The Everyday Club

12/17/09 Tony, about 30
Tony came to my house to purchase an item I had advertised on Craig's List. We chatted for a while and as he got ready to leave I found it so easy to say "Hey Tony, it would be wrong of me to let you leave without asking you this question." "Sure, what is it?" I asked about his spiritual beliefs and he set everything down and thought for a moment with a smile on his face. I would never have guessed from our prior small talk that he would enjoy talking about God's existence (he prefers the certainty of science but admits it is limited: something or Someone outside of our understanding must have created matter and energy); eternal life (he thinks it arrogant to assume we are anything more than mortal beings); morality (he can't understand a God who would have such high standards that we are set up for failure); redemption (he rejects the idea of being "beholden" to God for sacrificing His Son for our sins); and free will (he thinks the goal of free will should be freedom from dependence on God). It seems that many people I talk to are unbelievers due to ignorance of these issues, but Tony clearly has thought them through and remains an unbeliever due to pride. He can't bring himself to be humble before a sovereign and holy God - and I agree, for on our own none of us can.