Posted by Jim Henderson on: 02.05.2006 /
Editorial Note: I finally got to “meet” Hemant over the phone last night and it was just what I expected. A thoughtful, humorous and intellingent guy willing to coach us toward kindness. I will use the word “atheist” in some of our communication peices to attract peoples attention but to me Hemant already is more than that- he is a person. an openminded and curious person at that. Attributes I personally wish to emulate and encourage Christians and followers of Jesus in as well.
Our First interview
OTM – Hemant – Hey great to partner up with you on this interesting project you have proposed. What is the most surprising thing you learned as a result of setting up this “Auction for an Atheist”?
Hemant- I was amazed how surprised people were that an Atheist would be open-minded! Every Atheist I’ve ever met has been open-minded. There’s simply nothing they’ve seen that’s changed their mind.
OTM – What was the strangest question you got from people who were trying to “get” where you are coming from?
Hemant - “If you really would like to have someone try and convince you there is a God, why don’t you just read the bible from beginning to end?” That was a good one. Some people acted like I was a Bible-read away from converting. Most Atheists have read the Bible (or large parts of it). For many, it’s the reason they became Atheists. Using the Bible as proof that god exists is not going to win you over with people who don’t acknowledge any “sacredness” to the book.
OTM – What did your atheist friends have to say about your idea?
Hemant - At first, they didn’t know what to expect, but once we started seeing some reactions, they felt it was a good idea It helped generate positive discussion and that’s never bad.
OTM- Do your parents live in Chicago? What did they think? Any siblings? What are their thoughts about this experiment?
Hemant - They do. They would still like to see me find God (though not necessarily the Christian one, since that’s not the religion I was raised with), but they respect my ability to make decisions for myself. My sister was also amused by the auction, but didn’t weigh in one way or the other. The publicity took us all by surprise, though.
OTM – What was your radio interview with Kirk Cameron like? Did they surprise you with any questions you hadn’t anticipated?
Hemant - It was fun. :) I wish I could’ve been slightly stronger in my answers, but that’s a skill that comes with time. I do think they wanted me on simply because I was an Atheist– not because I was an Atheist doing an auction. Their thought processs being: If you’re not the right brand of Christianity, we need to save you. Seeing the videos and podcasts of their show beforehand, I wasn’t surprised by any of their questions, but it was a bit frustrating because they didn’t seem to care what I had to say. They just wanted to “witness” to me without hearing why I believe what I believe. But I was glad they asked to have me on.
OTM- Are you interested more in beliefs or lifestyle?
Hemant- Lifestyle is more important. When you focus simply on beliefs, you start saying “That person’s a Christian, therefore…” or “That person’s an Atheist, so he must act this way.” I think about if the person is a good person and that’s it. I have friends who are Atheists, Christians, Muslims, Jews, Catholics, etc. It’s nice to have religious discussions, but in the end, I love them because they’re kind-hearted people. But I know religious people who have the same variety of friends– but say that certain ones are going to hell for believing in the wrong god. Which is just absurd.
OTM – You’ve read Lee Strobel’s (a fellow Chicagoan) book The Case for Christ- Didn’t that convince you to renounce atheism? He’s one of the smarter preacher guys out there?
Hemant- I’ve read the Case for Faith (not the Case for Christ). He is intelligent, but he’s not a scientist. His arguments would work to a point, but real scientists would be able to answer the questions he seems to base the book on. To keep this short and simple, reading a Richard Dawkins book answers the evolutionary “challenges” that Strobel thinks are proof of god’s existence.
OTM- What do you think we are up to here at Off The Map?
Hemant - You understand that if you want to have people become believers, it’s not going to happen if the people are avoiding the churches or are turned off by what they see. And many Christians unknowingly partake in activities that cause people to not want to join the church. You’re looking for outside observers to comment on what they see and what comments/concerns they have, in an effort to better the churches that are out there. I like the method.
Comment by: Larry
1This is a great idea and I welcome Hemant and his observations. I’m a Canadian pastor who recently resigned from a church in order to start new church associated with our fellowship of Congregational Chistian Churches in Canada.
It’s just my wife and I starting from scratch - no people, nothing. In a “parachute drop” context our “drop zone” finds us living in a new city (Northwest London, Ontario) with no pre-existing circle of contact. We’re taking a relational- based, “friends first” approach in creating a network of relationships. Our sense God has called us more along the lines of serving a community than starting a church. We believe God will cause this new faith community to become established and evolve as our friendships evolve. So I’m really looking forward to learning from Hemant.
I expect we will be challenged and stretched by Hemant’s goal to help us better our churches however, I have a nagging question that remains to be answered. We’ll be presented with principles and practices that will hopefully translate into ways we can connect with people who are missing in their relationship with Jesus. We’ll learn how to become better believers yet what difference will that make? I’ve always tried to hear the hearts of non-churched folks and put into practice the things they suggest would cause them to be interested in connecting with our Christian community and to check out Jesus. I’ve always heard things like if your church did this or offered that then I’d check it out. We’d do the best we could to become better yet they never did come. Therefore, I’m hoping Hemant will help me hear from folks who have actually moved from missing to found in their relationship with Jesus. I hope to learning about the practical things they think helped to move them through that transformation. May I have ears to hear what God will say to me through Hemant.
Comment by: Larry
2Sorry about the typos! My keyboard controller has been acting up lately.
Larry
Comment by: neighbor2neighbor
3Thanks, Larry. I appreciated your comment, but isn’t it enough that we as Christians merely connected with guys like Hemant and got to act like Jesus followers? So much is taken away from the potential relationship the second we approach him–with all his apparently genuine curiosity and interest–and turn him into some conversion project. Why doesn’t merely having some time listening to Hemant and implementing some good old-fashioned virtues–like gentleness, respect, compassion, etc.–count? I guess I put a lot more stock in “how to become better believers”. I’m sure Hemant will be teaching us both a thing or two.
Neighbor2neighbor
Comment by: kagee
4So an atheist isn’t a person? Was that a Freudian slip? You said you haven’t thought much about atheism. Maybe the truth is, you don’t think much of atheists.
Beware, Hemant. Beware.