Conversion requires Vigilance.

"Be of sober spirit, be on the alert your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." -1 Peter 5:8


When I was about 10 years old, my grandfather passed away. I never knew the exact turn of events, but that revealed a long simmering issue among family members of mine, and resulted in my exit from the church, at the behest of my Dad. I believe he was an atheist at the time, and had only allowed me to go to church with family members. When things got a bit crazy, it was no moral quandary to exclude me from attendance, as he did not attend either.

Because of this, I was left to form my own religious morals and beliefs, or lack thereof. I don't really remember having any atheistic thoughts, or any thoughts about religion period for a couple years. A friend of the family, who was about my age, exposed me a little bit to some witchcraft ritual, but it was nothing serious. It didn't cross my mind again until I was 18 or so. At that point, I was more of an anti-Christian, than I was an atheist.

When I say that, I don't mean I was a satan worshipper or anything nearly so dramatic. See, there are two kinds of atheists, the illogical atheist and the angry atheist. The illogical atheist is a non-believer who chooses not to believe because, in his mind, Christianity does not make sense. This kind of atheist typically champions science and reason and claims the narrative we espouse is illogical. Many times this type of atheist is condescending, and views religious minded folks as intellectually inferior, rubes, or some other form of simpleton.

The angry atheist is a non-believer who refuses to believe because he is mad at God. He or she is unhappy with some turn of events in their life, maybe the death of a loved one, maybe their job, their finances or they may be just unhappy at their life in general. because of this, they blame God. He is their villain. As Christians we constantly remind them that God loves them and only wants the best for them. If they are unhappy with their life, this causes a paradox, one they blame God for.

Well, I was an angry atheist early on. Eventually, I encountered many Christians who would debate my lack of faith with me. As an angry atheist I didn't spend much time considering theological concepts. I would only attack and insult them. That was my only weapon. When I discussed this topic with loving Christians who didn't recoil from my vitriol, I had to find some other way to counter their points. This is how I made the transition from angry atheist to illogical atheist.

In the end, the result is the same, I was a non-believer. I was a vile non-believer too. I had accepted Christ early on as a child. I had been baptized. I had chosen to turn my back on God. I had rebuked him, denied him. In this mindset, I could not be converted. It was not that I wouldn't be converted, I could not be. Why? Because I didn't want to be. Just like a drug addict or alcoholic. I would not change my mindset until I chose to. I would not convert until I wanted to.

Converting atheists take time, and patience. Atheists will not convert because you want them to. You have no control over whether or not an atheist converts. All you can do is plant the seeds, and wait for them to sprout. All you can do is love them, speak to them about God, answer their questions and wait patiently. When their time has come, when they are ready to convert, they will. If that is God's Will. I did not convert until life got too tough to handle and I realized that I could not force my way through anymore. I could not bend the world to my will. But God can bend the world to His Will, and he did. Until I realized I couldn't do it on my own, and I needed help, nothing changed. Once I decided to trust, release control and let God take the reins again everything changed.

This will hold true for those you try to convert. Until they decide to let go and let God take over, nothing will change. Be vigilant, and do not recoil from their anger or their condescension. Remember to put on the whole armor of God, and speak to them. If you are patient, and it is God's Will, they will convert.