Pragmatic Atheism
The moment-by-moment frenzy of the modern world is fertile soil for what I call “pragmatic atheism”. What is pragmatic atheism? It is living as if, for all practical purposes, God does not exist. It is functioning as if God were merely an idea instead of a reality. It is moving from “buzz” to “buzz” without ever stopping to consider the Author of all things, let alone to worship Him.
For us to live differently in this experience-oriented and media-saturated society requires resistance thinking, consciously thinking in opposition to prevailing trends and acting in a way contrary to the squeeze of the world’s mold (Romans 12:2). This means at least two things: thinking deeper and vigilance.
First, thinking deeper. There is nothing wrong with being busy per se. Jesus was quite busy; he was a person in high demand. But he regularly pulled away to seek His Father in private. So too, we must have time to think deeply about what we are doing and why we are doing it. We must have time away from the rat race, in order to reflect on our lives before the face of God and in the light of His Word.
Secondly, we must be vigilant. There is no down time from this battle. The enemy is always looking for an opportune time; he is always seeking to strike the next mind-numbing blow. Therefore we must struggle to bring all of life, even our entertainment and leisure, into the spotlight of eternity.
Something to think about from “The Kingdom Perspective”.
So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
~The Message on Romans 12:1-2
