idea that the Church has become irrelevant.
Justice and truth have been a huge part of my faith for a long time now. I’ve argued with other Christians when I can clearly see that they are forgetting that justice in society is a key component of the message of Jesus. It’s not just me and God in this thing together, it’s me and God and everyone around me that I have the power to affect. And this movement is growing within the body of Christ. As Christian young people grow up in a society that values justice, they will become leaders that value justice. They will be able to show the love of Jesus to a society that is, judging by the verses chosen above, looking for Christians to put into practice what our Bible says we believe.
Perhaps atheists are a strange place for us to find inspiration, but if they can find it in a God-inspired book, we might want to take note and get inspired right along with them.
--Jeff Hyson
