Read
“But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
John 4:23-24
Reflect
Sebastian is an avowed atheist. If you even bring up the subject of God with him, he will tell you he thinks belief in God is a joke and that only weak people need to believe in a higher power. Yet Sebastian does believe in helping his fellow man, and he volunteers twice a month at a local homeless shelter run by the city.
Sebastian’s roommate is Josh, who does consider himself to be a Christian. Josh goes to a local church most Sundays, and he will readily tell you that he believes in God and Jesus if you ask him. He doesn’t really read the Bible, and he’s not much for prayer unless there’s a big need. Josh also volunteers at the homeless shelter, and he’s involved in some of the outreaches of his church. On the weekends when he’s not volunteering, he and Sebastian usually spend a lot of time together, including frequenting the same bars and parties.
Tangibly, what’s the difference between these two guys? Honestly, not much. In fact, Sebastian may be more consistent because he’s openly honest about the depth of his faith. His service may be sincere and helpful, but he does not claim that it flows from worship or obedience to God.
Josh, on the other hand, has the window-dressing of church, but he doesn’t really allow his Christianity to penetrate his life. He believes in God with his words, but much of his life seems to be arranged as though God is not central. That is what we mean by “practical atheism” — not honest unbelief, but professed belief that makes little practical difference.
And Josh is a symbol of the larger Church. The Church used to be society’s best help-mate, not merely by meeting visible needs, but by pointing people toward the deeper spiritual need only Christ can meet. As the Church has become more comfortable letting other institutions carry much of that burden, it can settle into the role of interested onlooker. The Church may still dabble in the community and help with some visible needs, and those needs do matter. But the bigger spiritual needs of society often go largely unaddressed as the Church seeks to be modern and socially relevant. In effect, the Church — and many Christians — can drift into practicing “practical atheism.”
Too many people invest themselves in the activities of the Body of Christ and seek the benefits of the Church, yet never really commit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Christians need to worship Him every day, as well as be a part of weekly corporate worship and be involved in the ministries of the Church that reflect the Lord’s will and purpose. This is our ultimate mission, and to forsake it for mere activity and social awareness is to venture into practical atheism.
Today, pray that the Lord will keep you focused on His will, mission and purpose, and that you will clearly allow His light to shine to those you encounter. Pray also that your ministry in His name will not simply be activity, but will be part of His larger plan to reach out to those who desperately need to know Him.
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Reflection copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt and Charles Fulton
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
It’s always curious how christians constantly attack each other. Each is ever so sure that only they are the TrueChristians, and the only ones doing it “right”.
that the church can’t agree on what this god wants shows that they are all making it up and the atheists have it right.
I don’t think the post was arguing that I alone have Christianity figured out or that everyone else is doing it wrong. The point was much narrower: Christians can be busy with religious activity and still fail to let faith shape their worship, priorities and obedience.
That kind of self-criticism isn’t proof that Christianity is made up. It’s actually built into Christianity. Scripture repeatedly calls believers and religious leaders to examine themselves, repent and return to God.
Disagreement within a group doesn’t prove the core claim is false. Atheists disagree with each other on morality, politics, meaning, human nature and plenty of other things, but I wouldn’t say that proves atheism is made up. It proves people are complicated and often inconsistent.
Likewise, disagreement among Christians may prove that Christians are flawed, proud, inconsistent and sometimes wrong. I won’t argue with that. But it doesn’t prove there is no God any more than disagreement among scientists proves there is no truth. It proves people are people.
And it is you who determines if their faith fails? That’s is my point.
Disagreement about who has the truth does show the core claim is false since there is no core claim. Christians can’t agree on which version of their god is the right one since you each are sure that you and you alone know what morals it wants, what it considers to be a sin, how someone is saved and who is saved.
Atheists don’t disagree on what make them atheists. Christians do disagree on what makes them Christian. And scientists have the scientific method to determine who has the right answer. Christians have nothing but their own opinions.
I also don’t agree that disagreement proves there is no core Christian claim. Historic Christianity has always had central claims: God exists, Christ is Lord, Christ died and rose again, sin is real, grace is necessary, and faith must become more than words.
Christians disagree, and sometimes badly. But disagreement about truth is not the same thing as the absence of truth.
This post was not about deciding who is saved. It was about whether those who claim to follow Christ allow that claim to shape their lives.
Christians don’t all agree that jesus is god. They can’t agree on what sin is, or that grace is how one is saved. You seem to be ignorant of the different forms of christianity.
You assume that there is some truth in christianity, and yet nothing requires that at all.
And since christians do not agree on what their jesus wants, they cannot agree on what it means to “follow” this jesus to shape their lives. each makes up what they want.
I’m not ignorant of the existence of different groups that use the name Christian. I’m also not obligated to pretend every group that uses the word has an equal claim to historic Christianity.
When I refer to Christianity, I’m referring to the historic, orthodox faith confessed by the Church for centuries: that God exists, that Jesus Christ is Lord, that He died and rose again, that sin is real, that grace is necessary, and that faith is meant to shape the life of the believer.
Yes, Christians disagree on many things. Some of those disagreements are serious. But disagreement around the edges does not mean there is no center. It means people argue, misunderstand, divide and sometimes distort what they claim to believe.
You are free to reject Christianity. I understand that you do. But this post was not an attempt to catalogue every group that has ever claimed the Christian label. It was written to Christians within historic Christianity about the danger of professing faith while living as though God makes no practical difference.
I think we’ve probably reached the point where we are no longer discussing the post itself, so I’ll leave it there.
Yep, there it is. The christian ever so sure that he is the only TrueChristian(tm) and no one else is. He claims they are only “using” the name.
Every christian makes the same claim you do, doug, that they and only they have the one true historic, biblical, approved by jesus faith. And not one of you can support that claim. You don’t have to pretend that every version of christianity has the equal claim to the title since that’s what reality shows.
Your bible says that true christians will be able to get any prayer answered, and be able to do miracles like jesus. You *all* fail miserably at that, per your own bible. So do explain why I should think any of you frauds should be called Christians?
and hmm, curious how you are backtracking on your claims that there are disagreements other than minor ones. It’s hard to lie to someone who knows about Christianity, isn’t it? There is no disagreement “around the edge”, but right in the center of the religion. Again, you claim everyone but you “misunderstands”, “distorts”, “argues”, “divides” and yet you can’t show your version any better than those you attack.
Again, there is not one “Christianity”. I reject all of them and you reject all but one. You again try to claim that only you are right, and until I see those prayers being answered, and miracles being done, you are just as much of a fraud as the rest.
BTW, here’s where your bible makes all of those promises Christians fail.
“22 Jesus answered them, ‘Have[b] faith in God. 23 Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, “Be taken up and thrown into the sea”, and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you. 24 So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received[c] it, and it will be yours.” – Mark 11
“Go into all the world and proclaim the good news[d] to the whole creation. 16 The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes in their hands,[e] and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.’” Mark 16
“7 ‘Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone? 10 Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” Matthew 7
“1 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. 12 Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If in my name you ask me[e] for anything, I will do it.” John 14
“ 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. “ John 15
“13 Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. 14 Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. 17 Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest.” James 5