Are hostile atheists actually helpful to Christianity?

The answer is a fair helping of yes and a fair helping of no.

Before we proceed further it must be said that most atheists are not particularly hostile to Christianity or any other world religion. Most atheists simply do not believe in the claims of religion and go about their lives accordingly. Most are not on a personal campaign to attack, discredit or otherwise give religious people a hard time. Further, there are many atheists whose lives of compassion, service and moral integrity exceed that of many Christians. This should remind us that atheists and Christians (and all people of good will) should partner together for the common good; indeed, for Christians, our faith demands this of us (Matthew 22:35-40).

Let’s start with a fair helping of no.

The attacks on Christianity from hostile atheists like Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, Bill Maher, and others have encouraged an acceptance of a negative view of Christian faith in wider society. Is there plenty of misbehavior among Christians to warrant some criticism; of course! But much of the attacks are directed toward one particular understanding of Christianity and very often a caricature of Christianity and not Christianity at its best or even in its usual expressions. Knocking down straw men is not very difficult and when bringing a critique against a belief system or way of life it’s wise to critique it as its best, not just its worst. 

This applies to Christian disagreement among themselves and with others (atheists included). This encouragement of hostility and misrepresentations of Christianity has discouraged the faith of large numbers of Christians, deterred many truth seekers from seeing Christianity as a worthwhile option to explore, and has, perhaps, contributed to some walking away from faith, which necessarily involves participation in the community of faith. Atheists are free to argue against the faith, just as Christians are free to argue for the faith. Debate and criticism can be intense, but it should be conducted fairly, truthfully, and with the best intentions of good will. 

And now, for a fair helping of yes.

Hostile atheists do an incredible amount of good for Christians and Christianity in general. Some atheists have had terrible and sometimes tragic encounters with Christians in particular (who likely manifested behavior that contradicted Jesus’ teachings) or the Christian Church in general. Christians need to be reminded of the immense weight that our actions carry. We need to apologize for our own sins and failures and those of our sisters and brothers who carry the name Christian. When atheists bring these examples up, it’s an opportunity for us as Christians to own our faith, to grow in our faith, and admit to the wrongs done in Christ’s name.

Not all atheists have had some terrible encounter with a Christian; rather, many atheists object to Christianity on intellectual grounds. This is often true of the hostile atheists who get lots of “screen” time in our society. They object to “blind faith” and to claims that don’t seem to have evidence or logical warrant. These guys do a wonderful service to Christians, because they force us to think more clearly about our faith. Often the beliefs, practices, and conception of god they are attacking are not actually reflective of the mainstream of Christianity. It’s a shame that our fuzzy thinking is not addressed more regularly in the lives of our congregations and families.

God can and does work through whoever God wishes to accomplish the good, the beautiful, and the true; however, beyond the Spirit’s direct intervention, much of the “good” that atheists can do for Christians depends on our response. Sadly, whether talking about religion or politics or anything else, we seem increasingly less able as human beings to disagree agreeably and to maintaining goodwill and even friendship with those whom we passionately disagree. If we are open, the hostility of a small number of atheists can force us to be more humble, to live lives that reflect our stated beliefs, and be clearer about what those beliefs actually are.