As believers, we often encounter people who claim that God and the Bible are nothing more than manmade inventions or lies. These statements can challenge our faith and push us to think deeply about how we respond with grace and truth.
How do you handle these kinds of accusations? Do you engage in a debate, share personal testimonies, or turn to Scripture to respond? Here are a few verses that might guide our responses:
2 Timothy 3:16 - “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”
1 Peter 3:15 - “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.”
Romans 1:20 - “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”
How do you approach these conversations, and what do you think is the best way to respond in a way that reflects Christ’s love and truth?
I have had many deep, meaningful conversations with friends who are Athiests or agnostics. I urge them to think about these points:
Science states that it can neither prove nor disprove the existence of God (typically found in the intro to college level biology books)
Inconsistencies and translational errors do exist in the Bible, as do errors from a lack of information in ancient times, (astronomy for example) but that does not dismiss the overall theme of scripture: God exists and cares for his creation that we are a part of.
There is as much evidence that Jesus existed as there is that Julius Caesar existed.
Disharmony in Christianity is no different than dishonesty at an academic conference: people are looking for truth, and iron sharpens iron
All religions experience differences of opinion and theological debates, but so does every important system. Christianity in particular and religion as a whole are no different than science in this regard.
Analogy in scripture is taking literally by some Christians but not all.
You don’t have to choose between religion and science.
Christianity has existed for over 2000 years, Hinduism for 4,000 years, and Judaism is in between those two. The human need to experience God would have genetically disappeared by now if it were not real.
Your personal negative experience with a church is an experience with humans- just like your negative experience with work. It is people, not God or your profession that is at fault. And humans, including Christians are far from perfect- but most try to become better- unlike your mean boss at work.
I would ask for a specific example. Then you would have a concrete starting point to begin exploring their concerns. Often, their opinions are based on common misunderstanding, or narrow interpretations—
For example-
“God is nothing but a man-made myth, invented to explain away things that are otherwise unexplainable. The Bible is nothing but a bunch lies about a God that doesn’t even exist.”
I would respond with-- ‘Can you give me an example of a lie from the Bible?’
‘I know that God is real, based on my personal experience with Him. I’ve found the Bible to be an amazing collection of stories from antiquity that relate the personal experiences others have had with respect to God. A rich history recollected and preserved— and a best seller for centuries.’
Another point is the background of the athiest. I worked in academia and most colleagues who were Athiests were also highly educated and very knowledgeable about scripture and theology. The approach would be different if the person was not at that intellectual and educational level.
Remember, the goal is not to win a debate but to be honest that their concerns are many times legitimate, and we are giving them an alternate view to consider.
Also, their experience with believers and preaching may have been relegated to a church on the brink of cultic interpretations, or a “believe our way or get out” type of church. Let them know most churches are not of the whackadoodle genre.
I always ask them this question: Who in their right minds would come up with a God like this? I mean, He was born in a manger; an animal’s feeding trough He let His own creation (mankind) nail Him to His own creation (wood) upon His own Creation (the Hill). He’s a God who invites us to have a relationship with Him. He doesn’t tell us to go into the desert and sit silently so that we can hear His whispers in the still breeze. He shows no partiality to anybody. And He chooses to become so vulnerable that we can grieve Him. And that’s not even the tip of a needle on an iceberg! And then I wait for them to respond.
It's easy to talk about our faith with people we know share the same beliefs. However, discussing it with skeptics can feel pretty intimidating. This powerful sermon from Mike Fabarez covers why being bold in your defense of the faith matters!
When I encounter accusations against God and the Bible, I strive to engage with grace and truth by listening first to understand the other person’s perspective and their reasons for doubt. Instead of diving into a debate, I often share my personal testimony about how faith has transformed my life, and provided hope during challenging times.
I highlight the practical wisdom of Scripture, referencing verses like (2 Timothy 3:16), which speaks about the Bible’s divine inspiration, and (Romans 1:20), which speaks to God’s presence in creation. This helps to show that my belief is both intellectual and experiential. I aim to create a respectful dialogue, as encouraged in (1 Peter 3:15), which often disarms hostility and fosters openness to deeper conversations.
I personally try focusing on building relationships and embodying Christ’s love rather than just winning arguments, understanding that even small discussions can plant the seeds of faith in others. Inviting them to explore the truth for themselves. Through patience and genuine connection, I trust that seeds of faith can grow in unexpected ways.
I had a neighbor whom I shared a fence with. Real nice guy. We discovered that we also shared a birthday, same day, though a year apart-- and then we discovered our wives’ birthdays were only one day apart. Well, we became fast friends, and in time I accepted a job offer from a company where he was a VP.
Jim was-- and is, a truly good man. Good friend, good boss, good husband and father. Honest, open, kind… and a complete atheist.
I had many conversations with him about God and he would patiently listen and smile kindly. No follow-up questions from him. So how should one respond? He clearly believes that everything I mention is manufactured nonsense. And as such he has no need of it.
When the company we both worked for collapsed, I dove deep into my faith for comfort and confidence in a future that had become immediately uncertain. Jim did the same without having any “faith” whatsoever. He had optimism, good humor, and old-fashioned resilience to life’s uncertainty. Maybe he is a unique case study-- but through him I gained a new perspective and even a respect for athiests.
My experience with Athiests has been the same. Not the bitter, miserable, hopeless and anti Christian folks I heard preached against. Never have I had my faith attacked by them. That comes from believers.
My Athiests friends know my faith, and occasionally ask me about it. At that point I engage in conversation about faith and my reasons for believing.
Sometimes believers feel they are under attack when they are asked uncomfortable questions about faith and church.
It’s kind of like ex-smokers. They turn into fierce zealots who want to see smoking banned and smokers chastised, shamed and even punished.
The angry atheists are like that-- comprised of disillusioned ex-christians, who are mostly malcontents in various areas of their lives, often folks who have been hurt by the church (people) and take it out on God, by declaring Him non-existent.
