Two quotes that hit home. The first from Harvey Kwiyani.

Yet, such is the God that many other Christians worship, especially in the post-Enlightenment West. Many people profess to follow Christ, yet, they live as if they are atheists. They are functional atheists. When they pray, they do not expect (or need) God to answer. Usually, they do not have needs to pray for. They are Christians, yet they are so self-sufficient that they do not need help from God.

They live out their faith as if everything depends on them; their intelligence, credit cards, work ethic, technology, etc. Many do not have space to receive from God, even if God forces a gift on them. Needless to say, mission, when carried out by functional atheists, depends, to a great extent, on their abilities. There is little space for God to help. They cannot see their own spiritual needs and cannot respond to those of the people they are trying to reach. This is why we need to remythologise our missiology.

Mission is, above all, a spiritual endeavour. Our missiology must have an active God.

Functional Atheism and Mission

According to Jon Tyson, “Godlessness in the modern age is not characterized by a particular sin; godliness is characterized by building an identity and reality without reference to God. It’s viewing the self as sovereign and life as a blank canvas for authentic expression.” That being said there are a lot of secular Christians around. We have blended in. Reflecting the spirit of the age as much as the Spirit of God.

So what to do?

Here’s the second quote from Jon Tyson¹

When a godless generation builds reality without the presence of God, it’s the next generation’s responsibility to restore it.

The most important thing a man can do in a secular culture is not get caught up in culture wars or heated arguments. The most important thing he can do is build his life around the presence of God. It’s learning to disciple your attention to acknowledge the reality of God in all of life. To build rhythms of remembrance about who God is and what he has done. It’s to make your faith public and visible, not just private and devotional.

It’s important that you prioritize your personal time with God and walk daily in his presence.
It’s important to build a family altar where God is reverenced and loved.
It’s important to keep margin in your schedule so life is built around God and he is not shoved in as an afterthought or obligation.
It’s important to remember and celebrate what he has done on your behalf.

This past year, I have taught at our church on the extended theme of “God Comes Where He’s Wanted.” One of the most important prayers you can pray in a secular age is a prayer welcoming the presence of God. When a man cries to God and tells him, “I want you here,” a spiritual reality appears in the midst of a secular one. So why not channel your energy and attention into that? Why not pray:

“I want you in my heart.”
“I want you in my dating life.”
“I want you in my marriage.”
“I want you in my family.”
“I want you in my workplace”
“I want you in my neighborhood.”
“I want you in my world.”

1. from an email so I can’t link to it [↩]